As All American season 7 came to a close, we finally witnessed the playoff game between Beverly High and South Crenshaw. The game was a nail-biter as we knew it would be, with the two teams keeping it a tight game up until the very end. In the final scene of the season, Beverly was down 24-20 with the game set to be determined by one final play. With the game on the line, Beverly’s quarterback threw a Hail Mary down the field, only for the episode to close out before we found out whether the pass was caught, giving Beverly the win or whether Crenshaw managed to get the W.
It was a bold move to end the season on a cliffhanger, as the show’s fate remains uncertain with The CW yet to have renewed the show for another season. However, the move seems to be by design as the creative team behind the hit CW show is hoping the cliffhanger ending of the finale will not be the show’s final moment.
“I mean, we haven’t gotten a cancellation, so yay us? We’re moving forward with our storyline ideas in hopes of getting a Season 8,” co-showrunner Nkechi Okoro told TVLine following the finale. “We all know how this industry works, and there’s so little we’re in control of, but our hopes are that we will have another season and get to continue this story. Quite frankly, we’ve only just started to scratch the surface of this new generation. We’re so energized about the stories we have to tell with KJ and Amina and Khalil, and the Baker and Jeremy legacy, now that they know they’re family.”
Given how much change has occurred on The CW in recent years, there’s no clear indication whether the network will bring All American back for an eighth season or whether the network might decide to bring the show to an end after seven seasons. We agree with the creative team that it feels as though they’ve only just started to scratch the surface with the new storylines introduced. The creative reboot has seemingly given the show new life and new storylines to explore in future seasons, so this feels like a show that could very well go on for another season or two.
Canceling the show after season 7 would also sort of make the season a bit pointless, and I say this lovingly, but it’s the harsh reality. All American season 6 would have served as a perfect send-off for the series, as it brought closure to the storylines of the original characters and felt like a natural time in the show’s run to close the show. In fact, for many fans, season 6 was when they jumped ship and left the show behind, as it felt fulfilling and like the right time to close the book on All American.
This is very reminiscent of Once Upon a Time which closed out its sixth season with what was a perfect final chapter and series finale, only to return for a rebooted seventh season featuring a wave of new cast additions alongside a small group of returning original cast members in series regular roles. While season 7 was fun and we loved some of the storylines it brought us, when ABC canceled the show after season 7, it felt like a pointless season that robbed the show of going out on top with a series finale fans adored.
Perhaps it's for that reason, I really do hope that All American season 8 happens. Even if season 8 ends up being the show’s final season, at least it’ll give the writers time to bring closure to the storylines introduced in the soft reboot and make it feel as though the reboot approach paid off rather than being a failed test that robbed fans of their perfect sendoff.