All American is the last pre-Nexstar CW series standing (and it's because of Netflix)

If you were to ask anyone who frequently tuned into The CW, before Nexstar took over majority ownership, which show would be left standing if there was a content overhaul, it's doubtful many viewers would have said All American. Not because the series lacks a strong, active fanbase or compelling storytelling, that couldn't be further from the truth but because at no point during its run has the football drama ever been considered the face of the network.

In fact, All American has consistently been underrated. To be fair, no one expected a teen sports series to pull focus in The CW's superhero era where DC TV reigned supreme and Riverdale's bonkers narrative shocked, amazed, and amused. Now that the dust has settled after the network has handed down word that Walker and All American: Homecoming have been canceled, All American's success is in even sharper relief.

This series, which has often gone ignored in the face of The CW's more flashy offerings, beat out every single pre-Nexstar scripted program on the roster. A clear sign that All American is the gem in the center of the network's crown came when it was revealed that the show was written into the Nexstar deal. The football drama was the sole series that was kept off the chopping block completely and had to be renewed.

When news of what happened broke, it reverberated across fandom. Everyone wanted to know what exactly made the show so valuable that Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global would have a season 6 renewal be a requirement in the deal that gave Nexstar majority ownership of The CW. The answer, however, was simply: Netflix.

Prior to the end of The CW's deal with the streamer in 2019, all of the network's airing series had second streaming windows on the platform. This was a boon as Netflix, famous for putting little watched shows on the map, gave many of the series the bump they needed to become household staples. Riverdale is the most famous example, but All American experienced the same increase in viewership, doing exceptionally well on the platform despite being the only geo-locked CW offering (it's not available internationally).

It's All American's Netflix window that's helped save it once again. Every CW series that premiered after the end of the network's deal with the streamer went to Max once it finished airing on TV. The platform, however, didn't give those shows the bump they would have gotten on Netflix and therefore didn't significantly grow their audiences. This wasn't a problem until the change in majority ownership.

Nexstar has prioritized live, on the night viewing. It's been a large factor in the decision making concerning which shows would return and which would be canceled. This was followed closely by the expense of every series since the company is intent on making The CW profitable which has come with a roster slash no one could have imagined prior to 2022 and the end of the superhero era on broadcast since the shows are expensive to make and license.

All of this was because, while the programs generated acclaim and profit for the studios, they weren't moneymakers for the network. When Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global were the majority owners that wasn't an issue because it was their studios drawing in the profit. For Nexstar that's not sustainable. Hence all the axing. But, recently, CW President Dennis Miller has stated a second streaming window is necessary for scripted content to work on the network in this era.

"It appears that you really need to have a multi-platform architecture in order to do scripted programming. It became a question of strategically what kind of SVOD or AVOD deal should we have so we could justify the economics of scripted."

Miller explained that The CW should be considered "a critical first step to market this IP" but that streaming piece is the other component needed to make a show's place at the network cost-effective beyond its licensing fee. For All American, that's where Netflix comes in. The show hits the sweet spot of being able to do well in the Live+7 ratings for the network and have a healthy second window on the streamer. It's incredibly popular on the platform and much of its fanbase does wait until the full season is available to stream before they decide to dive into a new season.

While All American: Homecoming also streams on Netflix after it airs, the spin-off hasn't garnered the same popularity as its parent show. Its cancellation, while disappointing for fans, came as no surprise because it'd suffered major budget cuts for it to move forward with its third season. Walker, however, is the most-watched series on The CW and it still didn't survive the axe despite the show operating at a lower licensing fee than both All American shows. The missing factor for the modern western is that its streaming home is Max not Netflix. If it was available on the latter service, it may have made the cut for next season.

As it stands, All American will proceed with a seventh season. There's no word on if that'll be its final run but if it continues to do well for the network and on Netflix, perhaps a season 8 could happen, even if the football drama potentially pivots to focusing on younger characters in a soft reboot.

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