Mara Brock Akil drives Forever Season 2 into Los Angeles with 3 new cast members
forever season 2 started production in Los Angeles on May 8, 2026, with Mara Brock Akil saying the series is “back in Los Angeles, back inside a love story that keeps revealing itself.” Netflix also added three new cast members as the next chapter moved from planning to cameras rolling.
The season is an 8-episode return for a series that spent four weeks in Netflix’s global top 10 in its first run, with 103.2 million viewing hours and 15.9 million completed views. That kind of reach is why a production start date and cast expansion matter here: the show is no longer just a renewal announcement, it is a live production with a schedule, a tax credit, and a release window now in view.
Los Angeles on May 8
May 8, 2026 is the date Netflix attached to the start of production in Los Angeles, California. The same announcement set the frame for the rest of the season’s rollout: cameras are expected to keep rolling through September 10, 2026, and a 2027 release date is expected.
The California Film Commission had already confirmed a return for the series to California in November, and the new season is also expected to film in Martha’s Vineyard. For a streamer, that means the project is not simply back on the board; it is now locked into a multi-location production plan with a government-funded tax credit of $22.1 million attached to it.
Three new names join
Malaika Guttoh, Avery Wills Jr. and Tre McBride joined the cast for season 2, widening the ensemble around the returning regulars. Lovie Simone, Michael Cooper Jr., Karen Pittman, Wood Harris and Xosha Roquemore are all back as series regulars, so the new season keeps the core lineup intact while adding fresh faces.
Akil, who serves as creator, showrunner and executive producer, said, “Season 2 of Forever is in production and we are home — back in Los Angeles, back inside a love story that keeps revealing itself. This time, through friendship. Because when you’re standing at the edge of adulthood, staring into the abyss, it’s your real ones you want to run back to. Every choice feels final, even though it’s your first time being truly grown. We are thrilled to be back, diving deeper into love’s most complicated question: is forever truly forever?” That line points to the season’s practical business case too: the show is leaning on the audience that followed season 1 and on the cast chemistry that made the first run travel.
Music and four years later
Khris Riddick-Tynes joins season 2 as executive music producer, Kier Lehman is returning as music supervisor, and original music comes from Until Tomorrow. Netflix’s new logline says, “Can exes really be friends? Four years later, Justin and Keisha are doing pretty well post-pandemic—new relationships, real jobs, and adulting their big dreams—that is… until they run into each other summer 2023.”
The return is built around a four-year time jump, which is a cleaner creative reset than a straight continuation and gives the producers room to move the story forward without losing the audience that showed up for season 1. With production underway, the cast expanded, and a 2027 release expected, the immediate takeaway is simple: Forever is no longer a title in development. It is a working second season with a finish line already on the calendar.
