Why All American Season 5 Killed Off Billy Baker

All American dealt with Billy Bakers season 5 death in a deliberate, respectful way long before audiences saw Billys departure on the screen. Warning! SPOILERS for season 5 of All American! All American lost a beloved character with Billy Bakers death in season 5. As a main character since the start of the series, Baker's

All American dealt with Billy Baker’s season 5 death in a deliberate, respectful way long before audiences saw Billy’s departure on the screen.

Warning! SPOILERS for season 5 of All American!

All American lost a beloved character with Billy Baker’s death in season 5. As a main character since the start of the series, Baker's fate in All American amounts to a huge loss to the show. Given his importance, his death is likely to remembered as one of the most shocking moments in the show's run.

Played by Taye Diggs, Billy Baker is the high school football coach who recruited Daniel Ezra's Spencer James to join the Crenshaw High School's football team. Although the two do not always get along, Billy guides Spencer and helps him through the trials of high school football while also working to balance his family, coaching, and his lost career in the NFL. Based on his continued relationship with Spencer, there was a chance that one day he would get to see his protégé play in the NFL - but it was not to be. Midway through All American season 5's release, Billy died saving a student when their bus crashed on the way back from a scouting combine.

Billy Baker's Death Was The Only Way To End His All American Story

To the characters and audience members, Billy’s death in All American season 5 was an unexpected tragedy. After all, Billy and Spencer were still in the midst of a conflict, and Billy had just elected to turn down a job at Golden Angeles University that would have taken him away from his family. This means that there was still plenty of narrative ground for Billy to explore as he reconciled with Spencer and spent more time with the people he loved. As for why the show killed him off, there was speculation that Billy's death happened because Diggs wanted to leave, but it seems that All American had been planning his death since the end of season 4.

In an interview with Deadline, All American‘s showrunner, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, emphasized that Billy’s death was very deliberately chosen, and one that she discussed with Diggs long before it occurred. Reportedly, the two mutually agreed that Billy’s journey had reached a natural stopping point, but that his departure could not be as simple as a choice to go out of state. This is especially true after several seasons of Billy struggling to connect with and be present for his family, making it apparent that while it was time for him to go. As Carroll said, "Billy would never intentionally leave his family behind."

Can Taye Diggs Still Return As Billy Baker In All American Season 6?

All things considered, Billy being gone doesn't mean that future seasons of All American won't be impacted by his legacy. The rest of season 5 explored the characters' grief concerning Billy's death, and given that the series took the time to process his loss with such dignity and respect, his legacy will certainly still have an impact in season 6. Even more so, Taye Diggs has already suggested that Billy could appear in flashbacks or visions in future seasons, indicating that audiences have not seen the last of the beloved football coach.

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