It’s the beginning of the fourth and final quarter for The CW’s All American. What started as a YA drama centered on a rising high school football star chasing an NFL career evolved into a microcosm rooted in friendship, family and resilience.
After Season 7 ended on a nail-biting cliffhanger, fans were relieved to learn the story wasn’t over. What audiences weren’t expecting was the announcement that Season 8 would also be its last. While saying goodbye won’t be easy, showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll promises the final season delivers a satisfying ending fans deserve.
“We’re not only saying goodbye to these amazing characters, but we’re also launching them into the next chapter of their lives,” she told EBONY on the red carpet of the finale premiere on July 8.
“They’re going to continue to grow up, mature, change, and enter new chapters of their lives with new goals. There’s definitely a lot of closure that I hope the fans will feel with the way we wrapped up the season, but also the excitement that their lives will keep going in new ways.”
Inspired by the true-life story of NFL player Spencer Paysinger, All American follows Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) as he pursues his journey of playing professional football. While it earned comparisons to Friday Night Lights, it ultimately carved out its own identity, with storytelling that transcends football to tackle issues affecting Black communities and young people.
All American displayed intimate, well-rounded portraits that addressed socioeconomic divides, gang violence, racial diversity, addiction, LGBTQ+ issues, mental health, police brutality, pressures placed on student athletes and other salient subjects that people could relate to without feeling alienated.
Since premiering in 2018, audiences have watched characters like Spencer (Ezra), Billy (Taye Diggs), Olivia (Samantha Logan), Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), Coop (Bre-Z), Layla (Greta Onieogou), Asher (Cody Christian), Grace (Karimah Westbrook), Laura (Monét Mazur), and Patience (Chelsea Tavares) grow through life’s biggest wins and losses.
Even as several original cast members departed, a few stuck around to usher in the new generation of hopeful dreamers. Behling, who has played Jordan since the series’ debut, shared that watching his character mature reflected his personal growth.
“I’ve been able to be more comfortable in my own skin,” he said. “That has been something significant that you never think is possible in the moment, but then you feel it in a few years. To be able to be on something that’s been so good and full of love, I’ve been able to give that love back to myself.”
Layla has also been an integral character, particularly with her mental health journey being one of the show’s most defining storylines. Rather than treating her mental health as a temporary phase, she learns it’s a lifelong journey.
“I’ve had so many people reach out to me and say they saw themselves, and my character gave them the courage to seek help,” Onieogou said. “It also helped me to prioritize my mental health and destigmatize the things around that.”
And then there’s Coop still holding down the fort for South Crenshaw. As a masculine-presenting lesbian, she offered a layered portrayal rarely seen on network television. Evolving from a gang member to a determined law student, Bre-Z is aware of the lives that have been changed by seeing her character on-screen.
“The characters, no matter what, will still live on because of their impact,” she said. “The number of young girls who are coming up who look like me is going to keep going.”
Season 7 introduced newcomers KJ (Nathaniel McIntyre), Coach Cassius (Osy Ikhile), Khalil (Antonio J. Bell), Amina (Alexis Chikaeze), and Tori (Lauryn Hardy) to carry the legacy forward.
The final season picks up right where it left off. With Beverly trailing South Crenshaw 24-20 in the championship game, KJ launches one final pass downfield. Moments before the big reveal of where the football lands, the episode ends.
McIntyre understands why fans have been anxious about how the game ends. But that anticipation is what raises the stakes and has him excited for everyone to see the journey his character goes through.
“He [KJ] learns more about himself,” McIntyre said. “He learns his limits. The most important thing he learned this season is that you can’t push yourself so hard because it does affect those around you, whether you think it does or not.”
For Bell, Season 8 has become just as much an emotional journey as an athletic one. Comparing it to The Alchemist, he’s looking forward to viewers seeing Khalil finally embrace his own potential.
“When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you achieve it,” he said. “Everyone really wants to see Khalil win, and Khalil learns to want to see himself win this season.”
Off the field, Amina’s journey centers on discovering who she is outside of everyone else’s expectations. “I’m excited for fans to see how Amina is growing into herself, learning her morals and values, and where she stands on certain subjects,” she said.
Meanwhile, after becoming KJ’s girlfriend, Tori begins to learn that dating a student-athlete comes with its own set of challenges that’ll put their relationship to the test.
As All American closes its final chapter, there’s something to be said for a Black-led show lasting for eight seasons on a major network. In today’s climate, where many shows don’t make it past the first season, All American defied the odds while creating space for more stories centered on Black families, friendships, and young dreamers to be told.
As Okoro Carroll puts it, “It was a love letter to our fans, the South L.A. community, and every youth out there who has a dream to create a world that seems unrealistic. What we really wanted was to be able to encourage them to dream and not let anyone tell them that their life is not worth being celebrated in that way.”
All American, its final season, premieres Monday, July 13, on The CW.