'All American' Is About More Than Football

Philadelphia (CW Philly) — The new drama coming to The CW this fall, All American, is based on the real-life story of ex-NFL player Spencer Paysinger, but the show isn't just about football. The All American team attended the PaleyFest Fall TV Preview on Saturday, Sept. 8 and talked about how the series extends beyond the football field.

 The show's creator, April Blair, explained how she and Paysinger have similarities, though it might not appear so on the surface. 

"While we seem nothing alike, at heart we have a very common story," she said. "In today's world of division, I thought that was a really important story to tell — black/white, rich/poor, gay/straight — that we're all, on a cellular level, far more similar than we are different."

To give viewers an idea of what to expect, Blair explained how All American will have similar themes to those found in Friday Night Lights and Straight Outta Compton.

Actress Bre-Z plays Spencer's best friend Coop in the show, a girl who deals with her family's struggle to accept her sexuality. And Bre-Z doesn't take this role lightly.

"I hate to see specific walks of life —especially gay, lesbian — portrayed so stereotypically. Everyone's not the same," she said.

Cody Christian, who plays a character named Asher Adams in the series, thinks the show is something people need now.

"It's so easy to not have experienced something personally and to write it off as not happening or it not existing. So, for us to talk about issues of what is happening now, especially through that perspective, it gives a sense of relativity that I think people really need to see at this time," he said. 

Christian also promises that while football will of course be a part of the show, it won't be "so much that it becomes overwhelming." 

All American premieres Oct. 10 on The CW Philly. Will you be tuning in? Sound off in the comments!