All American: The CW’s Latest Potential Hit

The CW has really stepped their game up over the past few years of television. Sure, they’ve had their shows that flop or still occasionally appeal to the young teenage girls with their love story based shows but now they’ve got more variety. The channel has gone all in with male viewers as well. They’ve spun off show after show with the backing of DC based comic shows. Supernatural has held down their program lineup for years and now their latest looks to draw in the average sports fan. All American, based on the true life story of Spencer Paysinger, the former NY Giant and Miami Dolphin linebacker.

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The first episode just premiered on the CW and its safe to say, with enough word of mouth, this show has the makings of a new hit for the network. Not too many channels are looking to put out sports based dramas and the closest thing to it is probably HBO’s Ballers. However, even Ballers is a soft comparison at best as it deals with the struggle of the lifestyle in the NFL, where All American shows the struggles with the NFL dream as a high school student.

From IMDB.com by The CW Network:

“Inspired by the true life story of NFL Superbowl Champion, Spencer Paysinger, All American is an inspiring, ensemble family drama about a young, high school football phenom, Spencer James and the two families whose homes he shares after transferring from Crenshaw to Beverly High – his mother and brother in South Central LA and the Bakers of Beverly Hills. But as these two families and their vastly different worlds are drawn together, Spencer, the Bakers, and the James family will discover that the differences that divide us on the surface hide a deeper connection – the complicated, imperfect humanity that unites us all.”

The Verdict:

All American isn’t your typical television drama. It has all the makings of your favorite football movies rolled into a television show. Standing out from the usual teen based dramas, if it can draw in enough viewers it should grow strong with all age demographics. There’s little to suggest from the first episode that the show doesn’t have the strength to last, but on the CW it may take audiences a little longer to find it.

If the CBS/WB owned channel wants the show to be a success, then next day viewing on a streaming service like Hulu should be in the cards. Not because All American is a bad show, but the channel has built a certain set of demographics over the past 5 years that not too many will notice a sports show. Even on The CW app, it’ll be glossed over in favor of their current lineup. All American has the feel good story that most audiences are looking for as well as the longevity to follow Spencer all the way up to his NFL career. The show has legs to stand on, but the CW needs to go all in with promoting the show. [CMRickTwitter]