All American EP On Spencer And Olivia's 'Opposing Directions' In Season 5 — Plus, Will 'Jordayla' Happen?

When All American opens its fifth season, Spencer James and Olivia Baker are "still very, very much in love," according to showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll. The problem: That love may not be enough to keep the teens' relationship afloat.

"This isn't a high school crush. It really is true love," Carroll tells TVLine. "They are two passionate people who have huge dreams that are moving them in opposing directions, and that is hard to contend with. It's easier for things to fall apart if you fall out of love. But what do you do with a relationship where you're still very, very much in love, but all the other forces are getting in the middle?"

The CW football drama wrapped Season 4 with Spencer and Olivia on the verge of a potential breakup, following Olivia's revelation that she's writing an exposé on Spencer's corrupt GAU football coach. And though Olivia recognizes that "there are 100 other stories she could cover" that don't upend her boyfriend's future, "there is a large-scale wrong happening, from her perspective," Carroll admits. "Social justice, speaking up for smaller voices, going up against the establishment — that's always been part of who Olivia is, and now she has a story that is all of those things... It has to do with righting a wrong, and when it comes to something like that, it's hard for Olivia to back off it."

Ahead of All American's Season 5 premiere (airing Monday, Oct. 10 at 8/7c), Carroll remains tight-lipped about whether Spencer and Olivia's relationship will ultimately survive this latest hurdle. She will tease, though, that the exploration of Coach Garrett's corruption is "not just Olivia's storyline for the season. It's actually everyone's. The discovery that gets made is something that impacts a lot of people."

Keep scrolling for more of Carroll's Season 5 teasers, plus scoop on what's ahead for the Homecoming spinoff's sophomore year.

4. Will Jordan and Layla Couple Up?

It's true that Jordan and Layla's first kiss took place not very long after Jordan and ex-girlfriend Simone had ended things. But Carroll maintains that Jordan and Layla's romantic spark "wasn't something that developed overnight. It's something that — if people have been paying close attention — has been developing since Season 3, in a very, very slow burn, really-great-friendship sort of way."

To that end, Jordan and Layla will "take their time" figuring out what that lip-lock meant and whether it's wise to pursue a full-blown relationship... especially with a bitter Clay back in the picture at Layla's workplace. "As Clay made clear at the end of the season, this is not amicable," Carroll teases. "There are hurt feelings there, and the question is now, how much of a grown-up is he going to be about how he lets those hurt feelings affect his actions? How much of [his and Layla's] history is going to play a role in what their future looks like? And what I can say is it's not pretty."

3. Coop Finds Her Groove

Coop, meanwhile, remains romantically unattached at the start of Season 5, and Carroll says the newly "effervescent" character has "found a new calling" as she pursues an interest in criminal justice. "She never would have considered [this career] for herself or ever expected it, especially given how much of a run-in with the law she had as a youth," Carroll says. "We're really excited about this storyline where Coop's figuring out what her future looks like, and the role and inspiration someone like Laura Baker plays in that — someone who would never have been in Coop's life, had it not been for Spencer and had it not been for the choices she made when she was younger that put her in the position of having to need a Laura."

That said, even though Coop ended Season 4 without strong romantic ties to either Patience or Skye, Carroll hints that the latter woman may have a continued presence in Coop's life: "One of the things that comes with new phases [of life] is sometimes new love interests," she teases. "We are interested in seeing the relationship between Coop and Skye develop, and the impact that has on Patience as she's trying to find herself outside of her relationship with Coop."

2. Are Grace and Dillon Sticking Around?

Spencer's mom wrapped up Season 4 with a new fiancé in D'Angelo Carter and an open mind to the prospect of relocating to Oakland with younger son Dillon in tow. With Season 5 on the horizon, Carroll shares, "Yes, they're still on the show, and yes, they're moving to Oakland" — but at the moment, there's little else she can reveal about Grace, Dillon and D'Angelo's roles in the new episodes.

"We'll find that there are certain things a family just needs to be together for, and we'll see how those play out," she divulges, adding with a laugh, "These are such cryptic answers!" But if you think you know where the James family's storyline is headed now that Grace & Co. are moving away, Carroll urges you to reconsider: "It's not what you guys expect," she concludes. "It's not going to be what anybody expects."

1. Meanwhile, on Homecoming...

Of course, we also asked Carroll for intel on All American: Homecoming's second season (premiering Oct. 10 at 9/8c), a sophomore run that she calls "very much about legacy, and what [the Bringston students] want their legacy to be." And though the EP gushes that she's "excited about everything" Homecoming will deliver — namely the "mess" of forthcoming love triangles — she says she's especially thrilled to showcase Cam's arc in Season 2.

"We're going to hear much more of Cam's voice, we're going to see what Cam goes through when his world gets completely turned upside down," she reveals. "Fragility and vulnerability and being open about your emotions isn't something that's encouraged where he comes from, so we're going to really see him struggle with that and come out on the other side of it, with the help of the rest of the team and the rest of his Bringston friends."

Recommended