All American Season 7 is taking it back to where it all began: Beverly Hills and South Crenshaw High.
“I can’t wait for everyone to watch season 7,” showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll told Us Weekly in an exclusive Thursday, December 19, statement. “It has been so exciting taking it back to the high stakes of high school hallways, first loves and NFL dreams. And I’m especially proud and excited by this blend of our incredible original cast and the brilliant new generation that has captured our hearts. Beverly and Crenshaw are back stronger than ever.”
After the season 6 departure of series star Daniel Ezra’s Spencer James, All American revealed it would be undergoing a revamp by introducing a new generation of teenagers. Season 7 will feature some returning faces; Michael Evans Behling, Greta Onieogou, and Bre-Z will all be navigating new roles, while Osy Ikhile, Nathaniel McIntyre, Antonio J. Bell, and Alexis Chikaeze make up the cast as new series regulars. Kareem Grimes and Elijah M. Cooper will appear as additional recurring stars.
In Us’ exclusive first look at season 7 (which you can watch above), All American proves the new generation will carry the same heart, NFL dream, crosstown rivalry and messy hormones that were introduced by the original cast. The characters fans have come to love, meanwhile, will be busy learning that they’re supposed to be the responsible adults now.
Jordan Baker, for example, is seemingly taking over as coach at Crenshaw High to follow in the footsteps of his late father, Billy Baker (Taye Diggs). “It’s the first day of school. I do not want to screw it up,” he tells his wife, Layla Keating (Onieogou) in the trailer.
While Layla assures Jordan that he will be “an amazing coach,” things prove to be harder than anticipated once Jordan finds himself in the middle of multiple physical altercations between his team — and he struggles to find the balance between coach and confidant.
“You realize you’re not their teammate, right?” Jordan is asked at one point in the teaser, after enjoying a dance breakdown with the kids.
Despite others doubting him, Jordan seems to be on a mission to honor his father’s legacy. At one point in the trailer, he recruits a student, telling them, “I want you to come play for me,” paralleling Billy asking Spencer to join him at Beverly Hills in the pilot.
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Jordan isn’t the only one finding a new role. Elsewhere in the trailer, a new regime of students and coaches at Beverly Hills high begin their journey — and rivalry — while Layla gives her own protegé some much-needed advice. “The longer you let people keep you in a box, the harder it gets to break out,” she says.
Samantha Logan, who played Samantha Baker, also makes a brief appearance in the teaser and despite Logan not returning as a regular for season 7. “My dad was a winner,” she says in a speech as Jordan looks at his father’s old jersey. “There was not a single life he didn’t have a positive impact on.”
All American premiered in 2018 and followed Spencer James — a young football prodigy from Crenshaw who is recruited to play for Beverly Hills. The series is based on real-life NFL star Spencer Paysinger and is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios. Greg Berlanti, Okoro Carroll, Jameal Turner, Sarah Schechter, and David Strauss are executive producers.
A sneak peek at All American season 7 premieres on The CW Wednesday, January 29, and the premiere episode airs again on Monday, February 3.
