REVIEW: ‘All American’ scores a season touchdown
June 7, 2019
Netflix is constantly dropping new shows for teenagers to binge for hours on end. The newest craze is “All American,” a television series based on a true story that follows the life of Spencer James, an African American football star from South Crenshaw High trying to adjust to life in Beverly Hills. It’s a perfect blend of drama, comedy, romance and the “Friday Night Lights” feel that keeps the audience captivated. Season 1 is made up of 16 episodes, each about 42 minutes long. Each episode is just as crucial as the one that came before it. Each detail, character and event gives the audience a new perspective on teenage life.
Emerging from a childhood filled with guns, gangs and violence, Spencer gets sucked into the Beverly Hills high life when he moves in with head coach Billy Baker. Baker illegally recruited Spencer not only for his impressive football skills, but in order to give him a better life away. James lives with the Bakers on the weekdays in order to retain his right to go to Beverly Hills High School and goes home on the weekends. Spencer not only struggles to fit in with the prestigious crowd as he acts too “hood” for the classy, white Beverly Hill students, but he was handed opportunities that people from Crenshaw wouldn’t normally get.
The show tackles important issues that high schoolers may face including racism, gang violence, sexuality, love and pain, to appeal to a wide range of audiences. My only complaint is that you need to pay close attention so you don’t miss an important milestone that moves the plot along. The complicated plot, however, is worth it because it follows the struggles of multiple characters all facing different issues that the audience can relate to.
“All American” stole and held on to the audiences hearts, all the way to the last episode leaving them with cliffhangers.Hopefully questions will be answered in the upcoming season.
