First love might not be forever, but the works of Mara Brock Akil continue to endure at least.
Netflix announced on Wednesday that it has renewed Forever, the veteran TV producer and writer’s adaptation of Judy Blume’s groundbreaking 1975 novel of the same name, for a season 2. The news comes about a week after the romance drama’s May 8 debut on the streamer.
Set in 2019 Los Angeles, Brock Akil’s reimagining race-swaps Blume’s teenage loves to tell the love story between Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.), childhood classmates who reconnect as high school seniors during a New Year’s Eve party and begin on an all-consuming romance.
ELIZABETH MORRIS/Netflix
Lovie Simone as Keisha on ‘Forever’
Karen Pittman, Wood Harris, and Xosha Roquemore also star in the series, which during its first season mined first love, sex, and intimacy amidst a digital era, as well as what it looks like for Black kids to come of age in a white America.
“This show was never just about first love — it was about being seen,” Brock Akil said in a statement. “About letting teenagers be soft, complicated, and real. And the world showed up for that. Season 2 is our love letter back to the people who said, ‘Yes, this is for me.’ We’re honored, we’re excited, and we’re ready to go even deeper.”
The first season concluded with the painful but amicable breakup between Keisha and Justin as they looked to their lives ahead. Keisha is bound for Howard University, while Justin stunned his parents with the decision to defer his first year at Northwestern in order to pursue his love for music. Blume’s novel similarly ended with a definitive breakup.
Elizabeth Morris/Netflix
Michael Cooper Jr. and his onscreen parents Wood Harris and Karen Pittman on ‘Forever’
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Brock Akil previously told Entertainment Weekly that there was “absolutely room” to expand the story beyond Blume’s source material. “In this art form, I don’t make it for myself. I’m making it for an audience,” she said. “I believe that the audience wants character-driven, complex love stories. If the audience wants more, I want more. Let’s go do it.”
She also said of that bittersweet ending: “What I love about the ending and complexity is that love is intact. I’m really excited about young people showing all of us the way in terms of how to transition from relationships without it having to be destructive. We don’t need any more of that.”
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