The 'All American' spinoff follows a tennis player from Beverly Hills to her first year at a historically Black university in Atlanta.
Despite the real-life inspiration, The CW's All American fits snugly into the blueprint of a high school drama set in an ultra-posh neighborhood. But as one character notes a few episodes into its brand-new spinoff, All American: Homecoming, college is a different ballgame, honey. Homecoming is attempting something a little different than its predecessor — less soapy, more down-to-earth — and if it's not addictive enough to begin with, it's still a compelling companion piece to play with. Deals with the unique challenges of life after high school with warmth and understanding.
Despite the real-life inspiration, The CW's All American fits snugly into the blueprint of a high school drama set in an ultra-posh neighborhood. But as one character notes a few episodes into its brand-new spinoff, All American: Homecoming, college is a different ballgame, honey. Homecoming is attempting something a little different than its predecessor — less soapy, more down-to-earth — and if it's not addictive enough to begin with, it's still a compelling companion piece to play with. Deals with the unique challenges of life after high school with warmth and understanding.
Most Relevant Detail: Simone is an aspiring tennis player from Beverly Hills who, with the support of her journalism-professor Aunt Amara (Kelly Jeanneret), but against her Ivy League wishes, attends Bringston, a historically black university in Atlanta. Starting her new year. Passionate parents. Also new on campus is Damon (Peyton Alex Smith), a charismatic baseball phenom who, due to his mother's deep jealousy, favors enrollment at Bringston and helps rebuild the school's team under coach Marcus (Corey Hardrick). has postponed its plan. Their last season was derailed after a mock-class scandal.
Simone and Damon, doormates and fast friends, headed for a romance that seems inevitable, even though Simon is technically still engaged to his All American boyfriend Jordan (Michael Evans Behling); What's more college than slowly letting the high-school sweetheart go in favor of the cutie who lives right down the hall? Meanwhile, the two lead the squishier project of academics, athletics, and self-discovery, with the help of new friends and adult mentors and in defiance of rejecting unfriendly teammates or parent figures.
Homecoming's expansive cast allows it to approach the college experience from all angles, some inevitably more compelling than others. The most prominent and most emotionally resonant arc in the first four-hour episodes sent off to critics deals with Simone's struggles to adjust. Her challenges are built not by dramatic developments but by a complex burden of relatively minor setbacks—a housing snafu, a hopeless exercise, a deep bout of homesickness. Although Simone works to maintain a calm and composed front, Maya lets her anxiety show through in subtle facial expressions that are gradually drawn in more.
With all this happening in the background of the HBCU, it adds another layer of depth. During her worst stress, Simone seeks her aunt's advice to "point to examples of black excellence and see what's possible," taking inspiration from real HBCU alums whose portraits hang in hallways as their eyes stare at God. Writer Zora Neale Hurston was watching. Simone's journey of self-reflection is echoed in other subplots involving young characters, such as Damon trying to go to prison with teammates who are less thrilled by the constant reminder he left the majors for him. Diya, or her RA Keisha (Netta Walker) muster up the courage to tell her father that she is changing Major from premade to dance.
On the other hand, the storylines involving the faculty – as Amara and Marcus try to figure out what exactly President Allen (Leonard Roberts) is not telling them about the school's budgetary woes – are moving very slowly. There is, to be a lot of interest, but at least the starting point of this series. And while it's not necessarily a bad idea to inject soapy intrigue into an otherwise low-key drama, a subplot involving a character's mysterious parents feels downright goofy in context, as if it were entirely imported from any other chain.
But even when the series occasionally stumbles into rough patches, Homecoming's relatable North Star is its generosity of spirit. Its story revolves around the ways in which the characters come to each other while trying to better themselves, whether that means guiding someone through a panic attack, trying to better themselves. Opening up about true fears or apologizing when they failed to listen. someone else's needs. Whether plots turn into juicy twists or epic emotions, they are paired with a warm sense of community, often built on the weekly "family dinners" that Simone hosts at her Aunt Amara's home.
If Homecoming, like its lead characters, is still trying to do this and see what clicks, that's part of the charm.