TV Tuesday: Forever

After hearing about a new Amazon Prime show called Forever on Pop Culture Happy Hour, one of my favorite podcasts, I decided to give it a try. This show with a very unusual premise grew on me, and I ended up really enjoying it.

But here's the catch - I can't actually tell you what it's main premise is without spoiling all of the twists in the first two episodes, so I will describe as much as I can and leave the rest for you to discover for yourself.

Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen play June and Oscar, a married couple with a long and happy history who have maybe fallen into a bit of a rut. Their life has become fairly routine, though it's clear that they still love each other, as they share inside jokes and their own brand of funny banter with each other. June in particular seems to be tiring of the same old, same old. They celebrate their anniversary every year by renting the same cabin at the same lake, so this year, June suggests they do something different. It takes some convincing - Oscar really enjoys their routines and traditions - but they end up heading to a ski resort for their anniversary. Something happens there that changes their lives forever.

I really can't say more than that because some of the fun of this show is in its early surprises that set up the rest of the episodes. Despite the twists, though, this show remains a thoughtful - and funny - study of love and marriage and long-term relationships. Maya Rudolph is really at the center of the show, playing the character who is feeling most dissatisfied in the relationship, and much of what happens comes from her restlessness. Although Fred Armisen is playing a mostly serious role here, he still comes off as slightly goofy and weird, perhaps because I saw him in a few episodes of Portlandia, which is a seriously weird show. Forever explores some serious issues, but it also has plenty of moments of humor. The first few episodes seemed a bit strange to me (especially after the unexpected twists), but the more I watched, the more I was hooked. I ended up really enjoying this unusual, thought-provoking, funny show.

Forever is an Amazon Prime original show, so it can be watched exclusively on Amazon Prime streaming.