Joss Whedon’s HBO Show Canceled

The Nevers has been canceled after only one season. The first half of the drama’s debut season was pulled from HBO Max Monday, alongside Westworld and Love Life. It’s unclear where the second half of Season 1 will be released, but it probably will not be through HBO. The Nevers was created by Joss Whedon, who left the show in November 2020 and was not mentioned in marketing due to the allegations of workplace harassment against him from other projects.

The first six episodes of The Nevers aired on HBO in April and May 2021 and were released to HBO Max after they debuted. The second half of Season 1 was set to air on HBO in 2023 and has already been completed. Sources close to the show told Variety it is possible the episodes will find a home at another venue, but it’s unclear how that will work out. Deadline‘s sources added that the story ends with the Season 1B finale.

The Nevers is a science fiction series set during the Victorian era, where a group finds themselves with mysterious superpowers thanks to alien intervention. Laura Donnelly (Werewolf by Night) led the series as Zephyr Alexis Navine/Amalia Tue, a member of The Touched group who can see into the future. Her friend Penance Adair was played by Ann Skelly (Vikings). Olivia Williams, James Norton, Tom Riley, and Nick Frost were members of the large ensemble cast.

Although Whedon was credited as the series creator, he left the project behind in November 2020, citing the challenges of filming during the coronavirus. He was replaced by Philippa Goslett as the showrunner in January 2021. Whedon is best known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Avengers, and other projects that made him a superstar writer. His reputation was hit in 2020 and 2021 when allegations of workplace harassment arose. As a result, Whedon’s connection to The Nevers was downplayed by HBO. He was still credited as the writer on three of the first six episodes and directed the pilot.

Westworld and The Nevers were removed from HBO Max on Monday. Unlike the recently-departing Love Life, Minx, and Gordita Chronicles, Westworld and The Nevers were high-end dramas that originally aired on HBO. The decision to pull Westworld from the platform was a big shocker, as the show’s fourth (and final) season only finished airing on Aug. 14. Sources told Deadline that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is interested in creating a free, ad-supported streamer, which could be the place where Westworld and The Nevers resurface.

Vaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery have been on the hunt for cost savings ever since the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger closed in April. The company is hoping to find $3.5 billion in savings over the next three years. WBD can save money by pulling shows from HBO Max so they will not have to pay cast and crew residuals.