All American Season 8 Review: The CW Favorite Begins Its Last Ride on the Right Foot

All American is back for its eighth and final season, and honestly, the fact that this show survived The CW's bloodbath is pretty impressive. Over the years, the show has had its ups and downs when it comes to storytelling, but one thing it's always had is a loyal fanbase. The new owners clearly saw something worth keeping, and after watching the first two episodes, I can see why.

Without getting into spoilers, the season starts six months after the Season 7 finale. Right away, you're asking yourself what happened during that time, and I liked that the show didn't just spell everything out. Instead, it slowly fills in the blanks while keeping the story moving.

One of my favorite parts of these first two episodes is seeing Jordan and Cassius together. If you forgot, they're cousins, and watching them build that family bond has been a lot of fun. They spend half the time talking trash to each other about football, basketball, and even their marriages, but you can tell there's real respect growing between them. It's a new dynamic that works really well.

The six-month time jump was also a smart move. Instead of making us watch every little thing happen, we get to see where everyone is now and learn how they got there along the way. It kept me interested without feeling confusing.

KJ is locked in on football, and honestly, he reminds me a lot of Spencer from the early seasons. Football is everything to him right now, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it also feels like it could get him into trouble if that's all he focuses on. It'll be interesting to see where they take his story this season.

I also didn't expect to enjoy Jordan and Coop sharing so many scenes together, but they've got great chemistry. It's actually kind of weird seeing them together this much, but in a good way. Since Spencer isn't around nearly as much anymore, it's nice seeing the OGs still carrying the show. Their monthly "Smash and Crash" tradition, where everyone gets together for smash burgers and just hangs out, was one of my favorite little moments because it reminded me why I've stuck with these characters for so long.

Khalil is pretty much "hanging with all the hoes," as Coop would say, but underneath all that, he's still trying to look out for KJ. I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of drama between those two before this season is over.

And let's be real... this is still All American. The CW relationship drama isn't going anywhere. Whether it's KJ and Tori, Jordan and Layla, Khalil and whoever he's talking to this week, or the back-and-forth between KJ, Khalil, Cassius, and Jordan, there's always something going on. That's just part of what makes this show what it is.

Overall, I thought these first two episodes did a good job setting up the final season. They didn't try to do too much, but they gave us enough to get invested in where everyone's story is headed. It feels like the writers know this is the last ride, and hopefully they can give these characters the ending they deserve.

The final season is off to a solid start, and I'm looking forward to seeing how All American wraps everything up. Hopefully, it sticks the landing because these first two episodes definitely have me wanting more.