'Forever' is a frank and lovely take on teen romance

By Aisha Harris,

Stephen Thompson, B.A. Parker, Corey Antonio Rose, Hafsa Fathima, Liz Metzger, Mike Katzif, Jessica Reedy

Published May 14, 2025 at 10:10 AM EDT

Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark as Forever. — Lovie Simone as Keisha Clark as *Forever.*

It's not easy being a teenager in love. The hormones are raging, the parents are parenting, and the pressure is on to figure out life after senior year. Judy Blume tackled this in her 1975 novel Forever. It's now been reminaged as a Netflix series centering on a pair of Black high schoolers from showrunner Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends). And it thoughtfully captures the pangs and joys of young romance in a modern context.

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Aisha Harris

Aisha Harris is a host of Pop Culture Happy Hour.

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Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson is a writer, editor and reviewer for NPR Music, where he speaks into any microphone that will have him and appears as a frequent panelist on All Songs Considered. Since 2010, Thompson has been a fixture on the NPR roundtable podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which he created and developed with NPR correspondent Linda Holmes. In 2008, he and Bob Boilen created the NPR Music video series Tiny Desk Concerts, in which musicians perform at Boilen's desk. (To be more specific, Thompson had the idea, which took seconds, while Boilen created the series, which took years. Thompson will insist upon equal billing until the day he dies.)

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B.A. Parker

Corey Antonio Rose

Hafsa Fathima

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Liz Metzger

Mike Katzif

Jessica Reedy

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