So what would you do if you found yourself cursed to live an eternal life? If you’re Dr. Henry Morgan you study all the various ways you personally have died over the course of two-hundred years and become the medical examiner for a big city police department. If it were me, I’d find a way to hit the lotto and travel the world but I digress.
Ioan Gruffudd stars in the new ABC drama “Forever” as Henry Morgan, a doctor who finds himself in just such a situation. We first meet Henry several hundred years ago on a ship in the middle of the ocean defending the life of a slave only to find himself on the wrong end of a gun and tossed overboard. From this point on whenever Henry dies he reemerges alive in a body of water.
Fast forward to present day New York and Henry is still a doctor though one with a wealth of knowledge and experience unlike no other. He’s fascinated by death and studies it as both a medical examiner and in a secret laboratory (you have to say laboratory with a British accent, it just sounds better) below the antique store in the hopes of one day finding a remedy for his little problem.
The only person who knows the truth is his long-time friend Abraham (Judd Hirsch), at first glance a father figure running an antique store and go to guy when Henry awakes from yet another death but you know there’s gotta be a twist. Henry is more the father figure to Abraham who was found as a baby sixty plus years ago by Henry and his late wife in the middle of a war.
Henry’s latest death happens on what appears to be an accidental subway train derailment but of course nothing is quite that simple. He gets pulled into the investigation where he meets and befriends Det. Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza) once she clears him of being responsible for causing the accident of course. We meet Det. Martinez post a one night stand and a little hung over though we later learn she’s morning the recent death of her husband and struggling a little along the way. She’s intrigued by Henry and his Sherlock Holmes style attention to detail and after he saves her life during the subway investigation decides they should team up.
After dying on a subway train and chasing bad guys with Det. Martinez, Henry is contacted by a mysterious stranger claiming to know his secret and share a similar fate. At first he thinks the mystery caller is responsible for the train crash leading Henry to believe it was staged to draw him out and prove his curse to be true. Later he and Abraham realize the man isn’t involved but now a mystery is afoot as to who this new threat might be and how they can fight to keep Henry’s secret safe.
“Forever” is an entertaining cop mystery drama with not a completely unique concept but a likeable charming cast.
“Forever” debuts Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.