The Nevers vs. Netflix's Irregulars: Which Victorian Action Show is For You?

Every now and then there is a moment of pop culture randomness that suggests a number of filmmakers and television professionals are thinking about the same things at the same time. Think about when Turner & Hooch and K-9 Both premiered in 1989, a year when we were clearly terrified of dog cops. Or when Deep Impact and Armageddon came to theaters in 1998 and remembered an almost forgotten time when we as a society Not Root for meteors. 2006 gave us a duo of magician-centered dramas in The illusionist and The prestige, a forward-looking prelude to the collapse of the real estate market. (Because the boom was … an illusion. You see?)

You get the picture: As David Lynch Twin peaks Once warned us that this has happened before and it will happen again. Given the spin-off of Netflix’s Sherlock Holmes The irregular ones and HBO’s dark Joss Whedon fantasy The Nevers

Opening within a month, apparently in early 2021, is the moment for old-story Victorian ensemble drama, which is mostly about women facing supernatural threats. And now we have the same problem that previous generations faced: how the hell are we supposed to tell them apart?

So allow me to present this handy guide that can be used whenever you come across a clip on social media or an ongoing episode.

[Ed. note: Some spoilers for both shows follow]

IS THERE AN URGENT BIG GIRL?

This is probably the easiest way to tell what show you are watching. If you see a 10 foot kid, watch The Nevers. Her name is Primrose and she is very cute, although she doesn’t do much in the early episodes of the series. Most of the time she’s just there, a Clifford-sized girl looking for a Clifford-sized dog. That would be a good addition to the show.

If you don’t see Primrose, we’re going to have to work a little harder.

Primrose, a three-meter-tall girl, towers over her friends at The Nevers.

IS THERE A SYNTHESIZER?

Time to use your ears. Would you describe the soundtrack as a bop? It is possible The irregular onesunless you’re into strings and harpsichords, which is fine, but I want some information about your choreography. Since both shows indulge in “Victorian sounds”, you have to pay attention too The irregular ones

occasional indulgence in a pop song (you can hear Billie Eilish at one point) or when the score calls out the synthesizers for “Oh shit!” Moments that The Nevers does, well … never.

IS ONE OF THE CHARACTERS A PONCY RICH LAD WHO DOES IT WITH THE LADIES?

You have to be more specific.

James Norton as Hugh, idling in silk at The Nevers.

Prince Leopold sits fully dressed and thoughtful in bed in The Irregulars.

IS HE ONE KIND PONCY RICH LAD?

Oh that is The irregular ones, with Leopold, a secret prince. Just like Char from Gundam!

WHAT SHOW WILL CO-LED BY A WHITE WOMAN WHO CAN SEE THE FUTURE?

Both.

Okay what’s focused on orphans?

Both! The irregular ones is about the street children who support Sherlock Holmes, and The Nevers it is about people with strange abilities who are isolated from polite society, so they are both very concerned about people who are considered such undesirable

. It is a good thing that they have it in common! But it doesn’t help you identify the show your partner is watching in the other room. So next question?

There seem to be some occult things.

This is The irregular ones! That will likely come as a surprise as this is supposed to be a Sherlock Holmes-related show, however The irregular ones is hella supernatural. But it honestly works!

In The Irregulars, a ghostly disease doctor haunts the streets of London at night

WHAT ABOUT ALIENS?

The one is The Nevers. This is the big twist at the end of the pilot. (Spoilers ahead!) A magical-looking spaceship soaring over London has given strange “twists” (powers) to a random selection of Londoners, and the show is determined to keep the explanation behind it close for the time being. So I can’t really explain any more here, but I can use this handy mnemonic: “If she flies in the sky, that’s it The Nevers, I say. “

Londoners look up to see a spaceship fly overhead at The Nevers.

Did I just see Hitler?

When you’ve watched The irregular onesyou sure have! You’re also close to the end of the show, so you might want to step back a bit and catch up. The show is pretty good.