All three of Greg Berlanti's freshman series this season are short-season entries. Lifetime's You bowed over the summer. The adaptation of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina went live on Netflix last week. And, then, there is All American, which debuted on CW on October 10.
All American is based on the early years of newly retired NFL player Spencer Paysinger, who hung up his cleats after spending last season with Carolina. Paysinger had also played the Giants and Miami during his career.
Daniel Ezra plays Spencer James, the analogue for the teenage Paysinger. A gifted player, James also is a magnet for trouble, yet his talent attracts the attention of a coach (Taye Diggs) who's looking to bolster his roster at Beverly Hills High. James is at Crenshaw High, and if that name sounds familiar, it should----to 80's baseball fans. Crenshaw is the high school alma mater of Eric Davis (Cincinnati) and Darryl Strawberry (Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, San Francisco). Digression over.
Given that it's based around inner city life, it'd be a complement to Black Lightning, airing on Tuesdays.
Check out the trailer:
Give Berlanti credit for expanding his scope with All American & You, as well as the feature film, "Love, Simon", earlier this year, reminding viewers that he doesn't restrict himself to genre programming, though that does still make up the bulk of his workload. High school recruiting has become a thing that is no longer confined to the bigger, more competitive markets (i.e. Los Angeles, NYC). The rules are changing, and this show illustrates why that is.
I tried to watch the opener, but I don't need another show that is filled with angst and soap opera drama. There's enough of that on CW's schedule already, to the point that it's cliched.
No rating.
You forgot God Friended Me.
ReplyDeleteI'll get to that eventually, Sammy. Hard to watch that when it's on opposite stablemate Supergirl.
ReplyDelete