Fox Says Battle With Parkinsons Disease Keeps Getting Tougher: Im Not Going to Be 80, Channel Your Inner Queen Charlotte with This Star-Loved British Brands Exclusive Skincare Kit, Naomi Watts Just Wore These Under-$100 PJs from Two Star-Loved Brands And Theyre the Perfect Mothers Day Gift for Stylish Travelers, The Best Signet Rings for Adding a Red Carpet-Ready Touch to Your Jewelry Stack, The Best Gifts New Moms Really Want, From Cozy Robes to Virtual Escapes, James Gunns Guardians: How Chris Pratt and His Marvel Castmates Rescued Their Directors Career, The Whispers Behind NBCUniversals Jeff Shell Firing, Diane Keaton: Youre Gonna Pray to Get Off This Call, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. And now for something completely different onAll American: tennis! Thea has no choice but to show up now that everyone knows, but Simone convinces her to show up so they can celebrate her. Sometimes that happens and you dont even notice that its getting complicated, Carroll tells Variety. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor's degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Simone has a rough start, but there was the fun at the bonfire. Real-life inspiration notwithstanding, The CWs All American seemed to fit pretty squarely into the template of high school dramas set in ultra-posh neighborhoods. It's important to keep Black kids excited about education and what's out there. Thea claims dedication isnt an issue for the other players, only Simone. She is queen-bee sophomore that gives off slight mean girl tendencies. Simone and Thea head to the party together where Thea agrees to feign surprise. All American and All American Homecoming air Mondays at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively, on The CW. All American airs Mondays at 8 p.m. About All American: Homecoming (TV series). Coopers love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn't until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. The chemistry is definitely there. It takes an emotional ceremony with Nathaniel Hardin (Rhoyle Ivy King) for Simone to begin working through her breakup. Television audiences first met Geffri Maya as a high schooler portraying Maya Bennett on . What were exploring is what friendship between members of the opposite sex look like and when that starts to get complicated. But, instead, she receded to the background. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Simone has a rough start to life at Bringston. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. She is Simone's aunt and a journalism teacher at Bringston University. The big question around Simone and Damon (Peyton Alex Smith) is if there's romantic future, but whatever comes next, they do have a connection. More:All American: What Jordan & Simone's Marriage Means For Her Spinoff. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Offers may be subject to change without notice. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It would be beautiful to be able to see that unfold and see their relationship take a turn. Simone outmatches everyone on the court and makes it to the last match against Thea. OnceAll Americanrevealed their marriage, though, it's difficult not to think about what it means for Simone's spinoff. She visited Bringston University for the weekend with Jordan, Spencer, and Olivia Baker. GEFFRI MAYA: The most exciting aspects of this journey is that we're able to see Simone and finally able to get a chance to know her for who she truly is, and who she's becoming. Simone chooses not to tell people about baby Shay. It has to be earned. Later, in a conversation with the aforementioned elite baseball player, Damon Sims more on him in a minute Simone is all too aware of the heavy tennis competition shes facing, and Damon encourages her to use that as motivation. Everyone needs a tribe, and I think they're part of each other's tribe outside of everything else. Simone was a student at Beverly Hills High School and upon graduating, moved to Atlanta to attend Bringston University. To me, Jordan holds that significance because he always saw her for who she was supposed to be and wanted to be. The most prominent and most emotionally resonant arc in the first four hourlong episodes sent to critics concerns Simones struggles to adjust. I was super emotional. The different experiences and backgrounds of the characters make this melting pot of stories about people who deserve to be represented, ultimately. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. That tennis match seems to rattle Simone for much of the weekend, even as she starts to consider applying to Bringston instead of just visiting for fun. From your perspective, what is going through Simone's head? All American Spinoff, Naomi Adaptation Snag Series Orders at The CW Titled All American: Homecoming, the spinoffs pilot will air as an episode of All Americans current third season (aka a backdoor pilot). That storyline will also be analyzed in a bit of a different way. They've had several rough patches recently but are still committed to making the relationship work. Damon praises her though Thea snips at her for going off-script. Geffri Maya's character joined the show in season 2 and theHomecoming spinoff was set up with a backdoor pilot in season 3. