Judy Blume is an author who has been writing books about children and young adults since the late 1960's. Her most famous is probably Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (1970), which was one of the most challenged books because of its frank discussions about children and sex, particularly teenage sex issues like menstruation. There was an adaptation of that book that was released in theaters in 2023, along with an award-winning documentary called Judy Blume Forever (2023). These films were part of a renewed interest in Blume's work, as the topic of book bans became a hot topic, particularly since President Biden took office. The first media adaptation of Blume's work was a TV movie on CBS called Forever (1978). This current adaptation comes 50 years after the book's publishing. This series isn't as faithful as the CBS production. This one makes changes and alterations in order to update the story for modern times and to adjust for the racial differences.
Writer-producer Mara Brock Akil is an African American creator from California. One of her jobs early in her career was working on the series Moesha (1996), which was about a teenage, Black girl growing up in Los Angeles. Akil has since created shows like Girlfriends (2000), The Game (2006) and Being Mary Jane (2013). All those shows focused on Black women as adults, dealing mainly with work and friendships. It's been nearly 30 years since Akil has delved into the life and times of a teenage Black girl. Adapting Blume's book was a perfect opportunity to return to that kind of character. Plus, it gave Akil a chance to center a Black romance, which has been something sorely lacking in both mainstream television and film.
Lovie Simone (Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Greenleaf) stars as Keisha Clark, a high school student who hopes to graduate in 2019. When we meet her, it's December, 2017, and she attends a New Year's Eve party with her best friend, a white girl named Chloe who comes from a wealthy family. Keisha's family isn't wealthy. In fact, Keisha lives with her single mom who is currently working multiple jobs in order to pay for Keisha's school. Keisha's mom doesn't want her going to public school. Keisha doesn't want to go to public school. She wants a better education because Keisha hopes to attend Howard University and eventually become a CEO of a company, possibly even start her own. She hopes to pay for that school by getting either an academic or athletic scholarship, given that Keisha is probably the best runner on her track-and-field team.
The school she's currently attending isn't the school where she started. She transferred schools in order to finish her junior and senior years. The reason she switched schools is because a sex tape of her and her boyfriend, Christian Boykin, played by Xavier Mills (Genius and Interview with the Vampire), had spread over the Internet, getting around to her friends and their families. However, she was able to hide it from her mother, Shelly, played by Xosha Roquemore (Cherish the Day and The Mindy Project). Keisha's mom doesn't even know that Keisha broke up with Christian. Keisha pretends that she and Christian are still dating whenever her mom asks.
Michael Cooper Jr. (On the Come Up and The Inhabitant) co-stars as Justin Edwards, an aspiring basketball player. His dream is to go to the NBA. That's becoming difficult because his coach is constantly leaving him on the bench. His coach won't put Justin in games, even though Justin has probably the best 3-point shot of any person on his team. It becomes doubtful that he'll go to the NBA straight out of high school. His parents decide that he should instead attend Northwestern University in Chicago, particularly because it was the school where his mom attended. When it comes to college, Justin's mom, Dawn, played by Karen Pittman (And Just Like That... and The Morning Show), really pushes him in that regard.
It should be noted that Justin's parents are wealthy. They live in a very nice neighborhood. Yet, Dawn is hyper aware that they aren't as privileged as others. One of the reasons Justin has been sitting on the bench is because even wealthier, White families have been giving large donations and the school prioritizes the children of those large donors, even though they might not be as talented as Justin. Knowing this, Dawn wants her son to be successful and knows that a good education will help in that regard, but she doesn't want him to be lazy about it. She constantly pushes and harasses him about making sure he's doing everything he can to get into college. She may in fact be projecting things onto him that aren't what he wants. She's also hyper aware of the fact that he's Black and that adds even more challenges to living in this world.
Wood Harris (Creed and Remember the Titans) rounds out the cast as Eric, the father to Justin and husband to Dawn. He runs his own restaurant, a very successful one. He has to be the one to have uncomfortable talks with his son, including the one that many African American parents have with their sons in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. He also has the talk that many parents have with their sons about how to have safe sex. In the spirit of Blume's book, these talks are honest and direct.
Obviously, the possibility exists that a show about teenage sex that's honest and direct could descend into raunchy territories. This isn't American Pie (1999). It's not as provocative as something like Euphoria (2019). It lies somewhere in the middle. It might be on the level of Sex Education (2019) or Heartstopper (2022). The series addresses the issue of a sex tape, but again not in a way that HBO might. A show about a girl with a sex tape could be tough and hard-hitting, but the series really doesn't dig into the ramifications. The series is actually about how a young person might circumnavigate those ramifications. We never see the sex tape. There is nudity and sexual situations here, but it's not depicted in an over-the-top or even all that bold a way. The whole thing feels rather demure actually.
Akil is crafting a romance, one that isn't toxic, tragic or tortured. There's a sweetness to it all and loveliness. There's a softness and a delicateness that was strangely appreciated. At the same time, there is some weird modern-day issues like how teenagers communicate with cell phones, mostly in the way of texting. Unlike in shows like Heartstopper and Sex Education, Keisha and Justin attend different schools, so their cell phones become important tools. Video chat is used a lot here. The phones can also be a huge canyon that can be used to divide them. No show has probably utilized the term "block" in terms of blocking someone from your cell phone more than this one.
The title refers to the idea of the kind of love in question. When two young people fall in love, especially for the first time, it can seem like something that should and will last forever. This series tests that theory by showing the ups and downs, as well as all the things that has to be considered when you have two people from two different worlds and on two different paths. Of course, that test requires a lot of self examination and this series really fleshes out these two people in a way that most Hollywood romances don't. This kind of young black-on-black love, which Justin's mom emphasizes, is rare and it's refreshing to see Black culture celebrated and put on display, such as in Episode 5 where the characters go to Circuit Avenue in Martha's Vineyard.
Rated TV-MA-LS.
Running Time: 1 hr. / 8 eps.
Available on Netflix.