All American is gearing up for its last quarter.
After eight seasons of football, friendship, romance and heartbreak, the CW sports dramedy is preparing for one last drive — and showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll is determined to give every character the ending they’ve earned.
“What I didn’t want to do in a final season was take these characters on a completely new journey,” Carroll exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us, noting that season 8 will unfold over the course of one pivotal week with flashbacks filling in the six months since the season 7 finale.
“What I really wanted to explore this season, as we were bringing it to an end, was, ‘OK, has all of the character development that they’ve all went through as they grew into these adults on the show prepared them for what ultimately becomes one of the most surprising and arguably toughest weeks of their lives?’ And that is what we’re showing in season 8.”
By season’s end, Carroll promises viewers will see every original and next-gen character reach a major crossroads. That includes returning OGs Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) and Olivia Baker (Samantha Logan), who Carroll says are “very much at the heart” of the season as they prepare to welcome their twin girls. Their story, she explains, will ripple through the lives of everyone around them.
As for Jordan Baker (Michael Evans Behling) and Layla Keating (Greta Onieogou), married life won’t come without challenges. After spending six months apart, Carroll says they’ve both experienced significant personal growth, putting their individual dreams on a major “collision course.”
But before fans start to spiral, series star Michael Evans Behling ensures that no one should panic. “It’s not broken, but it’s frayed,” the actor teases, promising the twosome will “figure [things] out in typical Jordan and Layla fashion.”
Ultimately, All American’s final season isn’t about creating more heartbreak but about celebrating the journey that made the show one of The CW’s defining YA dramas.
“To be able to take All American home that has meant so much to so many of us for so long [means so much],” Carroll says. “There is just [a ton] of pride in what we’ve accomplished.”
Onieogou, meanwhile, feels endlessly “lucky” to have spent so much time in Layla’s shoes alongside her fellow cast and crew.
“Just to be able to tell the stories that we got to be able to tell in much detail and with so much care,” she shares. “You only really get to do that when you have so much time. Not only time with the characters, but time with the people who really help develop all of these stories.”
Behling, 30, echoes his costar’s sentiment, noting that the rarity of spending eight seasons on network TV isn’t lost on him.
“It feels amazing to have been able to be a part of this show from day one, and to bring it to its end,” he tells Us. “I just really hope that people who continue to watch the show, who have watched the show throughout, find that joy and find that sense of completion and that sense of appreciation for these characters and these stories that we’ve been so fortunate to tell.”
All American airs on The CW Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. Below, Carroll, Behling and Onieogou break down what fans can expect from the show’s final season:
Season 8’s 1-Week Timeline
Carroll tells Us that season 8 will play out over the course of about one week and lead up to a “big event” — which was teased in the two-part premiere when Jordan ran off the football field in a hurry.
The show will also feature glimpses of what went down during the six-month time jump off-screen, or hint at what might come for the characters down the line.
“We’re going to have flashbacks where we fill some of the gaps in the six months that passed since last season,” Carroll explains. “There will also be some flash forwards. But for the most part, the season’s story line is contained within one week of their lives.”
Carroll says every character will ultimately face a “crossroads of a big decision” in their lives, with every episode shining a light on one particular character.
“So for our OG cast, it’s really about what happens when this week ends up determining whether they’re going to achieve their dreams and reach their destiny that they set out on back in season 1 of the show,” Carroll shares, “and for our new cast, it’s really a question of, ‘Does what happens this week alter how they kick off the rest of their lives?’”
She adds: “And I will tease that we do answer that question for every single one of our OG cast members, and the next generation as well.”
Behling, for his part, was thrilled All American took a page from The Pitt’s condensed timeline structure.
“It had us a bit more locked in and just really knowing where we were going and what we were doing,” he tells Us. “And as you’ll watch the series, you’ll see, like, yes, it does take place over one week, but we do have moments where we do go forward in time, back in time, and I think that’ll be really cool for viewers to see. Moments that maybe aren’t taking place in the week, but that will round out the week and will make more sense.”
Spencer and Olivia Return — Plus, Babies!
Carroll says that fan favorite duo Spencer and Olivia, who are now married and awaiting the arrival of twin girls, will be seen “on and off” after Ezra and Logan exited as series regulars in season 6.
“What they are going through, and the awaiting of the arrival of their twins, is very much at the heart of what’s spilling over into everyone else’s lives this season,” Carroll shares, noting that the pair are included in the series of characters who will have an episode dedicated to their journey.
“Each episode is dedicated to one character’s goodbye,” Carroll tells Us, “and what I mean by that is one of the characters becomes the A story, and it’s all about focusing on their perspective and what the impact is to the rest of their lives as everyone’s stories intertwine.”
Jordan and Layla’s Romance Woes
After spending six months apart, Jordan and Layla found there was a disconnect between them during All American’s season 8 premiere. According to Carroll, those issues will be a through line as they adjust to the ups and downs of being a young married couple.
“When you separate for such a long chunk of time in a new growing relationship, there’s a lot of growth that happens at that six months separate from each other, and so when you bring them back together as a married couple with that, those sort of separate growth trajectories that are happening, the puzzle pieces don’t quite come back as seamlessly,” Carroll explains. “And it’s not that anyone is set out to hurt anyone, but it’s that they got used to operating in life kind of without each other for a while.”
Carroll says that Jordan and Layla will have to figure out how to do life together, navigating their own dreams while supporting each other as “soulmates” and true partners.
