- Network: Netflix
- Series Premiere Date: May 8, 2025
Critic Reviews
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Yes, it’s clearly Blume’s Forever …, with all of its thematic interests and hilarious specificity intact (Justin still calls his dick Ralph!), but the reason it lands with the same impact is how thoroughly Akil translates it into this not-quite-contemporary setting. .... They [Justin and Keisha] make Forever feel timeless.
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It’s an insightful update of Blume’s novel, a powerful addition to Akil’s body of work, and a deeply compelling piece of art.
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Stunning. .... Writing so specific, it’s universal; the intimacy of the directing (including a premiere helmed by executive producer Regina King); the intensity Simone and Cooper bring to their roles; the richness of the cinematography; a hip-hop and R&B soundtrack that reflects the music of the characters’ lives—it all combines to make one of TV’s best romances, full stop.
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There is a wholeness in “Forever” that feels magical. Brock Akil has once again shifted the landscape for how Black life is seen and experienced on television.
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The competing themes in this story are as timely as they are beautifully rendered: On one hand, there is protection—and on the other, fate.
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a lovely and wonderfully textured TV series. .... So much rests on Cooper and Simone’s performances, which are terrific.
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While taking major departures from Blume’s plot, Brock Akil stays true to its compassion, thoughtfulness, and message. Like love itself, “Forever” should be easily recognizable, but there’s still plenty to discover.
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Despite the heady rush of first love — and the thrill of sexual exploration — Justin and Keisha develop a deep, profound friendship, and it’s impossible not to root for them.
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Ultimately, “Forever” is a series as cozy and comforting as the good book that inspires it, and will certainly become a streaming favorite.
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Forever isn’t interested in defining the success of a teenage relationship by whether it lasts, well, forever. But in bringing that same shame-free curiosity into the equation, this version still manages to pay homage to Blume’s vision, while telling a winning love story all its own.
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Forever takes its time to tell its story of first love, with all the ups and downs that teens who are discovering love and sex in the social media era have to deal with. It’s a vibe that we love, aided by the chemistry between the show’s stars.
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“This is, like, low-key adorable,” says Keisha’s friend, approvingly. The same is true of the show: Forever is, like, low-key adorable, too.
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What becomes clear is that whatever its drastic changes or forgivable flaws, Akil’s Forever retains what matters most about its source material.
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As a whole, Brock Akil skillfully translates Blume's novel for the present-day by tackling the effects of social media on present-day youth, while maintaining the essence of the source material through an evocative depiction of Justin and Keisha's on-and-off romance.
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“Forever” keeps in step with Blume’s style by not seeming like it comes from an adult perspective. That comes through in the conversations (topics include a hit manga series and popular music). The leads also are painfully real.
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Things get better and worse and better, happier and sadder and so on, as the couple travels through eight episodes of mostly ordinary drama — jealousy and insecurity, mopiness and mooniness, desolation and elation, miscommunication and reconciliation — on the way to maturity.
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Sprawling sluggishly over eight, hour-long episodes, Netflix’s new teen drama Forever really does feel like it goes on… well… foooor-evaaaah. This is a huge shame because, if only it were zippier, it would be precisely the kind of thoughtfully conceived and tenderly acted coming-of-age tale that our kids (and their parents) need right now: a perfect counterbalance to the worst-case scenario of Adolescence.
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