The NFL season may be over — but All American is gearing up for a return that will fully satisfy those football cravings.
The CW series, which premiered in 2018, centers on Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), a rising high school football player at South Crenshaw High who gets recruited by Beverly Hills coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs). Forced to move in with Billy and his family to protect his transfer permit, the show follows Spencer as he struggles to find his footing while balancing football, romance, friendships and his dual life in Beverly Hills and Crenshaw.
Over the years, the show has reached beyond football to touch on various topics, including violence, relationships and racism. After the season 5 finale in May 2023, the critically acclaimed drama was named the No. 1 series with the largest total audience across all platforms and the network’s most-watched series on digital streaming services.
Along with accolades, season 5 brought a plethora of changes, including a midseason exit from Diggs after his character was killed while trying to save students from a bus crash. As the mainstay and guiding light for the series, Billy’s death caused shockwaves through the All American universe, including for Spencer and Billy’s kids, twins Olivia (Samantha Logan) and Jordan (Michael Evans Behling).
While speaking about his decision to step away from his role, Diggs told Entertainment Weekly why he felt killing Billy off the series was an important step in moving the show forward.
“I love it. I love the fact that it’s going to give the actors so much more to work with,” he told the outlet in February 2023. “There’s no real closure, so the story is so rich. Spencer lost his second father figure. It’s in alignment with what the writing has been in all the seasons, which is it catches people off guard. Watching how they deal with this is very similar to what happens in actual life. Not everything is always wrapped up. There are unfinished chapters and unresolved issues, but we have to continue to move forward.”
Season 6 was officially renewed in January 2023 and is set to return this April. Details remain under wraps, but for Behling, he’s just thankful to be part of a series that continues to discuss more complex topics.
“I’m hoping maybe one day [Jordan will] slip into a little bit of a mental state that needs to be explored on the show,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2022. “But just to be able to be a part of a show that I believe accurately depicts [mental illness] and shows our youth that it gets better. As dark as it may seem, it gets better. I think that we’re all very fortunate to be a part of a show who that does that, that doesn’t shy away from those tougher topics.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about All American season 6:
When Does ‘All American’ Season 6 Premiere?
Season 6 will premiere on Monday, April 1, at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Seasons 1 through 5 are currently available to stream on Netflix.
Who Is Returning for Season 6?
Series star Ezra will return as Spencer James along with Logan, Behling, Greta Oniegou (Layla), Bre-Z (Coop) and Cody Christian (Asher). Chelsea Tavares (Patience), Karimah Westbrook (Grace), Monet Mazur (Laura), Kareem J. Grimes (Preach), Jalyn Hall (Dillon) and Mustafa Speaks (Coach Boone) round out the main cast.
What Is the Plot of Season 6?
An official press release revealed in February that season 6 of the CW series will find the characters in a “new chapter” of their lives. Both Jordan and Spencer are officially eligible for the NFL draft, while Olivia returns from London with plans to honor Billy’s legacy. Spencer and Olivia must also reconnect after spending time apart and Layla and Jordan face “growing pressures that test their relationship.”
Coop will continue to “flex her legal muscles” while supporting Patience through her healing journey after she was stabbed in the final moments of season 5. Asher, for his part, is focused on navigating life as a new parent with Jamie (Miya Horcher), while Laura settles into the next stage of her personal and professional life after Billy’s death.
Who Will Not Be Returning for Season 6?
After falling to his death while saving kids from a bus accident in season 5, Diggs is unlikely to show up during season 6 but could make appearances in flashback sequences. Coach Montes, Asher’s Coastal California University football coach, will also be missing after actor Kamar De Los Reyes died at age 56 in December 2023 after a battle with brain cancer.
In March 2024, news broke that Hunter Clowdus would not be returning for season 6. A rep for the show told TVLine that Clowdus’ character JJ’s story line “organically wrapped” at the end of season 5.
However, Clowdus previously hinted that he felt “unwelcome” on the set, which began to take a “toll on [his] mental health.” He claimed via an Instagram comment in November 2023 that he “wanted to come back for the fans but at the end of the day it was their decision to not continue JJ’s character.”
