What To Know
- The cast of All American shared their dream spin-off ideas.
- Among them are a prequel about Billy Baker’s youth and a Coop-centered legal drama exploring her journey as a lawyer.
We are in the final stretch of the final season of All American, and it still feels hard to believe that we’ll have to say goodbye to the Vortex (both the OG and the new school). Season 8 takes place over the course of one week as Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) and Cassius (Osy Ikhile) try to put on a showcase for the Beverly and South Crenshaw football teams to boost the boys’ chances at college recruitment.
It’s already been a very eventful week. Amina (Alexis Chikaeze) revealed she’s been suspended from Dinsberg for writing an article protesting the school’s silence when ICE apprehended the janitor. She and Preach (Kareem Grimes) were also taken by ICE during a raid at South Crenshaw, and while Coop (Bre-Z) was able to get Amina out, Preach’s fate is still undecided. Meanwhile, Jordan is still deciding if he’s going to take Cassius’ head coaching job at Beverly, and Olivia (Samantha Logan) has gone into early labor with the twins.
It’s a lot to wrap up before we officially see these characters off into their “next chapter,” but what should that next chapter even be? TV Insider talked to the cast at the July premiere of Season 8 and asked what the next adventure they’d like to see in the world of All American is. Executive producer Nkechi Okoro Caroll told us it’s “always a yes” if anyone wants more All American, so here are some ideas for her to take to willing networks.
Back to the past
Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) is a legend on All American, but how much do we really know about his upbringing in South Crenshaw and his tumultuous journey in the pros? Nathaniel Logan McIntyre votes that the next All American adventure should actually run it back to before Spencer (Daniel Ezra) transferred from Crenshaw to Beverly.
“I’ve been hearing some good ideas, but I think a Billy Baker show about when he was a kid back in high school would be dope to see,” the actor who plays KJ detailed. “What was his life like as a football player in Crenshaw and all that?”
The Coop Show
A Coop-centered spinoff was a popular answer with multiple members of the cast. “It would be Coop and Preach living their lives, with Preach raising Amina and what that looks like going forward,” suggests Kareem Grimes. “Maybe Preach even levels up to the college ranks.”
Sasha Lance, who joined the show in Season 7 as Coop’s love interest Brianna, is also all in for a Coop spinoff. “She’s one of the most dynamic characters, but also the least explored. There are so many more places for her character to go,” she said. “We’ve seen a lot of other characters live out parts of their life, and I think Coop left the most to be desired.”
Bre-Z specifically wants to see Coop doing more lawyer stuff. We’ve only just started getting a taste of Coop in action, but what would it look like when Coop is a full-time lawyer working in South Crenshaw? “I would want to see Coop and Breanna in the actual courtroom. I want to see more of that work happening,” she agreed. “I wanted to see more of that with Laura, too. I think anything in that space would be nice.”
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The final word
Caroll also weighed in on the spin-off debate, and while she wasn’t revealing any of her cards, she did say that any All American spinoff would have to adhere to the flagship’s core values.
“At the end of the day, it’s about our youth and their athletic dreams, and the pursuit of those dreams, what it takes to really get there,” she said. “It’s a universe that is about family and community and love and athletics. There are always going to be stories about that moment in time.”
On that note, Greta Onieogou would love to see Layla and Patience (Chelsea Tavares) living out their musical lives in New York. Meanwhile, her co-star Osy Ikhile wants fans to focus on how well the current iteration of All American is tying up loose ends.
“I think the way that we have tied this all together is a rarity in this industry where a lot of shows don’t get to go to the end. We’ve been fortunate enough that we’ve gotten to do that,” the British actor explained. “I wouldn’t want to change that. I wouldn’t want to start something new and then not be able to finish it the way that we have here. Sometimes things end, and sometimes it’s a beautiful thing.”
All American, Mondays, 8/7c, The CW