Netflix’s new show Forever follows Keisha and Justin’s teen love story — but what are the chances their romance will last?
The first season, which premiered on Thursday, May 8, ends with Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.) parting ways before they head off to college. Keisha branches out — and thrives — after high school while Justin takes a gap year to find himself.
In the finale, Keisha and Justin cross paths after their split. They enjoy an emotional dinner but walk away from each other once again — on good terms. This was a departure from the show’s source material — Judy Blume‘s 1975 novel of the same name — which didn’t have such a hopeful ending.
Simone, 26, exclusively told Us Weekly she wouldn’t rule out Keisha and Justin reuniting in the future, saying, “I have hope. I’m like, ‘Does nobody ever reconnect with their first love ever?’ Even if it doesn’t last forever, maybe in the near future.”
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Cooper Jr. had a similar outlook on where Keisha and Justin go from here.
“I’m hopeful. I think that [they need] some time apart so they can grow independently. Because Justin, he’s just now discovering his purpose,” he noted to Us. “He’s discovering his music and I want to see him grow and develop and step into the man that he wants to be.”
The actor highlighted the benefits of the fictional couple “growing individually,” adding, “Hopefully we get to see them nurture their friendship, and then potentially — maybe and hopefully — they come back to each other. You never know.”
While discussing the potential future of the show, Simone made it clear she “would be interested” in playing Keisha again.
“I would love to see what she turns into. I would love to see what she would teach me,” she noted. “[But] I liked that ending also because even if it’s not the end forever, it was a very mature stopping point for the both of them. I feel like they were in places in their lives where they said, ‘Hey, maybe this is not going to be helpful for the things that I have to consider and do for myself in this portion of my life.’”
Blume’s version of Forever takes place in New Jersey and centers teenagers Katherine and Michael. Showrunner Mara Brock Akil‘s adaptation is set in 2018 Los Angeles as two young athletes become each other’s first loves.
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“Forever really was a tale that kind of tested the times and stayed true. Love for teenagers looks kind of like this, so it is cool seeing how we’re now in a new age and this is a reimagination, but just in a completely different era,” Simone explained. “It’s nice to see it revamped a little bit. We’re still honest to the book and honest to the points that it was trying to make there.”
Cooper Jr. praised Akil for how she adapted the material.
“She does such a beautiful job and there’s so much connectivity for people of our generation who necessarily aren’t familiar with the original text. There’s different access points, so I think she does that really well,” he shared with Us. “[Mara] wanted to make a love story to L.A. — not just between two teenagers. Being in L.A. was really different. It also helped create the character because now we know where they are in a sense of their environment and their upbringing. It helped shape me in that essence.”
Forever is currently streaming on Netflix.
