All American is back for season 7 with a fresh outlook, new characters, and the same heart that captivated audiences for six seasons. Showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll emphasizes the importance of returning to the show's roots by focusing on high school and the pursuit of dreams for Black youth. Teen Vogue visited the set to get a look at the new season and chat with Okoro Carroll and the cast, including newcomers Nathaniel McIntyre, Osy Ikhile, Antonio J. Bell, and Alexis Chikaeze.
Is there a formula for keeping a young adult series thriving seven years into its on-air run? Ask All American showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll , and she’ll say the key is to go back to your roots — and lean into the core ethos of what started it all. In October of 2018 The CW debuted All American , a YA sports drama following Spencer James (played by Daniel Ezra), a high school footballer from Crenshaw whose talents take him to the other side of the tracks at Beverly Hills High School.
Over the last six seasons we’ve watched Spencer chase his NFL dreams alongside his tight-knit group of friends, dealing with real-world issues like gun violence and racism, as well as your regular dose of soapy teen drama. Audiences have watched the main crew, Spencer, Coop (Bre-Z), Layla Keating (Greta Onieogou), and siblings Olivia (Samantha Logan) and Jordan Baker (Michael Evans Behling) all become adults on the show. With season 7's arrival — and Ezra and Logan’s departure as series regulars — we’re starting a new chapter with new characters and new storylines, but with all of the same grit and spirit. Ahead of the season premiere on Monday, February 3 at 8 p.m. ET, Teen Vogue visited the All American set to get an exclusive first look at season 7, chat with Okoro Carroll, and check in on some of the new and returning cast members. “I keep calling 701 a pilot because it feels like it has the same heart of the previous seasons of All American, but it's got a new energy, new flavor, new juice,” Okoro Carroll exclusively tells Teen Vogue. “Everyone keeps mocking me here because they're like, ‘It's a premiere.’ And I'm like, ‘Right, the premiere, not the pilot.’” “I knew I wanted to take it back to high school,” she continues. “At the end of the day, the heart of the show is sort of the pursuit of what some would call the ‘unrealistic dream for our Black youth.’ And Spencer achieved that. His dream was the unrealistic goal of making it to the NFL and he pulled it off. We got to take that amazing journey with him. So I was like, ‘Well, how do I keep that going but take it back to the heart of the show?’ That was why I wanted to take it back to the original high schools, back to the original rivalry, and usher in a new generation.” That new generation will include actors Nathaniel McIntyre, Osy Ikhile, Antonio J. Bell, and Alexis Chikaeze. McIntyre plays the show’s new lead KJ, Beverly’s newly transferred quarterback. Joining him at Beverly is his father, Coach Cassius, portrayed by Ikhile. Bell and Chikaeze play Khalil and Amina, respectively, two recurring characters from season 6 who have been upgraded to the main cast. While visiting the set, which is on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles, Bell and McIntyre were filming a scene from episode four at The Hangout, the notable third space for the Beverly Hills teens in the show. “It's like looking into a mirror that goes to your past,” Michael Evans Behling says of seeing a new crop of kids populate the restaurant and make it their own. You can feel the excitement oozing off of Bell and McIntyre while on set; there’s a juvenile joy in the air between each take. They’re having the time of their lives. But best believe, they are not taking this opportunity lightly; they both understand the honor it is to join such a longstanding Black production. “We've lost Snowfall, and Power Book II: Ghost ,” Bell says, “So for me, this is one of those last classic Black , which I'm just so grateful to be here for. I think all of the cast, especially the newcomers, we know the responsibility. This is a beloved show. So we come in every day and we're trying to do great work, because we know the shoes that we're filling are pretty big.” This level of commitment is exactly why Okoro Carroll was so particular about finding her new leading man, who she found in McIntyre. “I was looking for a new hero that we could really root for whose dream we could believe in as much as we wanted Spencer's dream for him,” she says. “Nathaniel McIntyre, he's a star,” she continues. “And in addition to his killer, thousand-watt smile, he’s just a really great actor, a really hard worker. He had that special something where I'm like, ‘I'm rooting for you already, and I barely know you, and I'm writing these characters.’ I literally sat there in his audition and I just kept writing down on my pad, ‘I'm rooting for him, I'm rooting for him,’ which was the thing we were looking for.” This is McIntyre’s first big role, and it’s the moment he’s been waiting for. “I think one of my biggest goals as an actor is to inspire people who look like me,” he says. “Telling these stories, to learn from these characters because they're real characters who go through real struggles concerning our people. I would've never imagined I would be on All American, this awesome show, and to be a lead at that. So I just hope inspired by this
All American Season 7 Nkechi Okoro Carroll The CW Teen Vogue New Cast Spencer James Black Representation High School Drama Sports TV Premiere
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