I find it ironic that a show named “Forever” didn’t even last one calendar year on network television.
In Fall 2014, ABC began airing this fantasy medical/crime drama procedural that was also an occasional period piece. It starred Ioan Gruffudd (AKA, Mr. Fantastic from the early 2000s Fantastic Four movies), Judd Hirsch (Jeff Goldblum’s dad in Independence Day) and some other people you might recognize: Alana de la Garza, Joel David Moore, Donnie Keshawarz and Lorraine Toussaint.
It ran 22 episodes through Spring 2015, and ABC didn’t renew it for a second season. There was hope that another network or streaming channel might pick it up, but those hopes were soon dashed and “Forever” died after a short-lived TV life.
BUT, WAS IT ANY GOOD?
I watched the show at the time, and I’ll be the first to admit that I was disappointed when it was canceled.
At the time, I could see its flaws: it spirals all over the place in terms of tone and can never seem to pick a lane in terms of genre. It borrows elements from a lot of better shows (namely, BBC’s Sherlock). But, simultaneously, I could also see the elements that worked: the charming performances, the drama of the main character’s backstory and general situation, and the compelling dynamic between various characters.
In any case, about two weeks ago, I discovered the entire season/series on CW’s streaming channel, CW Seed. And while I got really tired of sitting through the same commercials over and over again, I really appreciated having an opportunity to revisit this show.
Now, I won’t include any major series spoilers in this review, because there are some great revelations and dramatic moments that I don’t want to ruin. But, I will go over the bigger plot points that are set up in the pilot:
Dr. Henry Morgan (played by Gruffudd) isn’t your average New York City medical examiner, because he’s immortal! He’s actually more than 200 years old. He’s unable to die permanently, as every time he “dies,” he’s merely reborn in water without a scratch on him. Only one person, Henry’s adoptive son Abe (played by Hirsch), knows his secret.
Because he’s lived so long, he’s accumulated a great deal of knowledge and skills, which his colleagues in the NYPD put to good use to find murderers. He also hopes to use it as a way of finding a “cure” for his immortality.
During the pilot, though, someone else finds out Henry’s secret. He’s contacted by an anonymous man who also claims to be a 2,000-year-old immortal. He tells Henry to call him “Adam,” because he feels like he’s been around since the beginning.
And thus, 21 more episodes of murder, police investigations, dramatic flashbacks to different time periods, and immortal shenanigans unfold from there.
(BTW, if you’re an astute reader of my “Show Time” articles, you’ll know that I’ve brought up this show before in one my “Blacklist” rants.)
SO, HOW DOES IT HOLD UP?
Uhhhhh… eh????
Overall, it’s a mixed bag:
The bad
After a rewatch, it’s easier for me to see the flaws this show has. Where before I was won over by its charm, now I’m more jaded and dismissive of its forced humor, weak writing, contrived plots and conveniences galore.
For instance, something that never stuck out to me during the initial watch, is that — at one point in the show — Henry meets Adam in his everyday persona. He doesn’t realize at the time that it’s Adam; he just thinks it’s another regular baker* (this isn’t actually Adam’s job — I’m making it up so as not spoil anything). But, once it’s revealed to us the audience and Henry that this kindly baker* is actually Adam… it’s never brought up again! Henry’s never like “I know where Adam works, I should go confront him!” or “I trusted that baker* with valuable secret recipes! And now I find out he’s my nemesis! Oh, the drama!” or what-have-you.
That whole dynamic of Henry finding out that his baker* is actually his stalker/murderer/nemesis could’ve made for some really interesting scenes, but no one ever brings it up again.
“Forever” also steals the whole “Sherlockian detective is impressed by and falls for a dominatrix” thing from BBC’s Sherlock. In fact, it steals a lot of the “Henry can tell everything about someone just by looking at them” thing from House, BBC’s Sherlock, take your pick. And, it’s honestly really exhausting. By the end, I was hoping that there’d be an episode where Henry’s gift goes the Pete Holmes route, and he gets every single deduction wrong.
