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?
I normally don’t write comments, however, I felt I needed to do so…I found this show to be beautifully written and the premise caught me from the beginning…sadly, today, they don’t give shows much time to develop and I think back when Cheers came on in the early 90’s and in the first year, the ratings were horrible and then it came back and stayed on for about another 11 years.. I, also, feel, the lead in to the show had had poor ratings, so, that didn’t help! Overall, networks want instant high ratings and shows that are targeted to… Read more »
This was my FAVORITE program on TV. I never missed a show. If I was not able to watch on Tuesday night, I would always watch “on demand”. PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL!!! I Loved the narrating with such meaningful messages for Life.
I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GONNA MISS THIS SHOW!!! LOVE YOU Ioan!
I agree with Charles and Pamela Lancellotti
Im disappointed in ABC’s cancellation.
I’m not a big TV Person in my household and Forever was the only show I watched on ABC
#bringbackforeever
Finally a show with some class. Not just a bunch of dirty one liners, no gory bloody scenes just for the sake of ratings. Just good solid writing and great acting by a lovely cast. And what does the network do? It cancels the show before it has a chance to catch on. Please bring it back.
THe reason the reviews were low is because the reviewers have no imagination- they like shows that don’t follow a plot line, one that doesn’t involve thinking and wondering what will happen next. The viewers are the true reviewers and we care that the show is canceled – we need more time with Henry and the others. We care about their feelings and life. BRING IT BACK is all that we can say. We can hope that the network reconsider their choice.
My wife and I enjoyed FOREVER very much and are disappointed in ABC’s cancellation.
Hope that WB finds another network to continue the series.
#bringbackforeever
I truly enjoyed his show and thought right from the start it was a winner I am so surprised that it has been axe after only one season what a disappointment I am sure its popularity warrants further seasons
https://www.change.org/p/warner-brothers-warner-brothers-fans-love-the-tv-show-forever
Liked this show and very sorry to hear it cancelled. Thanks and best wishes to the cast and crew.
I am just heartsick to know that Forever has been cancelled. This show was one of my top three favorites. I appreciated the thought and care that went into each episode..along with excellent acting and character development. The plots, including the flashbacks into Henry’s past life, were so intriguing and cleverly done. I loved watching Iaon as Horatio Hornblower several years ago and loved his character of Henry Morgan.
Hopefully ABC will have a change of heart.
Just read they cancelled Melissa and Joey as they wanted older viewers then they cancel Forever a show intelligent older viewers appreciated interestingly his other creation Chuck was similarly intelligently written and had difficulty getting renewed each season but the fans did it so well in one episode the makers actually have an easter egg thanking them maybe the fans of forever can do it to
It’s a pity the show was cancelled. The quality was superb and the acting excellent. When at last you think that finally a good, mature show is in the air, someone in a network decide it was not good enough for their viewers. How wrong! People watching this show, I’m sure, have a very high purchasing power for they are probably mature well established viewers. I hope another network continues with the series.
I’m a fan from Puerto Rico; not a young guy, in fact quite mature. FOREVER. By far, was favorite TV series. It felt mature, well done and so intelligent compared with the other hit series. I sincerely hope that another network captures the series because I’m sure it has a very strong base, probably with a very strong purchasing power. I was surprised that ABC cancelled the series It just proved it’s mediocrity among the mayor networks.