After a bit of uncertainty from Warner Bros. Discovery over the budget, All American is heading back to the gridiron one final time. The young adult series is officially lined up for an eighth season at The CW, with showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll and co-showrunner Jamie Turner returning to lead the charge in what will be the final chapter of the Baker family’s story. The news comes just under a month after a cliffhanger Season 7 finale that left the door wide open for more high school football drama, assuming the higher-ups were game. A premiere date hasn’t been set yet, but The CW has confirmed the final 13 episodes will be released sometime in 2026.
Season 7 completely changed the game for All American, after the series had largely followed the rise of Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) from high school star to Super Bowl champion by the end of Season 6. With his story mostly wrapped up and much of the original cast leaving, the story shifted focus to other students at Beverly Hills High and South Crenshaw High, including the Baker family, with star Michael Evans Behling leading the returning faces as Jordan Baker. Greta Onieogou and Bre-Z also lined back up for the new era alongside Antonio J. Bell and Alexis Chikaeze, who were promoted to series regulars, and newcomers Osy Ikhile and Nathaniel McIntyre, among others. The final season is said to “bring generations of Crenshaw and Beverly together for a powerful conclusion,” one that will presumably have major implications for the Bakers after the uncertainty the Season 7 finale left them with.
Ending with a final count of 132 episodes, this final renewal cements All American as one of The CW‘s longest-running shows and biggest success stories. It’ll end its run as the network’s top primetime entertainment program with adults 18-49 and 25-54, and as the best-performing series on its app. The CW boss Brad Schwartz also hailed Season 7 for sparking a growth in viewership in both demographics, while also calling it “one of the greatest CW shows of all time.” In a lengthy final statement of her own, Carroll, who also recently said goodbye to her NBC crime drama, Found, expressed thanks to everyone involved with the series, including its real inspiration, NFL player Spencer Paysinger:
“How do I condense into just a few words what would be the longest love letter to this show, the fans, the cast, crew, staff, and producers. My heart is so filled with love and gratitude for everyone who helped bring All American to life and kept it going for its historic run. 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. Thank you to Brad Schwartz, Channing Dungey, Brett Paul, and Greg Berlanti for supporting our vision. Thank you to the many executives at Warner Bros. Discovery, CW and Berlanti Productions who have been a supportive part of the All American huddle since day one. Thank you to our OG and new generation cast members, our writers, crew and full staff for raising the bar every episode. Thank you to Spencer Paysinger, whose life inspired this epic journey. And thank you to everyone who not only watched the show, but took Spencer James’s mantra of ‘Dream Big. Stay Real’ to heart and were inspired to chase their seemingly impossible dreams. We see you. We salute you. Here’s to leaving it all on the field one last time.”
via Collider