‘All American’ Boss on What’s Next for Olivia & Spencer’s Relationship in Season 6
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Change is a constant on All American heading into the Season 6 premiere as a new school year gets underway. With that comes a renewed focus on the field for Spencer (Daniel Ezra) and Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), who are now eligible to enter the NFL draft. With that, comes the potential for a bubbling rivalry for attention. Off the gridiron, Spencer wonders where things might stand with Olivia (Samantha Logan). The two had their Casablanca-like romantic movie moment at the airport before she left for an internship. Fast forward to time gone by and her soul-searching time in London may change things for the couple.
Elsewhere Layla (Greta Onieogou) is putting the finishing touches on the grand opening of her lounge alongside a new business partner. The occasion seems like the perfect stage for Patience’s (Chelsea Tavares) first performance since she was stabbed by unhinged superfan Miko (Courtney Bandeko). Asher (Cody Christian) and Jaymee (Miya Horcher) have been working through their new normal of being parents while maintaining their school and work commitments.
Needless to say there a lot going into the anticipated return of The CW’s highly-rated series. Luckily we have showrunner/executive producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll to tease what’s to come.
Pictured (L-R): Greta Onieogou as Layla Keating — Photo: Troy Harvey/The CW — © 2024 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Did the production delays with the strikes impact things creatively for you in terms of a time jump?
Nkechi Okoro Carroll: Little known secret about me that my writing staff knows is that I sort out my seasons pretty far ahead for my shows. It’s a five-season journey arc that I have, three seasons, one season. What we’re doing this season on the show was actually always the plan. The strike and the delay made it easier creatively to embrace leaping forward. It has always been our intention to go into junior year where the stakes aren’t about championship games and the reputation of the college. The stakes are the NFL dream is in your reach. Now what are you going to do? The strike gave me more time to sit in those stories because I couldn’t talk to my writing staff. Truthfully, creatively it did not shift the needle too much. We did want to jump back into production as soon as possible, which was such a priority for all of us because our crews had been out of work for so long. It was really important that before the holiday season we got that going again so they didn’t have the stress of that.
What can you tell us in regards to Spencer and Olivia’s relationship this season? Both have gone on their separate journeys since being apart.
What we’re going to see is Olivia’s time in London and Spencer’s time without Olivia has changed both of them. There is a lot of growth that happens organically. When you take someone like Olivia out of their safety. Away from her mom, her twin who she has not been away from since birth. She is away from her boyfriend and very close friends. This very close village has been a safety blanket for her. She is dumped in this environment that is so different with different accents, cultures, everything. It’s a different type of maturity and growing up that happens that the rest of the cast haven’t been through, especially Spencer.
So coming back and reintegrating herself into the old patterns, all of a sudden we’re seeing an Olivia who doesn’t know that she belongs in Beverly Hills anymore. We’re going to see an Olivia where London feels like home. She found a version of herself she fell in love with. How does that version of herself fit in Beverly Hills? That’s the journey she is on discovery this season.
And where Spencer fits.
She loves Spencer. We’re not saying she went away to London and fell out of love with him. They fought so hard to be together, but the reality of spending that time apart right after they got back together. Then jumping back in and not know what they were jumping back into because they never discussed what was going to change with this new iteration of their relationship. They got back together, and she hopped on a plane. For both those characters, there is going to be a lot of navigating that.
The reality is we know what we want in our hearts, but is this something that can work? Also, because they are more mature and the stakes are so real. They are all 21 and over now. They are not young adults. They are adults. We’re going to see them navigate situations, even situations that might feel familiar because it’s their relationship, and this is how they go. Their reaction to those situations is the biggest indicator of the change and growth we’ve seen in thesis characters in general. Not just Spencer and Olivia, but for all of them.
All American — “Things Done Changed” — Pictured (L-R): Michael Evans Behling as Jordan Baker and Daniel Ezra as Spencer James — Photo: Troy Harvey/The CW — © 2024 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Knowing how high the stakes are for Spencer and Jordan, how does this test their friendship and dynamic on the field as they are looking to rebuild this team and get noticed?
The thing that I loved to talk to Spencer Paysinger, who the character Spencer James is inspired by, about was the dynamic of teammates. Teammates who become brothers, especially when you’re playing for a team away from where you grew up and called home. Then someone gets traded and people move around. Then the person who was like your brother is on the opposite side of the field from you. How do you balance needing to win that game and what it takes and the relationship you have with this person outside of football? And so we wanted to explore the reality of that because that was such a dynamic part of Spencer Paysinger’s story for me.
We wanted to explore the realities of Spencer and Jordan within this high-pressure, high-stakes place they’re in. We’re going to see that be navigated. We’ve seen them fight over football before, but they are not necessarily playing the same role in terms of whose feelings are getting hurt and who is struggling more with balancing the off-the-field relationship versus the on-the-field relationship. In keeping with this season’s theme of taking flight, new futures, and growth, we’re seeing them have to navigate things in a way they never have before. And with the piece of the puzzle that used to link them in Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) not there.