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . That Simone and Damon, dormmates and fast friends, are headed toward romance seems inevitable, even if Simons technically still attached to her All American boyfriend Jordan (Michael Evans Behling); whats more college than gradually letting go of the high-school sweetheart in favor of the cutie who lives just down the hall? These aren't bad attachments, but now Simone has finally decided to make choices for herself and see what that looks like for her. It makes me happy to support him as an artist and a dear friend. The male lead of theAll Americanspin-off Homecoming is Damon Sims, played by Peyton Alex Smith. Thea commends her for trying. In the lead-up toAll American: Homecoming, it seemed the best way to set up the next chapter in Jordan and Simone's stories would be to endtheirrelationship, but the show didthe exact opposite. Related:All American: What [SPOILER]'s Survival Means For Season 4. It's very empowering that she's able to step into that world of Blackness and Black joy. The one where EW follows up with the cast. She gestures to a parking garage where a car is parked. This episode was well set up on All American Season 3 Episode 16 as Simone, Jordan, Spencer, and Olivia sought to escape their personal drama by taking a college tour as many high school seniors do. Related:All American Season 3 Ending Explained. Initially she says she's fine and tries to push through, but the heartbreak has an impact on most areas of her life, including tennis. Why do you think it's the right way to begin her college journey? Viewers could recognize Cory Hardrict from any number of projects, such asThe Chi,All Eyez on Me, andAmerican Sniper. Its teammate versus teammate in a series of single-elimination matches. This includes reconnecting with a variety of people she met during her visit to Bringston University inAll American season 3. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How do you feel about getting to take Simone on this new journey? Simone is determined to be an effective mother to baby Shay and to embark on this new journey. I grew up as a dancer. She's carefree, self-fulling in mind, body, and spirit, she's diligent to her dream and to her voice. The dancers and our choreographers, Nico and Rhapsody, were amazing. Here's a complete guide to the cast and characters of All American: Homecoming. Damon is seemingly a good inspiration for her to just be her best self. Everyone loves a frenemy situation and this takes it to another level. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. The college years are a door opener to the real world, and it's not always going to be pretty. Were watching the development of a best friendship that is born out of what both of them had gone through. The next day in class, Simone, Damon, and Theas presentation goes well and the class claps for Simone's speech. This is [Simone] walking into a new realm and she's going to feel that pressure, and ultimately she'll shine in it. Simone, as we saw on All American, was always attached to something. The most pertinent details: Simone is an ambitious tennis player from Beverly Hills starting her freshman year at Bringston, a historically Black university in Atlanta, with support from her journalism-professor aunt Amara (Kelly Jenrette) but against the wishes of her Ivy League-obsessed parents. More:All American: Layla's Season 4 Move Could Set Up Jordan Romance. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. What do you remember about shooting that scene? Coopers love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn't until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. They originally planned to elope in secret, but Spencer and Olivia attended the ceremony in the end. She challenges Simone to be her warm-up partner, and though Simone does get a couple of balls past Thea, Thea dominates most of the game. Simone finds Thea later that evening and apologizes as she wanted to celebrate with her friends. Throughout both shows, which will follow the same timeline and have a few natural crossovers, the theme of how one relationship affects a larger friend group will continue. Welcome to Bringston University: All American: Homecoming is bringing the HBCU experience back to TV, Meet Your Maker: All American: Homecoming creator Nkechi Okoro Carroll shares her inspirations, How All American explores the experiences of Black youth in America, Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter. It isn't an easy transition for Simone as she misses her life in Beverly and is challenged in various ways upon her arrival at Bringston, including her parents not paying for room and board. Yes, absolutely. The potential new series slated to be introduced during a regular episode of All American 's upcoming third season (aka a backdoor spinoff) would be set at a a historically Black . On top of that, she's experiencing big girl things when it comes to jobs, handling her emotions, making adult decisions. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. I can honestly say All American's cast and crew from the moment I stepped foot into the makeup trailer made me feel loved and supported. Its storylines tend to revolve around the ways its characters come through for each other while trying to become better people themselves, whether that means guiding someone through a panic attack, opening up about their true fears or simply apologizing when theyve failed to listen to someone elses needs. I'm excited for people to be able to share that moment with us, because I know people care about Simone and her relationship with Jordan. The most challenging [thing] was definitely the tennis, because I am learning tennis now. The most important factor is that the boundaries of Jordan and Simone's relationship is definitely going to be tested and I don't only mean romantically, I mean in terms of growing up. I was ecstatic, because Mitchell Edwards and I were friends before I was even a part of All American, so it's that full circle moment. Simone joinedAll American's story during season 2 when she tricked Jordan into believing that he was the father of her soon-to-be child. Yay! Actress: Private Practice. Although she