All American's future is a hot topic for its showrunner, as worries of a potential cancellation begin to loom.
The hit CW sports drama has continued to reinvent itself on the network since its debut in 2018. As the show grew, it introduced spinoffs. When its cast of high school football star characters outgrew the series, it grew with them.
There has seemingly been no challenge All American has not been able to overcome. That was been no better put on display than in its recently debuted Season 7, which shifted its focus, introducing an almost entirely new cast set yet again in the hyper-competitive world of high school football.
All American Cancellation Worries Addressed
Amid worries of a potential cancellation, All American showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll addressed the future of the series.
In a January 2025 conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Carroll revealed that she has "plenty of stories to tell" within the confines of the series and is "hopeful for an eighth season:"
"Listen, we’ve got plenty of stories to tell. We are hopeful for an eighth season. It’s why we introduced this new generation and sort of did a reset and took it back to the high stakes of high school football and high school love and all of that."
Worries of a potential cancellation have begun to bubble up among fans as continued cuts happen across the entertainment industry.
All American itself has seen the results of this in recent years as its Homecoming spin-off series was cancelled after three seasons, and (more recently) the ongoing Season 7 of its mainline was given an abbreviated 13-episode run rather than the 15-20 of past seasons.
Carroll remains hopeful for the series, though, having heard positive feedback from the powers that be about All American's new direction. "I'm in love, I'm in awe, I’m excited," she revealed her host producer had claimed in seeing some of the new episodes, potentially hinting the series is still in the network's good books:
"My host producer hit me up, and he was like, 'uh, so I just watched the first episode,' and I was like, 'oh, my God, wait, don’t —' I was so worried he was about to be like, 'we’ve got a problem,' but he was like, 'I’m in love, I’m in awe, I’m excited' — and he’s been here since season one. So I was like, 'phew,' and then I finally got the director’s cut and was able to watch it. I’m so invested in these kids. I’m invested in Jordan and Layla’s marriage. I’m invested in Coop and these new friends she’s making. I’m so invested in the love triangles."
She admitted that with the new season, her "hope" is that fans will "give this new cast a chance:"
"I’m back to throwing my shoe at my TV and yelling at all the characters, so our hope is that our amazing, wonderful fans who’ve been so loyal and great over the last six seasons will give this new cast a chance as well because they truly are special."
As for if Carroll sees the show expanding again with more potential spin-offs, the All American creative remains hopeful.
"As long as they will let me, I will keep telling the story," she posited, saying, "There are so many tangential stories that we can grow a new tree from" if she were given the opportunity:
"Maybe… that’s all I’m gonna say. I come from back in the day, we’re talking 10 seasons, 31 episodes a season. Those are the YA shows I come from. As long as they will let me, I will keep telling the story. I will spin off the universe. There are so many tangential stories that we can grow a new tree from and I’m excited."
Will All American Get Cancelled After Season 7?
With no official confirmation that All American will get a Season 8, worries of a potential cancellation will almost certainly begin to set in for some fans. And those worries may be justified.
The volatile nature of the entertainment industry in the last few years has proven that nothing is truly safe, All American included.
Previously, All American was one of the only scripted series to make it through a massive change in programming at The CW that saw the network move almost entirely away from scripted originals. That was several years ago now, though, and things have not necessarily gotten any better.
What should be reassuring for fans is that, one, the creative team behind the series still has some gas in the tank when it comes to stories to tell in the All American world; and two, ratings have, for the most part, held for the show's pseudo-reboot in Season 7.
According to Nielsen (via TV Series Finale), the series is averaging about 0.33 million viewers per episode on linear TV, which is the lowest in series history, but is not that much below the marks set by Seasons 5 (0.39 million) and Seasosn 6 (0.42 million).
In the past, these sorts of numbers (as well as the show's continued success streaming on Netflix) have warranted a renewal from the powers that be at The CW.
If that is still the case, then a Season 8 greenlight will be likely to happen. However, with the ever-tightening financial belt of CW and its parent company in Waner Bros. it would not be all that surprising if All American were to be stopped short of another batch of episodes.
All American Season 7 continues with new episodes airing every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