So for these two who are missing their father-father figure, and navigating new and uncharted waters as they are approaching the NFL and draft. Struggling to hold on to dreams on the field as well as off. All of that is added to the pressure and strain of this brotherhood. We’re taking the journey with them where at the end of the day the question is how strong is that bond? Without Billy, what will it look like, and can it be maintained?
Does Jordan have anything to worry about when it comes to Layla and her business partner?
Listen, Jordan and Layla love each other without a shadow of a doubt. They have entered this promise of marriage and engagement. They have agreed to wait until Jordan’s graduation to get married. That is a lot of time for real world, real life obstacles to come in and for us to see how they navigate them. How they will test the waters to see if they are really ready for this marriage commitment is. For Jordan, our lovely hopeless romantic marriage is forever. It’s not oh this didn’t work out. He has already been through that with the annulment with Simone (Geffri Maya). That is not what he wants his legacy to be.
He loves Layla and really wants this to work out. She loves him and really wants this to work out. They are both on the cusp of major changes in their lives. Him again approaching the end of his college days and with the NFL draft and what that can be. Her opening this new club venture. Truthfully, it comes down to why she pivoted in this business direction and what is happening with her label and just her in terms of balancing all these things being thrown at her. Not to mention a business partner she has become close to who gets to walk through life in a different way because he is a millionaire with no problems on his shoulders. He has gotten to go through the world and live without consequences. So all of these things are going to be hurdles that Jordan and Layal have to navigate to prove to themselves they are mature enough and ready to get married. The answer to that question will be answered over the course of this season.
Pictured (L-R): Chelsea Tavares as Patience — Photo: Troy Harvey/The CW — © 2024 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Patience has to also work through the trauma of being stabbed by Miko. What can you say about her road to recovery and efforts to move forward in the aftermath?
This season for Patience, and this is absolutely no spoiler. We know she survives the attack physically. Surviving the attack in other ways is a whole different question. Patience is adamant that she doesn’t want to be a victim. As the case progresses, we will deal with the Miko case and her attempted murder charge over the course of this season. As developments happen with Miko leading up to the case, during the trial. We’re going to see Patience hold on to that strength and power in terms of not being a victim.
Some of the ways she chooses to go about this are questionable, not just to us as an audience but to the people who love her and watch her navigate this. We understand the PTSD of what happened. I mean someone tried to kill her. That is not something you overcome easily.
What role Coop (Bre-z)may or may not play in helping the process?
She’ll absolutely be there. For Coop with her legal background and with her pursuing law and the way she loves Patience. We ended last season with her telling Spencer she was going to do the thing and confess she still loved her. That was until Miko happened. So we’re going to see Coop try to navigate how to help Patience through this journey without suffocating her with these feelings.It’s not just Coop. That’s the beautiful thing about this show and the characters. They are a true family. They are a true village. What happens to one happens to all. So we’re going to see all of them affected by the Miko of it all. Not just in trying to help Patience navigate this and making sure this doesn’t consume her whole, but seeing how it directly affects everyone else who is part of Patience’s life.
This season will feature the show’s milestone 100th episode. You and the crew recently celebrated the milestone. What does All American’s reaching this benchmark mean to you?
The best way I can sum up the 100th celebration was tears and joy. I think the tears started day 1 shooting the 100th episode and continued into the celebration and red carpet. We’re all so incredibly proud of this show. We’re proud of the people who work on this show. We’ve had something close to a 90 percent retention rate of our crew since Season 1, which is unheard of in this industry. These aren’t colleagues. These are family. It was truly a celebration of family.
As Greg Berlanti beautifully put it. This was also a hundred episodes navigating COVID, two major strikes. It makes it feel like 250 episodes once we come out of the other end just because of how much we’ve had to navigate to get here. Man, does it feel great to have gotten here. It has been a very nostalgic, emotional celebration.
For me, it’s such a full circle moment to feature 100 episodes on the first show I ever was showrunner for. All American will always be the adopted baby that snatched my heart. To have Daniel come full circle and direct the 100th episode. This might be the biggest challenge I`ve ever thrown at him because a lot happens in that episode. It has been a beautiful, wonderful, emotional celebration.
Taye was at the celebration. Even though he was killed off, will we see Billy Baker in some form this season?
What I will say is that his legacy is larger than life. Billy is everywhere this season through the other character storylines like Laura’s (Monét Mazur) storyline, through the legacy of what Billy Baker represents on the show All American. While I will not give away any major spoilers, I will happily say that Billy Baker’s presence is heavily felt this season.
All American Season 6 premiere, April 1, 9/8c, The CW
