Forever is an American romantic teen drama television series created by Mara Brock Akil loosely adapted from the Judy Blume novel of the same name. It was released on Netflix on May 8, 2025, and was renewed for a second season on May 14.
Contents
Premise
The series is set in 2018 Los Angeles as two young athletes become each other's first love while their families with pushy parents are pressuring them into getting college athletic scholarships.
Cast and characters
Main
Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark
Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards
Xosha Roquemore as Shelly, Keisha's mother
Marvin Lawrence Winans III as Jaden, Justin's younger brother
Wood Harris as Eric, Justin's father
Karen Pittman as Dawn, Justin's mother
Malaika Guttoh as Ameena (season 2)
Recurring
Barry Shabaka Henley as George, Keisha's grandfather
Ali Gallo as Chloe, Keisha's best friend
Niles Fitch as Darius, Justin's best friend
Paigion Walker as Tiffany, Keisha's cousin
Adriyan Rae as Brittany, Keisha's cousin
E'myri Crutchfield as Tammy, Keisha's track rival
Xavier Mills as Christian Boykin, Keisha’s ex-boyfriend
Yusef Thomas as Rodney, Tiffany's partner and a music producer
Avery Wills Jr. as Jaden (season 2)
Tre McBride as Elijah (season 2)
Production
In November 2022, Netflix announced that it had commissioned a television series adaptation of the book Forever… by Judy Blume, with Mara Brock Akil as showrunner and executive producer and Judy Blume, Susie Fitzgerald, Erika Harrison, Sara White, Regina King, Shana C. Waterman and Anthony Hemingway also as executive producers. King directed the pilot.
The cast is led by Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr and also includes Karen Pittman, Wood Harris, Xosha Roquemore, Marvin Lawrence Winans III, Barry Shabaka Henley, Ali Gallo, Niles Fitch, Paigion Walker and E'myri Crutchfield.
On January 30, 2025, first-look images from filming were released.
On May 14, 2025, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. On May 8, 2026, it was reported that filming for the second season had started in Los Angeles and that Malaika Guttoh joined the cast as a series regular while Avery Wills Jr. and Tre McBride were cast in recurring capacities.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for the show's original score, composed by Gary Gunn, was released by Netflix on May 2, 2025. The soundtrack for the series includes music by Migos, Anderson Paak, Daft Punk, Foam Collective, Travis Scott, SZA, Janelle Monáe, Tyler, The Creator and Childish Gambino amongst others.
Release and reception
The series was released on Netflix on May 8, 2025.
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 97% approval rating based on 35 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A thoroughly modern adaptation of Judy Blume's novel that retains its insight into young love, Forever is an effervescent romance that'll put an everlasting smile on viewers' faces." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 84 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B+ and said, "While it encompasses all the butterflies and betrayals of first love, Forever also tells a deeper story about the challenges and heartache of raising exceptional Black kids in our fraught modern era."
Viewership
According to data from Showlabs, Forever ranked first on Netflix in the United States during the week of 12–18 May 2025.