“Those are often going to be on a collision course, because someone has to hold down the floor while someone is pursuing a dream and vice versa,” she continues. “That’s where they sort of find themselves this season: Jordan is on the cusp of a dream he didn’t even realize he had, because his dream kind of changed, and Layla has been away, and it has reprioritized dreams for her. Now that they’re coming back to be a unit as a couple, the pieces aren’t quite fitting back together again.”
Onieogou points out that even in a “healthy, loving relationship,” there are trials and tribulations — especially when both people are so young.
“They’re really at the beginning of their married life together. So, as with anything, six months apart is hard,” she tells Us, teasing that fans will “definitely learn more” about Layla’s headspace over the course of the season.
Despite their issues, Behling promises that the pair will come out better in the end.
“It’s a really beautiful reconciliation,” he shares. “And I mean, it’s not like they broke up. They didn’t break up! They’re just afraid, and they’re going through something.”
Jordan’s Future
While kicking off season 8 as Crenshaw’s head football coach, Behling tells Us that Jordan’s career could be taking a new path before the series finale.
“There’s a lot of changing,” Behling says, noting that Crenshaw winning the state finals against Beverly High in season 7 was “fantastic” for his job and his confidence moving forward. “Jordan sometimes feels not good enough, but I think that that win was huge for him.”
He teases that as the season progresses, Jordan will be offered a “dream” opportunity that might “ruffle some feathers,” leaving him faced “with a pretty large decision.” Jordan will seemingly try and “handle” the situation on his own before ultimately turning to others for help, including a mysterious someone “very, very important to him,” Behling teases.
Babies for Jordan and Layla?
Although Jordan and Layla decided to hold off before having children in season 7, Behling says expanding their family could be in the couple’s future.
“I think that [Jordan] wants to do everything with Layla. I think that he wants to give her everything that she wants and desires in life, and if that happens to be a child or a series of children, and so be it,” he tells Us. “We do touch on that answer in the finale, and I think that people will enjoy what occurs. I think after these eight seasons, and after this last season especially, you’ll look at the two of them and realize that they’re both ready for whatever comes next.”
Spencer and Jordan’s Tension
According to Behling, Jordan and Spencer will continue to navigate their brotherhood as they have since the show began — but it won’t all be smooth sailing.
“At first, there is a little bit of annoyance on Jordan’s end towards Spencer because of what takes place during this week,” he says with a laugh. “They end up coming back together, and it’s all figured out, but the dynamic between them is always going to remain that same, ‘We are brothers, but we’re grown now, and we have responsibilities, and we’re going to be there for one another whenever we can.’”
Ultimately, the characters are “brothers for life.”
“I love the dynamic they have,” Behling adds. “The fact that they can come to blows at certain times, and then come back and be so full of love.”
Olivia and Layla’s Sisterhood
Layla and Olivia are another set of BFFs who have seen their ups and downs, primarily during their love triangle high school days as they both navigated romantic feelings for Spencer. Those times, however, have long passed, and Carroll says the twosome’s love for one another will be on display throughout season 8.
“We have an episode that’s 90 percent Olivia and Layla centric, that’s really a honoring of that friendship that started so young and went through so many ups and downs that ended in sisterhood,” she tells Us, noting that it was important to take “the time to really say goodbye to that friendship” while also paving the way for their “new sisterhood in a different way.”
“The two of them are pretty much carry the episode,” she teases.
Onieogou, 35, tells Us that it was “really important” for her and Logan to portray a “realistic” friendship throughout the series and showcase their “own foundation” outside of their relationship to the men.
Warning: This story contains spoilers from the Monday, February 13, episode of All American. A tragedy no one saw coming. All American fans are reeling after a bus crash led to the shocking death of a main character. The Monday, February 13, season 5 episode, titled “Time,” saw Taye Diggs’ Billy Baker die by re-entering […]
“I think that we were able to accomplish that over the years, and, of course, there were love triangles and that are so fun to watch and fun to play, but the fact that we got to wrap that story line with those two women centered on their friendship, it’s really special to me,” Onieogous continues. “And it was a really beautiful, sentimental, and, like, bittersweet episode to film. I’m really excited for people to see it.”
The Next Generation
All American — “Award Tour” — Image Number: ALA713b_0248r — Pictured (L-R): Lauryn Hardy as Tori and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre as KJ — Photo: Troy Harvey/The CW — © 2025 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Troy Harvey/The CW — © 2025 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
While the OG characters will be busy setting up the next chapters of their lives, Carroll says the Vortex 2.0 will also have their hands full in high school — with love triangles expanding into love “hexagons” and plenty of more drama.
The season premiere saw Kingston “KJ” Jeremy (Nathaniel Logan McIntyre) and Khalil Edwards (Antonio J. Bell) in new relationships with Tori (Lauryn Hardy) and Miranda (Lexi Underwood), respectively, but the return of Amina SImms (Alexis Chikaeze) seemingly shook up both dynamics. Those shakeups will continue as Amina’s reason for returning home comes to light.
“I don’t know if the relationships are as clear-cut as they seem, and also the idea of when you’re dealing with a secret, who you confide in and who you don’t says a lot about your subconscious feelings for people,” Carroll says. “And I’ll just say that the KJ, Tory, Amina love triangle and the Khalil, KJ, Amina love triangle are still very active and messy in some of my favorite ways this season, and also are very grounded in some very important subject matters that sort of anchor those love triangles, and why the pendulums are swinging the way they are.”
All American airs on The CW Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
