Forever Stars Discuss Henry and Jo's Romantic Future: It's Probably Inevitable

There's something about a crime procedural that seems to drive shippers wild. Castle and Beckett, Booth and Brennan and now, Forever's Henry (Ioan Gruffudd) and Jo (Alana De La Garza) have joined the ranks of courting crime-solvers. But will the immortal medical examiner and NYPD detective ever actually take their relationship to the next level?

"I think it's probably inevitable," De La Garza tells TVGuide.com.

"Personally, I don't think it will work," Gruffudd counters. "But I'm saying it now in the middle of the first season. I'm sure people who watched Castle always wanted them to get together and now that they are together, the show is just as successful as when they weren't together."

However, Gruffudd acknowledges that if Henry and Jo were ever to work as a couple, they first would have to deal with the other elephant in the room: Henry's immortality. "I'm sure we could have a lot of fun with it, them being together, without Henry having to reveal his secret," Gruffudd says. "But how long could we sustain that without sort of hating Henry for not confessing to her?"

Adds De La Garza: "I think that's a whole avenue to explore. This is her friend that she trusts with her life and her partner. And to feel like he's been holding this ridiculously huge secret from her could be crushing."

TV Couples: Should they or shouldn't they?

For now, Gruffudd is in no rush for anyone - particularly Jo - to learn the truth. "I think that tension is really the premise of our show and why we get so excited," Gruffudd explains. "But I think the tension is lost somewhat if he has to confess to Jo too early on in the game."

But the closer he gets to Jo and the other detectives, the harder it will be for Henry to keep his secret under wraps. (Jo and the squad do solve mysteries for a living, after all.) "I'm hoping there's some kind of close call or that she actually finds out," De La Garza says. "She recognizes something in him and she knows he's hiding something and she hasn't let that go."

"Alana had a very interesting take on it," Gruffudd says. "Wouldn't it be interesting if we did start to get together and I went around to her house, and I hadn't confessed to her yet, and I discovered a room at her house where she had been profiling Henry all along?"

What both stars can agree on is that Forever has a long way to go before it should bring the pair together (and it hasn't even been renewed for a Season 2). But in the meantime, Henry and Jo fans will have a more pressing obstacle to contend with: the return of Hilarie Burton.

Burton will reappear in Tuesday's episode, only the dominatrix will have undergone some major life changes since we last saw her. However, this won't stop Henry and Iona - who now goes by Molly - from picking up exactly where they left off.

Jo takes Molly's return in stride, though she isn't without her hesitations about Henry dating. "I think Jo likes the idea of Henry being happy and Henry finally being loved," De La Garza says. "I think maybe she's got a duality about it where she's so happy about it but also, 'Oh, wow. He's actually found someone.'"

Then again, "Apparently Henry likes it a little rough," she adds, "so maybe they're a match made in heaven."

But don't feel bad for Jo. The detective is in no danger of becoming a widowed spinster any time soon. In fact, Jo will be open to dating this season - though it won't be easy for the detective. "I think it's probably much like life," De La Garza says. "After you lose someone, you probably get up in the morning and think, 'OK, I can do this.' Then, you're getting ready [for the date] and are like, 'I don't know if I can do this.' So it's probably a little bit of both, but it would be good for her to take the step."

Forever airs at 10/9c on ABC.