As viewers are no doubt aware by now, ABC has decided to cancel their Forever TV show after one season of 22 episodes. Series star Ioan Gruffudd took to Instagram to send a message to the show’s loyal viewers.
He wrote:
My dear friends, fans, supporters.
Tonight, as you all now know, I received a phone call that I was hoping not to receive, and to be honest I really wasn’t expecting it. I knew the numbers hadn’t been great, but I also knew the studio and the network both loved the show, and of course that it had an incredible fan base…so I thought we were in with a pretty good chance.
But sadly no, this time the cards weren’t dealt in our favor. Show business is like that. Hell, life is like that. You ride to the top of the wave and then you come crashing down again. I asked Alice to send out the sad news because I was a little bit shaken up and needed time to gather my thoughts.
So I sat down and started reading the thousands of Tweets in response to the announcement. And the more I read, the more I couldn’t believe it. The love, the sense of solidarity, the hope, the kindness, the support. Not just for the show, but for each other. And slowly I began to focus on what we had gained in the past year, rather than what we had lost in the last five minutes. I was overcome by a sense of gratitude. To have met you all and to have you all rooting for me and the show. At having a chance to play the role of my dreams, even if it was only for a year. To have been given the chance to bring Henry to life.
Watching the interaction of the FOREVER fans come together and share their love for the show has been breath-taking. It was you guys who held me up when I thought I could no longer go on. (Those days were LONG!) You made me smile when you pointed out the little things I did on screen that I thought had gone unnoticed. You gave me confidence when I accidentally found myself reading less than shining reviews. You were always with me, every step of the way, waving your flags, shouting your support for the show. It’s been an incredible, wonderful year, one that I will never, ever forget.
And guess what? The memories belong to us. We get to keep them ‘forever!’ Thanks again a million times for your unwavering support. Stay strong, be brave, and show kindness as often as you can!
Ioan xxx
What do you think? What do you think of Gruffudd’s message? Why do you think Forever has such a passionate viewership yet the ratings weren’t very good?
So sad to see this:( For years he has been one of my favorite actors, if you want to see just how good he is take a look at all the little touches he gave his character in this show to make him feel very old world, things like his walk and how he held out his hand to be shook. Oh and you should check out his series Hornblower which shows him doing an amazing job at a young age. That show made me a fan long before Forever or Fantastic Four. The fact that shows like this and… Read more »
Interesting comparison to classic series like MASH, Hill Street Blues, and Cheers concerning low first-season ratings. Naturally way back then before cable television — or when cable was still in its infancy — there was clearly much less competition. Yet the competition today is so trashy that, in my opinion, Forever ranks much higher in cleanliness and cleverness of dialog. The storylines’ predicament might have become ocassionally routine, but about every second episode smacked with a new tantalizing piece to Henry’s puzzle; a new jolt in the story made me come back for more. And overall the cast and show’s… Read more »
Ioan is a fabulous actor…he gave the role such sincerity that Henry did become immortal, not only in the FOREVER series, but to his fans. I would expect a letter exactly like he wrote. In real life, ‘Henry’ is still a kind and gentle soul! Hopefully another network with more brains and foresight will pick up this series! One of the nicest elements of the show was that it was also family friendly. It’s sad when the majority of television shows today are foolish reality shows that are not reality at all, or comedies (?) that beg for only stupidity… Read more »
Edit…or shows that can’t have a sentence without using f-bombs or other foul language.
This is all because I liked it, right now I’m batting around 3 fitty !
“DITTO” to everything said before me. Does every show have to be #1 with everyone for it to stay. Different stories and shows for different people, folks! The stations seem to think we ALL are on the same level in life. I prefer interesting, enjoyable characters with well written stories and at the same time learn something. “Forever” covered it all…I just loved it.
He is a wonderful actor and human being. I hope to follow him in his career – as he has made a mark in our lives. My family was rooting for the show to stay on – but as they say, when one door closes, another door opens – and I hope it is the best door ever for him!
Just like he is in the show,great guy. It was the best show on television, period. ABC is run by a bunch of idiots, they have lost my patronage. I guess this is just another instance that shows me that I do not fit in anymore. If the majority of people are watching and thereby keeping the junk that is currently broadcast, then that answers what is going on in this Country.
Ioan’s message was as sweet and gentle and kind as his character. This was a good show. Loved all the characters. Networks have different ways of determining what shows stay and which ones go. It’s not always what’s expected or warranted.
I adored the show. Everything about Henry was fascinating. Only Ione could have bought him to life and made us love him. The writers did an excellent job with keeping the show intetesting. The other actors also gave the show the quality it deserved. I will dearly miss the show. I can never understand why they cancel a show of such high quality and a devoted fan bade. Ione I will be anxiously awaiting your next project. Forever will forever be in my heart and mind.
YA ALWAYs cancel shows people likes. may be u dont give a care i thought it was bou credit score ratings
I suppose, like other favorites of mine, this was cancelled not jut because the number were marginal, but because the viewers are older adults. When will the marketing people who make these decisions realize that boomers have more disposable income – and the time to spend it – than the younger people they target with their inane adverts? Thank God for DVR and HBO!
Farewell to Longmire and to Forever. Two well written, well acted shows.
I think you have hit the nail right on the head. This show apparently appealed to an older audience who the networks ignore since they don’t think we spend enough money. Baloney! I have more money to spend now then when I was in the 18 – 49 age group. The mortgage is paid off. The kids have graduated from college and live on their own. Sad. How was the Golden Girls show ever successful?
Sad to see the show end, I really liked it!
I love Ioan,and I loved reading his letter to his fans. His letter sounds just as kind and sincere as his character in the series .We’ve grown to love Ioan and his son , and always looked forward to each show in the series . Losing this series is like losing a very dear friend , and I’m so sad ! I just can’t understand why they would pull such an extraordinary show , while keeping so many that are utterly useless , uninteresting , and just plain obnoxious !
Once again, some wet behind the ears, no experience executive makes a subjective decision based on if their socks matched that day. I guess when they decided to keep REVENGE on all these season, their socks must have matched. ABC, you suck. FOREVER should get the same number of seasons as REVENGE. I will not be watching anything this season. HULU, NETFLIX, HBO more hours of viewing in this household.
Ditto!!!
I’m sorry too Forever was cancelled. I hope, and have written to Netflix to ask if they would pickup Forever. I told them I would even buy a Network subscription if they would pickup Forever. Others are writing to Netflix for the same request. So, if we can get enough requests into Netflix, maybe, just maybe, we can get Forever resurrected. So everyone write into Netflix with this request.
A beautiful and very sincere letter. Is there any way to get them to reconsider. I believe Forever is a great, very interesting and sometimes educational show as well as entertaining.
Love all the actors.
I think this is wrong to cancel a very good show