Taye Diggs's shocking departure from All American Season 5 raised several questions. Now, there are even more since he's returning for Season 6.
Since the TV sports drama premiered on The CW in 2018, Taye Diggs played Billy Baker, the coach of the Beverly Hills High football team. He later coaches South Crenshaw High, who recruits Spencer James, a South LA football star played by Daniel Ezra.
During Season 5, Digg's Billy Baker is suddenly killed while helping a student, leaving fans asking why the actor left and how All American plans to bring him back.
[ Full Cast of All American Season 6 Cast - Every Main Character & Actor Who Appears (Photos) ]
Why Did Taye Diggs Leave All American?
While Taye Diggs' character wasn't written off the show until Season 5, the actor felt his All American run was over mid-Season 4.
In talking with TVLine, Diggs explained that series showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll "had known" he was ready to leave and "decided how to go about it:"
"I was having a great time. It was just a feeling that I got [that I was ready to leave], and I just honored that feeling. It was maybe mid-fourth season. I don’t even remember, to be honest, because the showrunner [Carroll] and myself are close. We’d been keeping in contact, so she had known, and we’d been talking. And we decided how to go about it, and storylines and whatnot, so it was all above board, and everyone was in the know."
Nkechi Okoro Carroll also told TVLine the goal was for his departure to be a "mutual decision of, 'Oh, this kind of feels right for now:'"
"I wanted to honor whenever Taye felt right — that he’d served his purpose and felt like he’d lived the journey of Billy’s character. And I said, 'Whenever that day comes, let’s have that conversation, and make sure you know where I’m taking the character, make sure it’s a mutual decision of, ‘Oh, this kind of feels right for now.'"
Okoro shared that Diggs' Season 5 death and the decision to wrap up Billy's story "happened mutually:"
"And in honoring that — because I have a conversation with my cast at the beginning and end of every season, individually — at the end of last season, Taye and I started to have that conversation. And it’s funny, because earlier, I was like, 'How am I going to know if it’s mutual?' But crazily enough, as we’re talking at the end of Season 4, he started to talk about Billy’s journey and what I thought the end was, and what he was thinking. And in a weird, organic way, it happened mutually."
The showrunner also relayed to Deadline how Diggs was "stunned by the beauty" of his character's heroic exit and "what it meant for Billy's legacy:"
"So I sort of set the tone of, if we feel like this is the right time, this is how it would happen. He was so stunned by the beauty of the exit and the heroism of the exit and what it meant for Billy’s legacy. He was silent for a moment, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, did I just lose him with this pitch?’ Then I realized he was silent because he was emotional about it."
How Will All American Bring Billy Baker Back?
While Taye Diggs may be done with Billy Baker's story, All American and its remaining characters aren't.
Since Billy Baker's heroic death was the perfect conclusion for the character, a retcon or shocking twist is likely off the table. Instead, Diggs' reprisal is expected to be limited to flashbacks, and there are several ways this could serve the show's Season 6 story.
For instance, Baker's daughter, Olivia, is writing a biography about her father's life, allowing for the actor is likely to appear in her memories or events from his past she plans to include.
Such flashbacks can deepen the audience's understanding of the character, especially if Olivia's biography offers a closer look at Billy's past and personal life.
Another area where All American could utilize Diggs in flashbacks is through his son Jordan's memories, especially as he deals with the pressure of NFL draft eligibility, and in the mind of his wife, Laura, as she looks to begin dating again.
All American is streaming on Netflix.
Read more about All American on The Direct:
How to Watch All American Season 6 for Free Ahead of Netflix Release
Is Olivia Leaving All American? Samantha Logan's Character Future Explained
