Michael Cooper Jr. as Justin Edwards, Wood Harris as Eric and Karen Pittman as Dawn in Netflix's “Forever.” (Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)

Analysis by Helena Andrews-Dyer

The messages in my mom group chat kept multiplying. First there were 10 unreads. Then 12. Now 20. What episode are you on? Catch up! When can we discuss? Cocktails!

We were all suddenly and unexpectedly hooked on “Forever,” the Netflix teen romance adapted by executive producer Mara Brock Akil from the 50-year-old Judy Blume novel of the same name. Brock Akil had already painted the fullness of the Black experience on TV in both multi-cam sitcoms (“Girlfriends,” “The Game”) and hour-long dramas (“Being Mary Jane,” “Love Is __”). Her shows offer dimension and something to chew on. It’s no surprise that her sumptuous take on

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