What happened to Asher in All American? Details explored

Fans of All American were shocked to learn that the seventh season of the popular CW series will be a reset. It was further revealed that the only returning characters for the seventh season are Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), Layla (Greta Onieogou), and Coop (Bre-Z). On the other hand, among the cast members not retained was Cody Christian, who played Asher for six seasons.

Fans believe that Asher's absence in All American Season 7 is due to a coaching position that paid better between the sixth and seventh seasons. But that position required him to change cities. He is a family man with responsibilities including a child, so a better salary will be helpful for his character. However, fans are missing Asher as the seventh season began airing on January 29, 2025.

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Who is Asher Adams in All American and why he isn't a part of the seventh season?

Introduced in the All American pilot as Beverly High's wide receiver, he is someone who backs up his talk with action. However, in the finale of season 3, Asher learns that he has to give up playing football, lest he suffer the consequences of his dangerous heart condition: cardiomyopathy. However, despite giving up football as a player, Asher is still involved in that world as an assistant defensive coordinator.

One of the most important character arcs involving him happens in the All American's fifth season as he becomes a father. Since then until the finale of the sixth season, a lot of his stories focused on his achievements as an assistant defensive coordinator. After season 6 though, he may have moved cities for a better job offer.

Also worth noting is that Nkechi Okoro Carroll, who is the series creator did not overrule the possibility of characters like Asher returning to All American in the future. So, it's not like he has left the show for good, or there won't be any references to Asher in the upcoming episodes or future seasons.

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What did Nkechi Okoro Carroll say?

During an interview with Variety on January 29, 2025, Nkechi Okoro Carroll touched on various things including the reason behind why she decided to reset the show with the seventh season. She had a good story to tell why she decided the seventh season to be a reset. It had to do with a staff member of Starbucks.

The female staff member recognized the creator's name and thanked Carroll for helping her figure her future out through the show. The staff member also expressed hope that All American will still be on air when her brother grows up so that it can guide him too. This interaction with the Starbucks staff member supposedly inspired Nkechi Okoro Carroll to reset the show and have it go back to its roots:

“That really solidified my instinct to keep the show going, bring it back to high school, reset it with a new generation of Beverly and Crenshaw kids that sort of had the same dream, same heart, new rivalry — and keep this dream going for the next generation. I called the studio and network and shared my vision, and that is how we ended up getting those two additional episodes for Season 6, to really fully complete the journey of the characters and give me some room to start to set up that world.”

She also touched on the issue of the characters who are not a part of the seventh season. The interviewee pointed out that Daniel Ezra is a guest star this season and will also serve as a director of the series. When she was asked about other characters also returning, Carroll replied in the positive saying:

"Absolutely. Olivia didn’t just leave behind her twin brother, she left behind her best friend. Sam returns a couple of times this season. In fact, almost every member of the vortex comes back in some capacity multiple times this season, and for us, that’s just been so exciting. They’ve been so encouraging of our our new cast, and it’s been such a beautiful extension of their storyline. They’re all sort of transitioning into the big brother, uncle, auntie — sometimes reluctantly — roles. Daniel Ezra, who is currently sitting across from me, is directing right now and guest-starring. Da’Vinchi, who plays Darnell, is coming back since they’re the sucess stories — the NFL players who made it big, but they’re never going to forget where they came from. Chelsea Tavares has been back as Patience a couple of times. Monet Mazur’s [Laura Baker] been back. Karima Westbrook [Grace James] has come in to direct. It’s literally just like we expanded the family. It wasn’t that anyone was replaced, we just grew it."

This means that every character, including Asher who exited the series, might return in the future in some capacity.

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Will Asher return in any of the future seasons of All American? Find out by catching the thirteen-episode seventh season on The CW.