HBO’s The Nevers arrives as a tough show to review for a few reasons: (1) The show lands with many of the (frankly appealing) pluses that one would expect from the showrunner of Firefly, Dollhouse, and the Buffy series; and (2) The series finds itself saddled with the baggage of the guy who created those same beloved series. Sadly, there’s no way to separate those two statements because Joss Whedon’s particular quirks, his sensibilities, and his favorite tropes run throughout the first four episodes screened for critics.

An allegorical alt-superhero series about gifted women in Victorian London makes it to the screen, but without its currently embattled creator.

The historical fantasy series streams on HBO Max from April 11, It begins with a wordless opening scene in which people wander about in old-timey frocks for several minutes, but hang in there: The fun soon starts as out Victorian-era heroines seek out a child who may be cursed by the devil. That leads to an acrobatic fight scene packed with luminescent hand grenades and weaponized parasols, setting the tone for an adventure full of kick-ass women taking on sinister baddies.

The new drama, about Victorian women granted extraordinary powers out of thin air, is engaging even as it leans heavily on Whedon’s go-to tropes.

There’s one Angel character who stands out from the rest – both literally and figuratively – and he wasn’t even intended to exist in the first place. Though demons tend to get the pointy end of the stick in the Buffyverse, Andy Hallet’s fast-taking, aura-reading, green-skinned demon Lorne has stood the test of time and emerged as one of Angel’s most unlikely standouts with his infectious energy and quick wit.

Twenty years have passed since the events of Serenity shifted the Firefly universe into a new direction. But it turns out that the timeline hasn’t changed all that much. In that time, Zöe Alleyne Washburne has taken command of the titular Serenity ship.

“Set 20 years after the events of Firefly, Serenity soars the ‘Verse once again with a new captain – Emma, the daughter of Wash and Zöe! The old crew of Serenity has gone their own way and now Emma is working to prove herself to Zoe. alongside a new crew of castaways and misfits just trying to stay afloat. But when Serenity takes a job from a familiar face, they discover their new, living, breathing cargo is far more than they bargained for… and might bring them into conflict with Alliance once again!”

Boom! Studios returns to the world of Firefly in a brand new limited series, Firefly: Brand New Verse, and a fresh preview spotlights new characters.

The Ring of Fire arc has turned multiple friends into foes. Anya, the former Watcher, continues her secret plot against the Watcher Council. Meanwhile, Xander’s a vampire hell-bent on trapping Willow with him. Now, through the magic of a mysterious gift from issue #20, Willow has been taken over by an eerie sort of doppelganger.

Dark Willow was one of the biggest twists in the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Willow spent seasons of the original series learning about magic and perfecting spell-crafting in her own right. But by Season 6, her ambitions and appetite for magic had grown to a dangerous level.