has never been as central to the plot as the other main characters, knowing she was set to lead the spinoff series should have been a reason to give her a more substantial storyline before leaving. Not just to each other's arcs, but to All American. When are friendships too close? At the end of Simones time on All American, she left Beverly Hills High and her boyfriend, Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), behind. Watch All American on Mondays at 8 p.m. If she is meant to be an exciting draw for the spinoff, as a character fans know well, thenAll American should have given her a bit more to do in preparation for her to lead a brand new series. Spooorts baa-aar". Also new to campus is Damon (Peyton Alex Smith), a charismatic baseball phenom who, to his mothers profound irritation, has deferred his plans to go pro in favor of enrolling at Bringston and helping the schools team rebuild under coach Marcus (Cory Hardrict) after a fake-class scandal derailed their last season. As Damon shares his decision during an on-campus press conference, he states his intention to bring integrity back to Bringstons baseball program and though Damons mother looks less than thrilled to hear the news, Simone finds Damon after the presser and notes that he finally looks at peace. If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. Throughout the series, people will start to see how relationships, communication, friendship, and genuine love and support are such key components of the collegiate space. It shows how far they can really go, not just romantically but platonically as well. This seemed to be a clear move to set up Simone going off on her own forAll American: Homecoming. Jordan, then her pregnancy. Season 1. Also, with Nate being non-binary, the door is open for that community to be showcased, supported and loved. Simone's relationship with Amara is different from what we've seen from her family. On the flip side, storylines involving the faculty like Amara and Marcus trying to figure out what exactly president Allen (Leonard Roberts) isnt telling them about the schools budgetary woes are progressing at too slow a burn to hold much interest, at least at this early point in the series. But as a character notes a couple of episodes into its brand-new spinoff, All American: Homecoming, college is a different ballgame, honey. What did you think ofAll American: Homecomings first episode? There are even some additional returning characters from the mainAll American show. And while its not necessarily a bad idea to inject a bit of soapy intrigue into an otherwise low-key drama, a subplot involving a characters mysterious parentage feels downright goofy in context, as if its been imported from another series entirely. From your point of view, what do you think they see in one another? All American: Homecoming makes its debut Monday, Feb. 21.The spin-off series will take viewers into Simone's (Geffri Maya) college years at Bringston University. All American showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll will executive-produce and write Homecoming, while Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Robbie Rogers all exec producers on the mothership series are on board as EPs, as well. Michael and I were both in our heads about the breakup scene because we know how pivotal the characters are. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. Simone, who was introduced inAll Americans second season, is currently a senior at Beverly High. They play for different reasons, their fight is different reasons, so I'm excited to maybe even tap into a little bit of that. Still, Simone has been involved inAll American since season 2. The audacity for her to even be catching and attitude with Laura is outta pocket and disrespectful. After spending time with her Aunt Amara (Kelly Jenrette), a journalist and professor at the university, and meeting elite high school baseball player Damon Sims (Peyton Alex Smith), Simone leaves the campus with a sense of purpose and knowing where she wants to go next. She calls Simone out for not scheduling the time sooner or showing Coach Loni her dedication. It's pretty exciting. In the morning, Simone begins tennis practice and Thea warns them theyll be there for a while. Their foundation has always been friendship, and a lot of times you need that before love in the first place. Thats what were really exploring with them, but again, theyre also 18 and super attractive people and life is messy. It's time for her to take charge of who she is and [who] she wants to be. Since Jordan is still heavily involved with the original show, it seemsAll American: Homecoming will mix Behling into the show using FaceTime primarily, although physical appearances by the actor can still happen. Warning: This story contains spoilers for the latest episodes of All American and All American Homecoming. New Romance Brewing on Superman, Fox News 8 pm Viewership Down Sharply Since Tucker Carlson's Ouster, Stephen Amell Doesn't Think He's Done Playing Green Arrow, All American Spinoff, Naomi Adaptation Snag Series Orders at The CW, All American Spinoff Adds Legacies' Peyton Alex Smith, 5 Others to Cast. Tennis is such a beautiful sport that I have respect for. But in Mondays backdoor pilot, we watched as Simone still a senior in high school remained uncertain about where to apply to college, all while realizing her tennis game needs work, too. When he isnt writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection because physical media is still king! Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. The court time is booked solid by Thea, leading to Simone confronting her. Thea's birthday is approaching, with Keisha McCalla making a gift bag for her as she does with all the girls in the dorm. Simone is attracted to her Aunt Amara because she's so different than her mother. As he attempts to prove he made the right decision for his baseball career, Damon is also searching for answers about his birth family. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. RELATED STORIES PMC Entertainment. Everyone's driven and ready to bring Bringston Univeristy to life and bring the characters to life. It was just an exciting feeling to know Peyton and I are at the helm of this show and are able to see that and really fulfill a vision of bringing a universe together with so much love and so much fun. When are friendships too close that its disrespectful to the relationship youre in? GEFFRI MAYA: It was the right way to begin because college ultimately is about transitioning and that's not easy, especially when you're having to live on your own and make decisions on your own. Sorry. Being able to be exposed to an environment of people that look like her and come from different backgrounds opens her eye to life, to Black excellence. Although this proved to not be the case, Jordan and Simone fell in love and the two have had a strong relationship ever since. A current Bringston student named Keisha (relative newcomer Netta Walker) gives Simone and Olivia a tour of campus, and Simone meets the schools tennis star, Thea (Katy Keenes Camille Hyde), who absolutely knows how good she is. A tennis prodigy, she takes her responsibility for representing the Black community in the sport very seriously. Though it certainly doesnt hurt to go back and catch up on the backdoor pilot that aired as part of All American last year, Simone (Geffri Maya) the Homecoming protagonist who links the two shows recaps everything a new viewer really needs to know in the first few minutes of the new series. All Rights Reserved. Read on for EW's interview with Maya about returning to All American, that emotional scene with Damon, the big breakup, and more. In the meantime, the two leads balance academics, athletics and the squishier project of self-discovery with the help of new friends and adult mentors, and in defiance of unfriendly teammates or disapproving parental figures. Tennis tryouts are almost over and Simone jogs off the court. On this team, things wont be handed to her, it has to be earned. This seemed to be a clear move to set up Simone going off on her own for All American: Homecoming. The CW's All American universe expands with a Simone-focused spinoff, and here's a guide to the cast and characters of All American: Homecoming.The original football drama based on Spencer Paysinger's pre-NFL career has become an incredibly popular series for The CW, as a wider continues to find it on Netflix. Whether it be coming from her panic attacks or a tennis match, she's really discovered what type of athlete she wants to be. Camille Hyde, who plays Thea, was actually a tennis player when she was younger, which I thought was so inspirational, just hearing her stories and the things she had to experience. It was beautiful because it allowed Peyton and I to continue to build out a relationship where [we] can depend on each other as actors. Simone wants to get back to practicing, so Thea reminds her that real practice starts tomorrow and since the NCAA limits coaches hours, shell be running the drills, and her opinion does matter. She'll play Nhani Rivers, a confident, fun, and energetic student at South Crenshaw High. I can easily say the most challenging part of the tennis, but I want to honor the sport, my form, train, take care of my body. In addition to makingAll American season 4, the network also began developing a spinoff for Simone Hicks. During the series premiere of All American: Homecoming, we saw that Simone has a tough start to life as a college student. At least, if Im reading their dance-floor makeout sesh correctly, that is. Simone arrives late to her court time, but the player there isnt interested in her excuses. If Homecoming, like its lead characters, still seems to be trying out this and that to see what clicks, thats part of the charm right now. As long as Jordan and Simone stay together, though, the odds of Jordan appearing inAll American: Homecoming remains fairly high. A tennis prodigy, she takes her responsibility for representing the Black community in the sport very seriously. I was nervous because I've never danced on camera before, but it was fun because I had Samantha [Logan] to support me and we truly had such a good time. Simone's new life at college is whereAll American: Homecoming begins its story. Hopefully,All American: Homecoming does the work to continue developing Simones character to a fuller extent. Taja Simpson got a main role on Tyler Perry's The Oval so she was no longer available. The dichotomy between Nate and Keisha is the calm and the storm, and you need that balance in order to navigate new transitions in life. What can you share about the part their friendship will play on the show? It's a great question. The one where EW follows up with the cast. And baseball! Mitchell Edwards reprises his role fromAll American, but viewers might also know him fromSpinning Out. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. How worried should we be about what Simone's Homecoming journey means for her and Jordan? Kelly Jenrette as Amara and Geffri Maya as Simone. All American airs on The CW Mondays at 8 p.m. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. During the series premiere of All American: Homecoming, we saw that Simone has a tough start to life as a college student.Her mother refuses to pay for housing, so she moves in with her aunt . Simone is confused as Thea said Loni couldn't be on the field.
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