[This article contains mild spoilers from season seven of All American.]
All American teased its upcoming seventh season with a particular airing of its premiere episode, “Reborn,” on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 5 days forward of its common Monday night time timeslot.
The 13-episode season marks the primary with out Daniel Ezra, who’s portrayed Spencer James on The CW sports activities drama since its debut in 2018, because the sequence lead. It additionally introduces three new characters — KJ Jeremy (Nathaniel McIntyre), Cassius Jeremy (Osy Ikhile) and Khalil Edwards (Antonio J. Bell) — whose experiences at South Crenshaw and Beverly Hills Excessive will now be on the heart of the long-running sequence. As will these of three of the present’s authentic characters, Jordan Baker (Michael Evans Behling), Layla Keating (Greta Onieogou) and Coop (Bre-Z).
“That is what we do on this present,” showrunner and government producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll tells The Hollywood Reporter of ushering in a brand new forged in an abbreviated season. “We’re having a blast telling these tales.”
In her chat with THR beneath, Carroll reveals the present’s new character storylines and which authentic forged members will make visitor appearances in season seven. She additionally shares her hopes for the way forward for the franchise, which reached its 100-episode milestone in season six, following the cancellation of All American: Homecoming.
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The final time we talked, you have been saying goodbye to Taye Diggs. Now there’s no Daniel Ezra. What was it like coming again on set this time with out your longstanding lead?
As a result of we’d deliberate this, by the point we got here again, we have been so excited in regards to the new iteration of the present and seeing my infants all grown up and in grownup roles. Fairly frankly, Daniel was in my workplace each different day earlier than he left to do Operating Man. I used to be like, “Dude, your go doesn’t really work anymore!” (Laughs.) So, it’s been a beautiful transition. It’s form of like life imitating artwork having the OG forged transitioned from younger adults into adult-adults and watching them do this additionally in actual life; how superb they’ve been by way of mentorship and every thing with the brand new forged coming in. I maintain slipping up and calling the season seven premiere a pilot. Lastly, Michael Behling was like, “It does kinda have pilot power.” It has that thrilling, filled with prospects, new power to it that even the OG forged is so enthusiastic about.
On this season premiere, we see Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) struggling a bit with being an authority determine as he steps into the assistant coach place at South Crenshaw.
Jordan’s at all times been just a little little bit of an enormous child. His father’s passing, discovering his ft as a Baker man and honoring Billy’s legacy, but additionally studying be his personal man, is the journey Jordan’s been on for a season and a half. So this new step the place he took this job, not as a result of he was attempting to please his dad or be like his dad, however as a result of it was one thing he felt actually obsessed with, is that this full-circle second of him embracing Crenshaw as his dwelling in a approach that Billy struggled to do initially.
Additionally, a part of his superpower is that he’s in a position to relate to [the players] as a result of he was them not so way back. However not everybody essentially sees that as a superpower. Additionally with each superpower, there must be boundaries and that’s what Jordan is determining within the first a part of this season, discovering that steadiness whereas additionally being a newlywed. He and Layla have been married just a little over a yr they usually’re residing their finest life, they’ve acquired that complete home to themselves, they’re christening each room left and proper, embracing the enjoyable a part of maturity and the duty a part of maturity that we’re all nonetheless battling.
Let’s leap into the brand new forged members, beginning with Nathaniel McIntyre.
Nate is simply an unimaginable expertise. Individuals will acknowledge him from The Equalizer. He was additionally Younger Simba in The Lion King [on Broadway]. He’s acquired the new Michael Jackson film popping out, and when his tape got here throughout my desk, I used to be like, “Wait, wait, for actual, he’s accessible?” His character, KJ, is form of our new fish out of water entryway into this new chapter of the All American story again at Beverly. Soccer continues to be on the coronary heart of the present. After we first meet him, he’s acquired massive D1 desires. His dad is a coach and he’s an outstanding quarterback that seemingly has the right life, and all of it will get ripped out from below him in that first episode and units him on this new chapter of his journey with him and his dad. He’s a younger child who desperately desires his household reunited. His household is a part of his superpower. They’re a part of what fuels him. And over the course of the season, he learns that possibly every thing isn’t precisely what it appears. So how’s he going to rise to the event? How’s he nonetheless going to indicate up for his desires? How’s he going to indicate up for these new mates which are slowly however certainly turning into household, whereas additionally coping with every thing that’s occurring along with his life and along with his father, who’s very a lot been like his finest pal his complete life and he’s seeing a unique facet of him now that they’re residing in L.A.?
And his dad is performed by Osy Ikhile, proper?
