I Wanted to Hate All American Season 7 — But the Series Retrospective Changed My Mind

I’ve always disliked soft reboots when it felt like long-running series replaced beloved characters with newbies or totally changed the storyline.

Both Once Upon a Time and Riverdale did that in their final seasons, and I feared All American would suffer the same fate.

Until a few weeks ago, I’d only watched a few clips highlighting the arcs of Spencer and Olivia and Jordan and Layla from All American Season 7.

Then I watched the All American End-of-Series Retrospective. It reminded me why I loved the series and showed me clips of the new cast.

The CW did multiple things right this time. They played the retrospective early before Season 8 to hook and bring back other viewers.

Instead of only focusing on the original cast or the newbies, I saw how well the last season incorporated both. I couldn’t wait to see Jordan, Layla, and Coop interact with a new batch of hopeful dreamers.

All American Season 7 Allowed Jordan and Layla to Shine with the New Teens

Most of All American focused on Spencer and Olivia’s journey, making Jordan and Layla feel like second leads.

Since Jordan and Layla were the original main cast members in All American Season 7, we saw them shine in their careers and in the Baker household as adults.

The couple embodied Billy and Laura in many ways. I always thought that Olivia was like their dad, but Jordan cared about his Crenshaw team.

Watching him and Layla take Khalil under their wing reminded me of how Billy and Laura cared for Spencer as a second son.

Khalil needed someone to believe in him so that he could thrive, and Jordan gave him that confidence.

By doing that, Jordan grew as a coach, proving that fulfilling Coach Billy Baker’s legacy wasn’t a negative connotation, but something to be proud of.

Layla Keating-Baker was a force to be reckoned with, too.

She was a wonderful coach’s wife and helped get through to Khalil, since, like Jordan, she’s had a complicated relationship with her father.

I also appreciated that Layla became a sounding board for Amina Simms because Layla had conquered her dreams and knew the importance of standing up for herself.

I appreciated that Layla still tried to balance her needs with those of others. While I wished she’d discussed going on tour with Jordan, I respect her decision.

All American Season 7 Still Showcased Finding Dreams and Family Dynamics

Since its 2018 debut, the series has focused on family dynamics and the pursuit of dreams. I was excited that the series still honored that years later.

I already liked the vibe the new Beverly coach, Cassius Jeremy, and his son, KJ, shared. They seemed like good friends, but KJ sometimes irritated his father with his hero worship of Jordan.

That’s because the Jeremys were related to the Bakers, and Cassius wanted to help his father get revenge on them by humiliating Jordan on the field.

He would have, but he wasn’t about to let Jordan die after he was attacked. In the end, Cassius changed, but he hurt many people.

Cassius wasn’t a bad person. He just wasn’t sure where his loyalties were, and I loved that Olivia understood that.

She wanted to end any bad blood so her children could know both sides of their family. Usually, Olivia was more passionate; she fought for their family differently.

I love family twists and seeing Jordan mentoring KJ, regardless. KJ and Khalil are so entertaining, too.

They’re rivals on the football field, but there’s a bit of grudging respect and care. They’d protect each other from anyone but each other. It’s a brotherly frenemy vibe.

Not all the dreams are about football, either. Coop finally went to law school. She took Amina under her wing, and Amina has blossomed from the adorable little girl she was only a few years ago.

I love that All American has always featured musicians, going back to Coop singing. 

Now Tori had her chance to debut at Layla’s. She and KJ are adorable together.

I Can’t Wait to See How Season 8 Resolves

I’m so glad that All American is ending on its own terms and that many of the original cast will appear again throughout Season 8. 

It was a great idea to have the final episodes span only over a week or so, meaning we’ll see the emotional fallout of Layla’s musical tour, Amina’s return, and college decisions before we get to the celebrations.

I love that the graduation and the birth of Spencer and Olivia‘s twins will be among the main highlights. It feels like the series will have come full circle.

While I’ll miss it greatly, I’m so proud of the series.

Each season, it showcases real issues people struggle with, highlighting how characters grow from these struggles, though they might never fully heal.

Over to you, All American Fanatics.

Has your opinion about the series changed throughout the years? Did you like the new characters and how Jordan and Layla interacted with them?

Whose story are you most excited about in Season 8?

Let us know in the comments.

All American Season 8 premieres Monday, July 13 at 8/7c on The CW.

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