All American is keeping fans on the hook after the Season 7 finale. The final episode concluded with a big cliffhanger as KJ (Nathaniel Logan McIntyre) threw a hail-mary pass in the final seconds of the playoff game between Beverly and Crenshaw. If the ball is caught, Beverly will move to the state championship. If the ball is dropped or Crenshaw recovers it, they’ll be the ones moving on to the title.
On a more personal note, if Beverly wins the game, then Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) will have to give Cassius (Osy Ikhile) a chance to explain why he came to town with the desire to erase Billy Baker’s (Taye Diggs) legacy. Jordan discovered that Cassius and KJ were actually his cousins after he was attacked at the Crenshaw gym and needed donated blood to recover from his injuries.
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While Layla (Greta Onieogou) and Olivia (Samantha Logan) have already found a way to give Cassius a second chance after understanding the complicated family dynamics that led to Cassius’ duplicity, Jordan has been much slower to give his new extended family the benefit of the doubt. He did manage to put aside his anger to help KJ during the finale. But there’s still a long way to go before this family is healed and their best chance at reconciliation depends on the outcome of the playoff game we did not see conclude in the finale.
To make things even more stressful, All American has still not officially been renewed for Season 8. Parade caught up with executive producer Nkcechi Okoro Carroll to talk about that cliffhanger, how she wants to reconcile the Jeremy and Baker families, and what she wants most if and when that renewal comes through.
Related: Everything to Know About All American Season 7
I know you can’t tell me, but do you already know whether KJ’s hail-mary catch is caught?
I absolutely know how that game ends.
Jordan had a few rough episodes but really seemed to come into his own as “Coach JB” in the finale. Can you talk about that and where he’s at in his journey to young adulthood?
Jordan’s arc this season and his growth as he’s fully stepping into his own as a man is one of my absolute favorites. Michael Behling is absolutely killing it. It has truly been his best work, and it has been a joy to work with him on it. The big thing, which started in Episode 12, was making sure that his hurt and anger, which are both justified, are not taken out on the defenseless and the wrong people. For a long time, he was lumping KJ in with Cassius together. So we have that moment where he’s still mad at Cassius and not doing the coach any favors, but KJ is his baby cousin. KJ is someone who has shown him nothing but admiration and love. KJ was hurting, and Jordan had an opportunity where he could have been an asshole. Or he could have been the man that KJ has looked up to for a good portion of his life, even before he knew they were related.
It was a real moment for Jordan to rise to the occasion, and he did because that is the man Jordan is. He is hurt, not just physically, but emotionally. But they fundamentally cannot change the heart of this man. He wants to win that game. And it is not just to prove Billy Baker’s legacy or to prove something to Cassius. He also wants to win that victory for Khalil and a Crenshaw team that has really fought their way here to earn this spot. He wants to win it for himself and for what being a coach on this team has meant. He wants to win it for Coach Bobby, who is sick and can’t make the game, but he trusted Jordan over the head coaches to step into this position. It’s so much bigger than just Jordan.
Why has it been so hard for Jordan to forgive Cassius when it seems like everyone else around him is willing to give their cousin a second chance?
Jordan was the one from Day 1 that tried to reach out an olive branch and befriend Cassius when he was just a rival coach. To feel like he brought Cassius into his home. He made him a friend; he confided in him. And this person seemingly had ill intent towards him, and towards his father, who Jordan lost way too soon, is a wound that is still healing. If Cassius had come from any other angle besides the Billy angle, maybe Jordan would be able to get to forgiveness quicker. It’s rubbing on a very raw wound of Jordan’s. And the fact that Billy isn’t there to defend himself, his grandmother isn’t there to defend herself, I think we’d be asking a lot of Jordan to brush it off and forgive immediately. Forgiveness is the goal. Healing is the goal. Uniting the Jeremy and Baker families to truly honor Billy’s legacy is the goal. But realistically, the kind of hurt and trust that was broken is going to take time to rebuild. The beauty is that Cassius knows that. He knows that, and he’s willing to put in the work and to put in the time if Jordan will meet him halfway.
Let’s talk about the Vortex 2.0, because there were big moves made there in the finale. What does Amina going to this boarding school do to the love square these teens have going on?
Amina is finally choosing herself. It is the culmination of her journey this whole season, where she’s been trying to be seen as a grown-up and looking for love from Khalil. Ultimately, it was validation. There was a part of her that felt like she was lacking and wasn’t enough to keep her mom on the straight and narrow. If she had been good enough, her mom never would have returned to Crenshaw and done what she did. It’s not until she is finally able to articulate those feelings to Coop, and Coop reminds her of the hold that grief had on Mo. Of course, her love for her daughter was enough. Amina was more than enough. She’s the best part of Mo, and that finally released something in Amina that made her realize that the love she needed this season wasn’t from either of the boys. It was for herself, and choosing this school is her finally realizing that. Yes, she’s a safe space for Khalil. Yes, she’s a safe space for KJ. But she’s finally going to put herself first. Let’s see if the boys can rise to the occasion and meet this version of Amina and stand by her the way she’s always stood by them.
Meanwhile, KJ seems to make a choice in this episode about where his romantic feelings are at. He and Amina are very close, but he picks Tori. What is it about Tori that’s calling to him in that way at this point?
Tori has unapologetically lived her love for him out loud. KJ is someone who is not a mean person. He’s not a careless person by nature, and he realized that through everything going on this season, he’d been careless with Tori’s feelings. That does not sit well with him. He definitely has feelings for her, and he definitely cares about her. She deserved to be seen, heard and acknowledged out loud. That’s what he did. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings for Amina buried in there somewhere, whether he acknowledges them or anything beyond a best friendship or not. But his feelings for Tori are also real and valid. Even in our writers’ room, where we are split on the different ships and who is rooting for who to be endgame, we were all united in our belief that Tori deserved this moment at the end of the season after everything she put on the line for KJ.
What are you most excited to delve into if and when All American is renewed for Season 8?
I’m so excited and energized by this new generation. I want to get deeper into the dynamics of KJ, Amina, and Khalil. I don’t just mean in terms of the love triangles and squares, but in terms of their own personal goals and dreams. They’re all chasing something, right? So much of Khalil’s journey this season was just finding the dream and realizing he was worthy of having one. Now, we’ve got Amina seeing her worth. What do these three do when they are in a much more whole place? What does actually chasing their dreams and joy look like?
I’m excited to delve into Coop and not just her pursuing law, but getting into her first real, adult relationship with someone who is so unapologetic. I’m excited to explore Jordan and Layla as newlyweds. This season was focused on both of them trying to establish themselves in their careers. I’m interested in seeing what their relationship looks like now that they’ve done that. Most importantly, I’m excited to delve into this Jeremy and Baker family dynamic between these two branches of Billy Baker’s family. What is it going to take to bring them together, and what does that look like for everyone involved?
All American Season 7 is streaming on the CW app. Seasons 1-6 are available to stream on Netflix.
Related: ‘All American’ Showrunner Explains Why They ‘Reset’ the Cast for Season 7 (Exclusive)
