‘All American’ Season 5 Is a Must-Watch for Fans of ‘Friday Night Lights’

The first season of All American debuted on The CW in October of 2018. While the series received low ratings on the network, the teen drama experienced a rise in popularity upon its arrival on Netflix. In April 2019, The CW renewed the series for a second season. Since then, the show has spawned a total of five seasons (with a sixth season renewal) in addition to a spinoff titled All American: Homecoming.

The fifth season of the teen sports drama debuted on Netflix on May 23, 2023. And much like previous seasons, the newest installment of All American climbed to number one on Netflix’s ranked show list. (FYI, it surpassed shows like S.W.A.T., Selling Sunset, XO, Kitty and—of course—Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.)

Inspired by real-life football player, Spencer Paysinger, the plot of All American centers around his journey to the NFL. In season one, star football player and South L.A. native Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) receives the offer of a lifetime when coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) asks him to come play for Beverly Hills High.

At first, Spencer doesn’t want to accept the offer. But his mother Grace (Karimah Westbrook) and his best friend Coop (Bre-Z) advise him to reconsider. After giving it much thought, Spencer makes the transfer from Crenshaw High to Beverly Hills High. But his worlds begin to collide as he tries to adjust to his new life at Beverly.

From paternity tests to surprising deaths, All American has all the chaos you’d expect in a drama series, making it an absolute must-watch—especially for those who enjoyed watching Friday Night Lights back in the day.

Don’t believe us? Let the reviews speak for themselves. According to IMDb, All American has a 7.7/10 rating. Upon its release, the first season received a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes (with an 85 percent audience rating).

You betcha. Back in January 2023, The CW announced that All American has been renewed for a sixth season.

Brad Schwartz, who is the President of Entertainment at The CW, released a public statement that read: “Over the last five seasons, All American has established itself as one of the all-time CW flagship franchises. All American is not only the network’s youngest series, but also the strongest performer when combining all our platforms. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, the entire creative team and the incredible cast for another season of captivating family drama.”