If the season finale of Forever left you standing heartbroken under the blue light of the Hachioji Craft Ramen sign, we have just the salve: Keisha and Justin will get another chance to make things work, as Forever has been renewed for a second season.
In the already beloved first season, creator Mara Brock Akil (Moesha, Girlfriends) put a contemporary spin on Judy Blume’s classic novel Forever . . . . While Blume set her story of young love in ’70s New Jersey, Brock Akil introduces a new generation to Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.), two Black teens living on opposite sides of the 10 in sunny LA circa 2018. Keisha and Justin went to preschool together but haven’t seen each other since — until a New Year’s Eve party reunites them, and sends them into the at-times tumultuous, always sweet whirlwind of first love.
Keisha is an A-plus student and track star, whose uncompromising expectations of herself include a full ride at prestigious Howard University. “She knows and accepts that she is the one who can make the economic difference in her family’s legacy,” says Brock Akil. “I thought about the Keishas out there who think that they cannot be less than one mistake. You got to have the top grades, be the fastest runner, get to one of the best schools in the country.”
Justin is a little less clear about what he wants to do after high school. He’s torn between what his parents want — Northwestern University, by way of basketball and top grades despite his ADHD — and the dreams he hasn’t quite discovered for himself yet. He loves making beats and loves Keisha, and with her help, figures out how to communicate to his parents what’s best for him.
Over the course of eight episodes, Keisha and Justin deal with miscommunication, family pressure, and all the firsts that come with a high school relationship — as well as some of the unique issues facing Black teenagers in 2018, like navigating predominately white spaces and social media. By the end of Season 1, the two make the decision to go separate ways so they can find their own purpose and show up as their best selves. “[The show] really taught me the importance of self-love,” says Cooper Jr. “You have to love and know yourself in order to love anyone else or create space for someone else.”
Even though she’s older than Keisha in real life, Simone was impressed by her character’s maturity: “The way these characters communicate is just so advanced,” the actor says. “It was nice to have a little bit of my faith restored in young love through this show. Young people can communicate.” Brock Akil was similarly hopeful about how her characters have transformed by the end of Season 1. “I thought that maybe Justin and Keisha could show us how to let go when we have to choose ourselves, even though it’s challenging,” says the showrunner.
Now that the series has been renewed for a second season, they’ll have a chance to show us even more. And in terms of what to expect from the two when they part ways after that last bowl of ramen? Brock Akil has more questions than answers at this point. “Who are they going to be on the other side, or during that first semester?” she says. After all, Howard University has been Keisha’s focus for far longer than Justin has. “Howard is Keisha’s first boyfriend, let’s just be honest. I want to see who she is in this environment. For Justin, what is he going to do in this gap year, now that he’s got a direction? He needs to figure out who he is outside of Keisha.”
Brock Akil adds, “How do you reengage, how do you go back through the door that you know is open?” Or, as Justin puts it in Episode 8’s crushing last scene, soundtracked by Frank Ocean’s version of “Moon River,” “Maybe we’ll be ready for each other in 10 years.” Hopefully it takes less than a decade, but we’ll have to wait for Season 2 to find out!
“This show was never just about first love — it was about being seen, about letting teenagers be soft, complicated, and real. And the world showed up for that,” says Brock Akil. “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. Thank you to Netflix — Season 2 is coming soon!”
In the meantime, watch (and rewatch) Forever Season 1 on Netflix now.
