All American is The CW's sports drama about a high school football player named Spencer James, played by Daniel Ezra. The character is constantly struggling to balance life living in Beverly Hills and South Crenshaw, Los Angeles. He often questions where his loyalty should lie, that it be to his long-time Crenshaw friends or the new friends he meets at Beverly Hills high school.
The hit CW series first premiered back in 2018, and believe it or not, All American is based on real-life events. Spencer James is inspired by NFL player, Spencer Paysinger. Much like his on-screen character, Spencer Paysinger left behind his best friend, Coop upon his move, which the show touches on. While fans know tidbits of fun facts about the show, there's plenty of little-known facts that viewers might not be aware of!
Updated on August 24, 2021, by Michael Chaar: All American has easily become one of the biggest shows on The CW, and luckily for fans, the series is set to become available on Netflix, too! While the three seasons have certainly kept fans entertained, they can mark their calendars for October 25, which is when season 4 of All American drops. With the show being based on real-life events, there are tons of facts that fans might not know! Well, Spencer Paysinger never actually attended South Crenshaw, nor did he have a strained relationship with his dad, which is quite the contrary to Spencer James. While the show is set for its fourth season, one tidbit of information that viewers would be shocked to find out is that the series almost ended after its second season.
9 Is 'All American' Based On A True Story?
All American is about the life of NFL linebacker and Super Bowl winner Spencer Paysinger. In 2011, he was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent. He was also signed for a one-year contract by the Miami Dolphins in 2015 and again in 2016. In 2017, he was signed by the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers before retiring in 2017. Paysinger serves as a consulting producer for All American, and he played a minor role as Assistant Coach Davis in various episodes.
8 Spencer Paysinger Never Attended South Crenshaw High School
While Paysinger did grow up and live in South Central, Los Angeles, he never attended Crenshaw High School. As the show depicts, what did happen is that Paysinger had to travel every day to Beverly Hills High School, however, he only attended this one high school, unlike James, who transitions from South Crenshaw to Beverly Hills High School during his junior year.
7 Did Spencer Paysinger Have A Strained Relationship With His Dad?
Sometimes you have to play up the drama in a series to make it more interesting. Paysinger never had a strained relationship with his dad, Donald, and his father never abandoned him. Donald Paysinger was there cheering his son on throughout his high school football career, his professional football career and is still extremely close with his son today.
6 Spencer Paysinger Didn't Face a Gang-Related Shooting.
Viewers became increasingly angry with Tamia Cooper, better known as Coop, James' best friend on the series. She could never seem to stay out of trouble, leaving her best friend caught in the crossfire. Due to her poor choices, James was shot in his right shoulder in a gang-related shooting. This battle is another example of "playing up the drama" because Paysinger himself never experienced this.
5 Daniel Ezra Is Actually British
Daniel Ezra is one of many examples of actors hiding their British accents incredibly well. All American is his U.S. acting debut, and he spent as much time as he could in South Central Los Angeles so he could genuinely embody the role. Instead of having an accent coach like many actors do, Ezra listened to interviews and songs from Nipsey Hussle to perfect his accent. He also watched American football frequently to understand the rules of the game.
4 Season One Has a 92% Tomatometer Rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics rarely love a show more than its audience on Rotten Tomatoes, however, this is the case with All American, with its audience rating at 87% for season one. The show has positive reviews due to its "winning cast," particularly Ezra, and its ability to cover topics such as racism, classism, sports politics while balancing the fine line between being light-hearted and profound.
3 Daniel Ezra Can't Play Football
In an interview with TV Guide, Ezra's co-stars declared him the worst real-life football player and used his British heritage as an excuse. However, Ezra did work on his skills and improved. Ezra expressed that he's much better at basketball.
2 None Of The Cast Members Are High-School Aged
This fact probably doesn't come as a surprise. It's common for actors and actresses to play characters younger than them. In some cases, the age gap is extreme. When you look back at the musical Grease, it's impossible to believe that John Travolta was a high schooler. Most of the cast that plays high schoolers are in their mid to late 20s. Calesha Murray, better known by her stage name Bre-Z is 33 as of 2021. Fun fact: Murray also played Freda Gatz on Empire.
1 'All American' Almost Didn't Have A Second Season.
Believe it or not, All American almost didn't return to a second season due to low ratings. Season one of the show wasn't watched as much on television as it is on Netflix. The show being available on streaming platforms, such as Netflix, increased its viewership tenfold.