On April 11, the CW’s show “All American: Homecoming” released its second season on Netflix. The show, a spin-off of the original football series “All American,” follows the lives of Black college students at the HBCU Bringston University. 

Similar to “All American,” the show centers around the two main characters: Simone Hicks, a tennis player, and Damon Sims, a baseball player. The athletes face both personal struggles, friend drama, and challenges within their sports.

The season begins as they are coming back from winter break and starting up their second semester at school. Damon, after learning the truth about his biological parents and brother, is conflicted about whether Bringston is the right place for him. His coach, Marcus Turner, has taken an indefinite leave of absence to work on his mental health so transferring seems like a good idea.

Simone, who is caught up in boy drama and struggling to know who her real friends are, is determined to become a number one player on her tennis team. After finally making progress with her enemy since the first day of school, Thea Mays, tensions are still high between the two after an unexpected injury.

As the season progresses, new characters are introduced, which continues to stir up the drama on campus. Lando, a new love interest for Simone, is introduced and adds to her boy drama. Simone’s chemistry with Damon has been strong, but with a new interest in Lando, she is conflicted. 

Simone, played by Geffri Hightower, originally appeared in “All American” and left Los Angeles to go to Bringston in Atlanta. This set up the plot for the spin-off, but characters from the original show still make appearances in “All American: Homecoming.” Spencer James, played by Daniel Ezra, and Jordan Baker, played by Michael Evans Behling, are both seen in the first few episodes of this new season.

“All American,” released in 2018, has officially been renewed for a sixth season. However, “All American: Homecoming” has still not officially been renewed for a third season, but hopes are high. The season ends on a big cliffhanger, setting up another storyline for the next season.

“All American: Homecoming” does a good job of still incorporating the plot and characters from the original, while still developing its own storyline. Similar to many other spin-offs, like “Private Practice” from “Grey’s Anatomy” or “Fuller House” from “Full House,” this show is able to sprinkle aspects from the original show, but still make it easy for new viewers to understand.

The second season of “All American: Homecoming” is full of drama, but some issues do get resolved. Hopefully viewers will be given the chance to continue following the lives of Simone and Damon in a third season.