Actor Ioan Gruffudd reborn in ABC drama 'Forever'

Actor Ioan Gruffudd plays a medical examiner with an unusual secret in the new ABC drama "Forever."

Bad things happen, but Gruffudd's doctor character never dies. For hundreds of years, he's found himself literally reborn.

"I think I died four times in the pilot," Gruffudd said.

The show mixes the more fantastical elements with a basic police procedural. He befriends a police detective and winds up helping her solve crimes.

"What's special about the show is that as much as you will be entertained and you'll be intrigued and it'll peak your curiosity on a weekly basis, it will also move you," Gruffudd said. "We're not sort of sugarcoating the fact that people have come and gone in this guy's life."

Gruffudd is best known for his work on the big screen, starring in films like "Fantastic Four" and "102 Dalmatians."

"I'd love to continue my movie career and have it sort of work hand-in-hand with this great part that I've got here in "Forever," Gruffudd said.

"It's a terrific life being an actor and hopefully this show will run and run," Gruffudd said.