Look, I’m not saying that a doctor who’s lived more than 200 years wouldn’t have a lot of specialized medical and historical knowledge that might be relevant in murder investigations… but the show constantly treats him like a walking encyclopedia. If there’s a question about a thing, Henry always knows the answer right away and never second-guesses himself, and he rarely ever does any research to confirm he’s right. Hell, even Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock needed to use his mind palace sometimes and admitted to deleting “useless” information from his brain once in a while.
Also, as I stated, this show has a massive problem when it comes to genre/tone. It’s generally lighthearted, despite it being a show about murder investigations, complete with your typical “look at the camera like you’re on The Office” murder puns. But it also strays into really dark territory sometimes, and honestly, those are the better episodes.
The good
Now, while the rewatch made the show’s flaws more apparent, its strengths came through much clearer as well.
I actually watched the episodes out-of-order, starting with the more serialized ones that involve Adam showing up at some point and then downgrading to the more procedural ones that don’t have any Adam- or immortality-related drama.
Most of the procedural ones still have their moments, although it’s pretty standard television; but, overall, the show really excels when it leans into the Henry/Adam rivalry and the drama surrounding Henry’s immortality. Really, if I had to rewrite this show, I’d make it a serial drama focusing on Henry’s immortality. Maybe it’d be a miniseries or, if it’s a full 22-episode season, there could be arc-long murder cases (that span like 2-5 episodes) rather than the one-off procedural formula.
Anyway, Gruffudd and Hirsch are without a doubt the best things about this show. Gruffudd exudes the charm that you’d expect of an 18th century gentleman living in the modern day — he’s refined, knowledgeable, polite and generally classy. Also, he looks damn good in a suit.
Hirsch gets moments of genuine humor, and I love the dynamic between these two! Watching Hirsch call a guy who’s 30 years younger than him “dad” is something you don’t get to see every day. And the show does a great job of giving them a lot of nice, quiet moments to simply be father and son. Also, in addition to Adam’s threats, there are some recurring story threads about Henry’s wife / Abe’s adoptive mom that give these two more dramatic moments to run through. So, it’s great that “Forever” recognizes which actors are the heavyweights and lets them run the gamut of emotions and situations over the course of 22 episodes.
The more “supporting” members of the regular cast get a few moments of humor or drama, but not many. Thus, they kind of fade into the background in terms of plot weight and character dynamics. Only de la Garza’s Detective Jo Martinez is treated like a main character alongside Gruffudd’s Henry and Hirsch’s Abe. She gets a few dramatic beats throughout the season, and I do like the connection Jo and Henry form through their shared losses and trauma.
Like I said, it’s just a generally charming show that has a very talented main and recurring cast and a lot of good ideas/potential with its overarching story.
(Side note: I won’t tell you who plays Adam, because it’d spoil the reveal, but he does a fantastic job! He’s only in like eight episodes, but I wish he was in more. Watching him in this show made me a fan of his work.)
SO, SHOULD YOU WATCH ABC’S “FOREVER”?
As I said, there are definitely good aspects to it, but I feel like the flaws bring the whole season/series down.
If the entire 22-episode show sounds like it’s up your alley, as it was for me, I’d say check it out.
But, even if it’s not your cup of tea, I think everyone should watch a few episodes of it so as to enjoy the Henry/Adam immortal drama. So, here’s an abridged viewing schedule you can do (and make sure you watch them in order):
A-tier episodes that you must see:
- 1.01 “Pilot”
- 1.11 “Skinny Dipper”
- 1.21 “The Night in Question”
- 1.22 “The Last Death of Henry Morgan”
B-tier episodes that have some dramatic or interesting (serial) elements:
- 1.02 “Look Before You Leap”
- 1.06 “The Frustrating Thing About Psychopaths”
- 1.08 “The Ecstasy of Agony”
- 1.14 “Hitler on the Half-Shelf”
- 1.16 “Memories of a Murder”
- 1.18 “Dead Men Tell Long Tales”
Either way, I hope you check out the show. It’s not totally worthless, although it’s not totally flawless either, but I think it’s has some merit. I wish it would’ve had a clearer identity, a better writing team and a second season…
Still, for a short-lived show, “Forever” definitely made an impact on me.