All American immediately showed promise when it debuted on the CW last year. The high school football-focused show was reminiscent of another classic, Friday Night Lights, and its cast seemed solid enough to continue on well past one season. But will All American return for Season 2? There seem to be a few reasons why its future is in limbo.
According to TV Guide, All American wasn't on the initial list of 10 other CW programs that immediately received a renewal. So in short, it hasn't been officially cancelled or renewed either way. When asked about All American's fate, network head Mark Pedowitz said that the series has support within the company, but that the decision would be revisited at a later date.
"We are extremely proud of that show. We think the production quality and storytelling of that show are up there with Jane [the Virgin] and Crazy Ex [-Girlfriend]. At this point, this is nothing to do about the show," he said at the CW's TCA presentation, TV Guide reports. "We are going to sit down in May and figure out what our needs are at that moment. I am very positive about it. It'll be a conversation with the scheduling room, but it is a show that I am proud to support."
TV Guide also reports that when pressed, Pedowitz revealed that after a full season of All American concluded, it'd head to Netflix. Those streaming numbers will help the network decide if it's worth it to renew another season of the freshman drama. "One of the things that will happen is that we're running the full 16 episodes. The show will stay on the air. ... It will make it up on Netflix around March 30 or March 31. We're going to be curious to see how it does with a round of streaming, and that'll help give us more determination," he said.
Fans are already gearing up to give the show as many views as possible on Netflix once it drops in the hopes that All American gets a chance to return, and honestly, it could work. We've seen it in the past — a series doesn't make quite enough of a splash on its original network but sees a renewed boom in popularity once it hits Netflix. The most recent example? Lifetime's You. A low-key drama with a dedicated but small following on Lifetime, You turned into a bona fide sensation once it hit Netflix, to the point where many newfound viewers thought it was a Netflix original.
That success proves that a show like All American, with a rock solid plot, cast, and burgeoning fanbase, can absolutely use Netflix to reach a greater audience and continue for seasons to come.
Plenty are pulling for the series. In addition to the many tweets calling to renew, TV fans on message boards are similarly discussing its future. "This is one of my favorite shows. Really hope it gets renewed," wrote Reddit user Kylejs97. "I think anyone who enjoyed One Tree Hill or Friday Night Lights would love this show!"
So, if you're dying for All American to get a second batch of episodes, make sure to rewatch when it hits Netflix, and tell all your friends to check it out, too. There's still a chance that viewers could save this one in the end.
