The CW's long-running series Taye Diggs' Billy Baker, while navigating life in a new school.

As the series progressed, Spencer, the All American cast making their exits before season 7, meaning the most recent season features many new faces. While season 7's ending left many of the characters' fates unresolved, season 8 will now have the chance to wrap up All American's stories for good.

All American's Showrunner Envisioned Season 8 As The Proper End

The Series Can Now Come To A Proper Conclusion

Though it was unclear whether All American would ultimately be renewed for season 8, the show's creator, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, has expressed her relief that All American will be able to come to a satisfying conclusion. Carroll stated, "It is so hard to say goodbye to the thing that you love, but we are so excited we get to do it in the way we envisioned with this final season," Carroll's comments highlight that the series always needed another season to fully finish its story and do its characters justice.

The announcement likely comes as a big relief to audiences as well, as All American season 7 ended with a cliffhanger. After season 6's major cast exits, season 7 had to introduce new characters along with continuing the stories of Jordan, Layla, and Coop in particular. These characters also took on the role of adults, while the younger generation returned to a high school football focus. Crucially, All American season 7 introduced Cassius and KJ Jeremy to rival Jordan and Khalil as the new coach and star player at Beverly Hills High.

Eventually, the Beverly vs. Crenshaw playoff game ended with the ball still spiraling through the air, making season 8 necessary.

Given how much season 7 changed from previous seasons of All American, it would have been very difficult to conclude at the end of season 7. The stories of the new characters were only really beginning, and the new dramas had only just been introduced. The rivalry between the two teams grew going into the finals, spurred on by the personal drama between the Jeremy and Baker families. Eventually, the Beverly vs. Crenshaw playoff game ended with the ball still spiraling through the air, making season 8 necessary.

All American Was At Risk Of Cancellation Before Season 8's Delayed Renewal

The Show's Status Was Unclear After Season 7's Ending

While it makes complete sense from a plot standpoint that All American would need another season to finish its story, its status was actually very tenuous. This is because Nexstar Media Group took majority ownership of the CW in 2022, and the company has been looking to take the network in a different direction. While this has been ongoing over the past few years, Variety recently reported that the company is still committed to bringing in as many viewers as possible, though that looks very different from the 2010s.

Rather than the scripted content that varied from teen romances to superhero shows, Nexstar's version of the CW is far more reliant on unscripted content. Nexstar's CEO, Perry Sook, stated that the move "wasn't just to cut costs, it was to mirror more what the television audience is looking to consume, which is live programming, event programming, and sports programming," (via Variety). While this may be true, it also speaks to the fact that the new CW may simply be attractive to very different audiences now, and All American may not necessarily have a place in that.

Luckily, the network still had enough faith in the series to renew for one more season and give the characters a proper send-off, but it does mark the end of an era.

While the types of shows that the CW used to air remain very popular among streaming audiences, those looking for live TV may indeed be more interested in sports programming or reality TV. Likewise, All American itself may have been saved by its linear premiere on Netflix, as it can reach a much wider audience that way. Luckily, the network still had enough faith in the series to renew it for one more season and give the characters a proper send-off, but it does mark the end of an era.

All American Season 6 Already Felt Like The Real End Of The Show

Season 7 Felt Too Different Without Many Of The Main Characters

All American season 7 introduced a lot of new characters, and while their stories were fun and revitalized the series in a way, it did not feel like the same show as it used to be. It is always hard to have major cast changes in a beloved TV series, as audience reactions to the new characters can be unpredictable. In the case of All American, the new cast did grow on me over time, but they still did not have the same charm and chemistry as the original characters.

Because so many cast left following season 6, it would have been the ideal time to end All American on a high note, especially because the majority of the stories had been resolved. Spencer was playing for the NFL, he and Olivia had gotten married, Layla and Jordan also got married, and Coop got into law school. In a way, the show came full circle, with Spencer accomplishing his dream after being recruited at the beginning of the series, creating what would have been the ideal ending.

All American's Ending Concludes A Major Era For The CW's Scripted TV Shows

The Network Is Moving In A Different Direction

After years of airing some of the most popular and iconic teen TV shows, from Gossip Girl to The Vampire Diaries, the CW's programming now looks a lot different from its past. All American was simply the last holdover from its past iteration. Since its inception 19 years ago, the network has been incredibly successful with scripted shows across a variety of genres, but since its 2022 acquisition by Nexstar Media Group, its programming has shifted much more toward unscripted content, except for All American.

All 7 seasons of All American are currently available to stream on Netflix in the United States.

This is a pretty impressive feat that All American has managed to hold on when so much of the network's content has shifted so significantly, speaking to the show's popularity. While the network does have a few scripted programs that it acquired from other networks, the majority of what the CW airs now is sports programming or reality TV, so All American serves as a reminder of how great the network used to be. Ultimately, it is time to move on from All American's characters as their journeys end, but it was certainly fun while it lasted.

Sources: Variety