All American showrunner discusses the series finale, its time jump and returning cast
After the eighth and final season of The CW's All American, showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll spoke to TVLine and The Hollywood Reporter about the finale's endings, the return of Taye Diggs and Daniel Ezra, and the show's legacy.
Updated (version 2). Rewritten with the latest reporting. Previously: “All American ends after eight seasons; showrunner explains finale choices”.
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The story, neutrally told
The CW football drama All American ended its eight-season run with a finale that gave most of its characters happy endings. TVLineN “"All American" sprinted into the end zone on Monday night, and it brought a whole lot of happy endings with it.” Read at TVLine ↗ Olivia James's twins were delivered safely, and Spencer James arrived in time and secured a trade to a Los Angeles-based NFL team so the family could settle at home. TVLineN “Not only did Spencer reach Olivia's side right as she was going into her C-section — the twins, Mary and Corey, were delivered safely” Read at TVLine ↗ A six-year time jump showed the rest of the ensemble's futures, including Jordan as South Crenshaw High's head coach, Coop as a lawyer and Khalil in medical school. TVLineN “By way of a six-year time jump after the twins were born, we learned the following:” Read at TVLine ↗
In the last scene, Spencer and Jordan reflect on the field while Taye Diggs's late character Billy Baker is seen watching them proudly. TVLineN “we saw Billy himself watching from the sidelines, beaming with pride at the boys he raised.” Read at TVLine ↗ Showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll told TVLine that Billy's return grew from the idea that the friendship of Jordan and Spencer should anchor the final scene, and that Diggs agreed almost instantly. TVLineN “I think it was the fastest "yes" I've received in my career, for any request of anyone, ever.” Read at TVLine ↗ Okoro Carroll said the twins were named for Grandma Mary and for Corey, the most important figure in Spencer's own legacy. TVLineN “Grandma Mary knocked Billy out of the running very early.” Read at TVLine ↗
The Hollywood Reporter's interview covered the show's 132 episodes and its place among popular young-adult series. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Now 132 episodes later, Okoro Carroll signs off on a show where her mission was to make sure young adults, especially Black youth, felt both seen and heard.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Okoro Carroll described the finale as a way of saying "see you soon" rather than goodbye, and said the aim was to see the original cast's dreams realised and to give newer characters a step forward. The Hollywood ReporterLC “what I can say is, I’ll see you soon.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ THR also said Okoro Carroll discussed Daniel Ezra directing the finale, Easter eggs from earlier seasons, and how the show tackled ICE. The Hollywood ReporterLC “how Ezra directing the finale episode was a “no-brainer.””“as well as tackling ICE” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Among the callbacks, Okoro Carroll cited the season-four time capsule videos, which the writers rewatched when planning the final season. The Hollywood ReporterLC “we did the time capsule where all our series regulars recorded this video of where they thought they would be in the future.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ TVLineN “we'd planted the seeds for a lot of this when we did those time capsule videos back in Season 4.” Read at TVLine ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- A long career-and-legacy interview that puts the show's history, cultural impact and social themes alongside the finale, with ICE named in the headline.
- Emphasis
- The show's place in young-adult TV, representation of Black youth, the showrunner's personal reflections, and real-world issues such as ICE.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives little space to a beat-by-beat account of each character's ending in its introduction.
- Charged language
- “pantheon of great YA shows”
- For example
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“Landing on Netflix in the age of streaming, however, secured its place among the pantheon of great YA shows.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Why She Couldn’t Ignore ICE” — The Hollywood Reporter
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- A fan-focused finale recap followed by a Q&A about plot choices, the time jump and the Billy Baker cameo.
- Emphasis
- Character-by-character endings, the final scene and the behind-the-scenes account of Diggs's cameo.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not foreground the ICE storyline or the show's wider social themes.
- Charged language
- “happy endings”“sprinted into the end zone”
- For example
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“All American has officially reached the end zone - showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll tells TVLine how she crafted the conclusion of an eight-season run.” — TVLine
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- All American's eighth season was its last.
- Taye Diggs returned as Billy Baker and Daniel Ezra as Spencer James for the finale.
- Showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll said the season-four time capsule videos informed the ending.
Nkechi Okoro Carroll person
Okoro Carroll presents the finale as a deliberately planned, full-circle ending that honours the show's history and characters, and treats Billy Baker's return as essential.
“it just felt wrong to do that without Billy.” — TVLine
“How do you sit down and say goodbye? And I realized that you can't.” — The Hollywood Reporter
All American other
The series is presented as a long-running show that ended on its own terms, with tidy resolutions for its characters.
“We were so grateful that we got to end the show the way we wanted to.” — TVLine
Left1 article
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Sympathetic Reflective career-spanning interview stressing the show's legacy, its cast reunion and its handling of ICE.
Centre1 article
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TVLineN ·
Celebratory Upbeat recap and Q&A centred on the finale's happy endings and the Billy Baker cameo.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 29 Sep 02:00 First TVLineN All American Boss Breaks Down The Series Finale's Time Jump, Happy Endings, And The Return Of [Spoiler]
- 29 Sep 20:51 +18h 51m The Hollywood ReporterLC ‘All American’ Boss Nkechi Okoro Carroll Explains Taye Diggs, Daniel Ezra Returns for Series Finale and Why She Couldn’t Ignore ICE
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.