All American: Homecoming boss: We're focusing on "the Serenas, and the Venuses of the world and the Naomi Osakas"

Variety

All American will preview its Homecoming spinoff on Monday as a backdoor pilot, focusing on Geffri Maya's Simone as a young tennis hopeful from Beverly Hills and Peyton Alex Smith's Damon as an elite baseball player from Chicago at the fictional Bringston University. "I was inspired to do a spinoff because there’s so much story to tell in this world — of Black youth and student athletics and the pursuit of a dream," says showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll. "That’s the heart of what Spencer Paysinger’s story is in All American, and he’s our catalyst to go into that world, so spinning it off felt very organic because we’ve been blessed with such a fantastic ensemble cast, who all have dreams and aspirations and all have different experiences as Black youth in this country. In terms of who to spin it off with and the world we’re putting it in, I wanted to keep the heart and essence of All American, which is that — underneath everything else — it is a sports drama. The pursuit of an athletic dream comes with its own unique set of pressures and complications, and highs and lows, and so wanted to keep the essence of the mothership show by keeping it rooted in that sports world, which is why we are diving into tennis and baseball at the collegiate level. Simone seemed like the best character to take us into that world...Specifically, we’re looking at Black women in tennis. Looking at the rise of the Serenas, and the Venuses of the world and the Naomi Osakas. I wanted to delve into that experience. There are a unique set of challenges that come with being a Black woman in a sport like that. I’m so in awe of those women that I wanted to pay tribute by honoring their journey and shedding a little bit of light through Simone’s journey, of what it really takes to excel at that level as a Black woman in that sport. Also, baseball has such an interesting legacy with the Black community, and it’s a legacy that feels like it’s been eroded a little bit, with the diminishing numbers of Black players in the league. It’s a sport that it feels like our youth are being priced out of, but it’s a great American sport — it’s the sport of Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, of so many great players, and so I wanted to pay homage to that."