NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
One storyline in the All American Universe is no more. Simone and her cast are behind Spencer and his cast in the Universe. That means that at the start of Season 3 of All American: Homecoming, Simone has no idea that Jordan and Layla are married. For those who may not have put the pieces together, let’s break down their chain of events.
Jordan and Layla were married following Jordan and Spencer’s Junior year. Spencer gave up his senior year of eligibility when he joined the NFL Draft. Jordan stayed another year and led GAU to back-to-back National Championships.
Season 3 of All American: Homecoming takes place during Simone’s junior year which places Homecoming at least 2 years behind the original All American series. Simone already knew about the relationship but she has no idea how far it has grown.
If word gets back, how would she react knowing that Jordan more than moved on with his life? Yes, he married someone within the vortex and someone Simone called a friend a few times.
This is where the writers made an error. With news that Homecoming would lose a few series regulars due to budget cuts, the writing was on the wall this would be their final season. While the original All American still has one more season to go. But now, how will they work around this?
In just a few episodes, Simone will have to go from Junior to Senior to whatever future she has. It’s a lot to take in for viewers. Why they couldn’t just keep both shows in the same timeline?
One obstacle they faced was the remaining cast members. While the show was built on the shoulders of Simone Hicks and Damon Sims, other cast members were just as vital. Keisha was already a sophomore when Simone arrived and so was Nate. Removing them from the storyline would have been too much to overcome after the loss of Damon and Amara.
Is All American: Homecoming Cancelled
However, the writers could have given them 5th-year Senior status and still kept everything together and since the three of them are now living in Amara’s old apartment, maybe have them graduate but keep a job in the area so they can remain part of the storyline.
By not doing that, they have placed All American: Homecoming in a box that will be hard to get out of without some out-of-this-world creativity. While the goal all along may have been to have Homecoming stand on its own, some of the best episodes have been the crossovers.
Another hot topic was the budding MLB prospect and the budding NFL prospect. We should have had more Damon and Spencer moments. two young black men trying to achieve something special. One in the NFL and the other in MLB. It was a lost opportunity there.
As a fan of both, I’m sad to see All American and All American: Homecoming go off the air. We still have one more season of the original but even that will be different with no Spencer on the regular. But one thing is for certain, the ball was dropped when there was a chance to tie both shows together. That’s how it started but somewhere along the way, plans changed and Homecoming got left behind.
