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?
Shameful about Forever being cancelled after 1 series. I know a lot of people who enjoyed it. Yet The Kardashians who are painful boring pathetic etc etc goes on and on and on. I know its an e tv production but really
I am so tired of networks dropping shows after one season. Forever was a smart, witty and very enjoyable show. Amazing cast, intriguing story line, I truly looked forward to every show. Major disappointment. I think it might be time to cancel my tv subscription package. Why keep paying for redundant shows and getting our hopes up only to have the good ones canned? How do these people at the networks keep their jobs? Sigh… Thank you to the cast, writers and crew of Forever. I thought you all were great.
Found this show late in the season and caught up online. Love this show and it’s original premise. Shame on ABC for not giving it a chance. No wonder they have had such a lousy time with that time slot. So many shows need a 2nd season to catch on. Word of mouth takes some time and this show had the loyal base to spread the word. Wonder what season one and done show they’ll put in the slot next year. Don’t think I’ll waste my time on it since it’ll just get canceled like all the rest. To the… Read more »
Gutted Forever” has finished!!! I’ve just watched a recording of the last episode and was looking online to see when the next series would be aired, as I was so looking forward to it. Absolutely gutted!!!!! Bloody typical!
Forever was literally my favorite show this year on the major networks. I can’t seem to understand why great shows like this with an amazing cast gets cancelled after one season! The ratings business is quite ridiculous to let a few people decide the fate of a show that so many loved. I really hope that there is a network out there that is taking notice of the outpouring of support for this show and picks it up!
I would subscribe to a pay channel if they picked up Forever, that’s how much my wife and I like this show! Very smart, thought provoking and entertaining television.
I can’t believe that they have let this one go when they let such boring shows go on.
I loved the show and can’t understand why it seems like the good ones go and the bad ones (trashy sitcoms) stay. I guess that shows the typical mind set of the America public. too bad.
Very touching comments from Ioan . Fabulous actor best show next to Castle I’ve watched in years . I guess., Old people don’t count in the ratings . Rethink ABC . Hope other station will pick it up . So sad !!!!!!!!
This is why the Old Networks are Doomed to go the way of the Dinosaurs and the New Media providers like Netflix, Amazon etc. are destined to take over. It would be Great if one of them bought the rights to the show and made it profitable …… a lot like how SyFy Channel did for the show Stargate when they took it over from Showtime in one of it’s largest single programming acquisitions..
I already wrote to ShowTime if they are interested, may be they need a little push. 🙂
I think this show was something new and fresh. My husband and I actually watched this one together because he finally enjoyed a show that I liked. I really cannot believe the show is not being renewed. I do not know whether or not some people just did not know about it! There are entirely too many choices as to what to watch.
Addendum: Is there any possibility to bring it back? We just cannot let it die(pun intended).
Mr. Arellano covered it. I’ll just add that it’s always a shame to see well done, smart shows get axed, while a lot of really dumb ones get to drone on and on.
At least give us, your viewers, a second season and give “Forever” a chance to unravel. Give Henry Morgan the opportunity to rebuild his life with Jo Martinez, they are clearly at least very attracted to each other…. Pleaaaase.
Simply it’s not fair that this magnificent TV Show is now canceled. Is it not important what we as viewers believe or feel? This is an unfair abortion of a fine art made out of a show. Shame on you ABC.
I abhor this ratings game. Who are these people who can dictate to me what to watch? Once in a while, I find shows that I look forward to watching every week, and “Forever” is one of them. Just because these executives could not find a time slot appropriate for their show to compete in, they outright cancel on us. They had the beginnings of a “cult” show and they abandoned it right away. If they did that to “Dr. Who”, would we have an icon show that we have today? Just saying.