Sure, who performs Cassius Jeremy, the brand new Beverly coach. He simply brings nice power — I’m under no circumstances biased as a result of Osy’s Nigerian, like me. They create such a enjoyable dynamic to Beverly and to Beverly soccer. Fairly frankly, he is perhaps the poster little one for a competitor. He comes into this job with individuals treating it virtually like a pat on the again. It’s like when the athletic director says, “simply have enjoyable.” That’s not a praise. Meaning they’re not planning for y’all to do good. And coming from what he comes from and that championship pedigree that he feels in him, he takes actual offense to that. He’s right here with a chip on his shoulder in regards to the Baker legacy, Jordan Baker and South Crenshaw Excessive and the truth that individuals don’t count on a lot from Beverly so he has one thing to show, together with the Beverly crew. For him and KJ, it’s gonna be about bringing Beverly to life and making this new dynamic of Beverly work.
After which we’ve got Antonio J. Bell.
Antonio Bell, who we launched final season as Khalil, is form of our dangerous boy at South Crenshaw. It’s humorous, at one level in a single episode, Coop form of appears to be like at him and realizes, you’re the potential of Shawn [Scott]. Shawn’s life acquired minimize quick [in season one] due to the life he was residing, and by the point he needed to prioritize different issues and make different choices, it was too late. So for her, that is the possibility to get Shawn proper. That is our likelihood to ensure Khalil’s future doesn’t find yourself like Shawn’s.
He varieties a really shut bond with Jordan as a result of Jordan is the primary one who isn’t associated to him who’s are available in and seen potential. He hasn’t seen the screw-up that everybody else has seen. Hasn’t seen the child that’s barely attending college. Jordan is like, all of these are masks for different issues, there’s something nice on this child. And form of consistent with his father’s legacy in a very lovely approach, Jordan reaches out to Khalil and is set to assist him forge his path by soccer. In order that begins a very lovely journey with them that complicates Khalil’s life and the code he lives by and the code his father lives by, who’s a crip. And that will get very difficult as Khalil fights for a future that he didn’t suppose he was worthy of till Jordan pushed him to contemplate it.
Amina [Alexis Chikaeze] performs vastly into that as nicely as a result of she’s all of 16 years previous. She’s form of turning into a girl herself and figuring every thing out and the reality is, outdoors of her romantic emotions for him, they legitimately are good mates. However, as a result of I really like my love triangles, she really meets KJ very early on by chance. And regardless that she’s form of very centered on Khalil and attempting to make one thing occur with him, there’s a chemistry there that she will be able to’t deny, that KJ can’t deny. And a few of her 16-year-old decisions, as a result of we don’t at all times make the most effective decisions at 16, regardless that we predict we’re, are going to land her in conditions the place she all of a sudden finds herself like, oh, there is perhaps one thing right here and I missed this and now I’ve difficult every thing. So we’ve acquired a enjoyable love triangle occurring with Amina, KJ and Khalil and soccer is thrown proper within the center.
Daniel Ezra as Spencer James within the All American season six finale.
The CW Community
Spencer’s (Ezra) voice is heard on this premiere episode, will we see him onscreen this season?
Completely. Spencer’s again onscreen this season. Olivia [Samantha Logan] is again onscreen, Laura Baker [Monet Mazur] is again onscreen, Endurance [Chelsea Tavares] is again onscreen this season. So regardless that they’re not right here as sequence regulars as a result of their characters’ journeys have taken them elsewhere, they’re nonetheless very a lot the center and a part of the muse of the present. We even have Daniel directing this season, Karimah [Westbrook (Grace James)] is directing. It’s actually the entire household. I believe that’s why the transition has additionally felt so lovely: as a result of they’ve all been round to help the brand new forged who’ve joined and the OG forged who’re nonetheless right here. The household simply grew. It didn’t change, it simply expanded. And that’s been so lovely to look at and to see everybody flourish.
Season seven was renewed for an abbreviated 13 episodes, are you anticipating an eighth season?
Hear, we’ve acquired loads of tales to inform. We’re longing for an eighth season. It’s why we launched this new technology and form of did a reset and took it again to the excessive stakes of highschool soccer and highschool love and all of that. My host producer hit me up, and he was like, “uh, so I simply watched the primary episode,” and I used to be like, “oh, my God, wait, don’t —” I used to be so fearful he was about to be like, “we’ve acquired an issue,” however he was like, “I’m in love, I’m in awe, I’m excited” — and he’s been right here since season one. So I used to be like, “phew,” after which I lastly acquired the director’s minimize and was in a position to watch it. I’m so invested in these youngsters. I’m invested in Jordan and Layla’s marriage. I’m invested in Coop and these new mates she’s making. I’m so invested within the love triangles. I’m again to throwing my shoe at my TV and yelling in any respect the characters, so our hope is that our superb, great followers who’ve been so loyal and nice during the last six seasons will give this new forged an opportunity as nicely as a result of they honestly are particular.
Any replace on whether or not you’re nonetheless contemplating further spinoffs following the cancellation of All American: Homecoming?
Perhaps… that’s all I’m gonna say. I come from again within the day, we’re speaking 10 seasons, 31 episodes a season. These are the YA reveals I come from. So long as they are going to let me, I’ll maintain telling the story. I’ll spin off the universe. There are such a lot of tangential tales that we will develop a brand new tree from and I’m excited.
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Season seven of All American premieres Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. on The CW, with new episodes releasing Mondays.