All American Season 6 Has Been Benched Until 2024 — Here's Why

As a wise, red-headed man once said, there's nothing quite like the epic highs and lows of high school football. That's essentially the conceit of the CW's "All American," a fish-out-of-water drama that follows South Central Angeleno Spencer James' (Daniel Ezra) recruitment to the Beverly Hills High School football team. Life doesn't stop after high school, however, and the series explores James' college football journey and his orbit of teammates and coaches. Since premiering in 2018, "All American" has been a ratings boon for the CW. In January, the sports drama was renewed for a sixth season.

Now, "All American" Season 6 has been delayed until 2024, Variety reports. The series was set to return this fall and air on Monday nights. Instead, it will join the network's midseason lineup.

The delay is likely a result of the ongoing historic WGA strike, which began on May 2 and affects 11,500 workers. In lieu of scripted programming this fall, the CW is leaning into reality series and international productions that aren't affected by the strike. Following its cancellation at Max, "FBoy Island" premieres on the CW in October and the German series "The Swarm" debuts in September.

"All American" Season 5 didn't skimp on the drama, with Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) succumbing to an explosive death. Just when the shockwaves subsided for Baker's grief-stricken family, Season 5 concluded with a tragic cliffhanger when Patience (Chelsea Tavares) was stabbed by Miko (Courtney Bandeko), her crazed stalker.

Fans are divided on Patience's fate come the start of Season 6. One Redditor argued that Patience won't survive, given how many other characters have lived through near-death experiences. "I would have agreed with you," replied u/mala_r1der, "but with the fact that they just killed Liv's dad I think she'll survive." The "All American" writers, they suggested, wouldn't be that callous to kill off so many characters in a single season. With the series delayed until 2024, fans must wait even longer to see what happens to Patience.

"All American" is just one of many series to experience a delay due to the strikes. Dick Wolf's suite of NBC procedurals, including the "One Chicago" and "Law & Order" shows, has been shelved until 2024 as well. New seasons of "Euphoria," "Stranger Things," "The Last of Us," and "Yellowjackets" are also delayed.

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. To learn more about why writers and actors are currently on strike, click here for an up-to-date explainer from our Looper team.