The "All American: Homecoming" Showrunner Opened Up About The Series' Unexpected Cancelation And The Future Storylines She Had Prepared

"There were seasons worth of storylines and the continuation of HBCU culture with these characters."

by Morgan Murrell

BuzzFeed Staff

All American: Homecoming's cancelation didn't just come as a surprise to fans, but to the series showrunner, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, as well.

Nkechi Okoro Carroll smiles while holding a trophy at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood event. She is wearing a white, elegant dress with puffed sleeves

On June 5, it was announced that the All American spinoff about HBCU (Historically Black College and University) life and culture would not return for a fourth season. The announcement was made nearly a month before All American: Homecoming returned to our TV screens for Season 3 on July 8.

From left: Netta Walker, Mitchell Edwards, Geffri Maya, Cory Hardrict in All American: Homecoming

During a recent interview with the Wrap, Nkechi spoke candidly about saying goodbye to the series sooner than expected and what she had planned for future seasons.

Nkechi, who also serves as the series creator and executive producer, revealed that she actually found out it wasn't being renewed "around the time it was announced."

From left: Sylvester Powell Jr., Rhoyle Ivy King, Geffri Maya in All American: Homecoming

“My poor kids. I’ll probably make them reenact the scripts in my head in my house,” Nkechi joked.

But she was able to find the bright side of the situation. Because they were pretty much finished working on Season 3, she only had to change one line in the finale to make it feel "like a satisfying end."

Nkechi smiles broadly, standing with hands on hips, wearing a black blouse and dark jeans, at a Variety-sponsored event

“I think, literally, I lifted maybe one line in the final episode, because we were still finishing up post, so it all worked out very conveniently.”

Screenshot from "All American: Homecoming"

The popular CW sports drama followed the students and faculty of Bringston University in Atlanta, Georgia, with a focus on Simone Hicks (Geffri Maya), a young tennis hopeful from Beverly Hills who's looking to make her way back on the court after taking some time off; and Damon Sims (Peyton Alex Smith), a star baseball player from Chicago trying to balance the world on his shoulders.

From left: Geffri Maya, Netta Walker, Peyton Alex Smith in All American: Homecoming

Although Nkechi was able to bring the series to an end in a gratifying way, she was still hoping to tell stories encompassing the HBCU experience, especially since those storylines are currently lacking in today's TV shows and movies.

Nkechi in a black-and-white patterned jacket and black pants smiling at SCAD TVFest event backdrop

“When I’m creating the shows, it’s always because I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can tell these stories forever.’ The HBCU culture is so rich and so dense and so unexplored of late. We’ve had A Different World, we’ve had The Quad. But for the most part, in the history of television, those are predominantly the only shows that really delved in any real way into the HBCU culture."

“There were seasons worth of storylines and the continuation of HBCU culture with these characters, with new characters coming in that I’ve always envisioned for the show.”

I could've definitely watched at least five more seasons of this show, so I'm right there with you, Nkechi.

To learn more about her and the show, check out her full interview with the Wrap. And be sure to watch the third and final season of All American: Homecoming on the CW.