Summary
All Americanis one of the few scripted football TV shows, but seven other series (scripted and documentaries) will appeal to fans of the CW sports drama.Netflix promptly addedAll Americanseason 6 to its streaming catalog after its finaleon the CW, meaning that those who didn’t get to watch season 6 can now do so. However, after binge-watching all 15 episodes, fans can look to other shows to stave off their growing anticipation forthe release ofAll Americanseason 7, whether they are fictional likeAll Americanor documentaries that follow real football teams and players.
Daniel Ezra, who plays Spencer James, confirmed he will not return forAll Americanseason 7, and some speculate the upcoming episodes will feature a revamped cast and bring the show back to high school.
All Americanis inspired by a true story—Spencer James and his story is based on the life of Spencer Paysinger.Paysinger was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) from 2011 to 2017. He played for the New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers over the course of his career. Like Spencer inAll American,Paysinger grew up in South Los Angeles and played for Beverly Hills High School’s football team. Spencer and Paysinger’s underdog stories are inspiring, which is the backbone of many sports dramas and documentaries.
2016–2020
last chance u
Netflix presents Last Chance U, a sports documentary series that follows different college football campus programs and the student-athletes within, emphasizing the struggles they face balancing school, training, and personal lives. As many of the young men find themselves at a crossroads with only one shot left to make it at the collegiate level, the show centers on the support they receive from their academic advisors while trying to keep up with their coaches' increasingly insurmountable expectations.
Last Chance U,a Netflix sports documentary TV series, follows different college football programs and is the perfect watch afterAll American(if one is open to watching a non-scripted show). The docuseries begins with East Mississippi Community College’s football team, which includesseveral talented young men with troubled pasts looking for structure and a place to belong.Last Chance Ucontains five seasons, with the first two covering different football seasons at the community college in Scooba, Mississippi, seasons 3 and 4 following Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas, and the final season depicting Laney College in Oakland, California.
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July 09, 2025
Laney College
Many ofthe players featured inLast Chance Uhave made it to the NFL, like Spencer James inAll American.However, similar to Spencer, they had to experience numerous highs and lows to get to where they are today, and they are all chronicled in Netflix’sLast Chance U.Unfortunately, season 5 was the TV show’s last, buta scripted drama based onLast Chance Uis reportedly in development,with Courteney Cox set to produce and star.
Friday Night Lights
Cast
Based on the book of the same name, Friday Night Lights is a sports drama series that centers around the Dillon Panthers, a high school football team in Texas. The show focuses on the small town and the community they share, tackling major social and political issues and the players' challenges as they go through an increasingly difficult season.
Friday Night Lightsis arguably the pinnacle sports dramaand set the stage forAll American. Jason Katims' NBC series premiered in 2006 and ran until 2008 when it moved to DirecTV’s 101 Network, where it lasted for three seasons beforeFriday Night Lightsendedin 2011. Even though the show received high praise from critics and garnered a passionate and loyal fanbase,Friday Night Lightssuffered from low ratings, resulting in its changing networks. Nevertheless,Friday Night Lightspersisted and is regarded as not only one of the best football series, but also one of the greatest shows of all time.
Matt Lauria
Luke Cafferty
Friday Night Lightsrevolves around the Dillon Panthers,a high school football team in Texas led by Kyle Chandler’s Coach Eric Taylor. The show focuses on Coach Taylor and his family, including his wife Tami and teenage daughter Julie, along with multiple football players, most notably Matt Saracen and Tim Riggins.Friday Night Lightsfeatures inspirational quotes, complex characters, intense drama, and an intriguing (and realistic) portrayal of Middle America.
Ballers
Ballers is an HBO comedy series that stars Dwayne ‘The Rock" Johnson as a former football player-turned-financial manager for other players. This series looks at the lives of football players on and off the field as Johnson’s character navigates a complex minefield of rules required to manage a full team.
If tired of the heavy drama after watchingAll American,fans should check outBallers,acomedy-drama HBO show starring Dwayne Johnsonas a retired NFL player.Ballers,created by Stephen Levinson, followsJohnson’s Spencer Strasmore, who is coping with what comes next after football and eventually turns to the financial side of the sport.Spencer becomes a financial manager for other NFL players, and as the series continues, he works to rise in the ranks of the football world off the field.
Once finished withAll Americanseason 6 on Netflix, viewers can easily switch toBallersand start the acclaimed sports comedy-drama from the beginning.
Ballersran from June 2015 until October 2019, lasting for five seasons and 47 episodes, andfeatured an endless number of real-life athlete guest stars, including Steph Curry, Odell Beckham Jr., DeSean Jackson,and more. Unfortunately,HBO canceledBallersafter season 5as ratings and reviews began to decline, but it is available to stream on Netflix. So, once finished withAll Americanseason 6 on Netflix, viewers can easily switch toBallersand start the acclaimed sports comedy-drama from the beginning.
4We Are: The Brooklyn Saints
2021
We Are: The Brooklyn Saintsis anotherNetflix sports documentary series, and itfollows the players and coaches belonging to a youth football program in Brooklyn, New York.The docuseries centers around these young athletes and their selfless coaches, who inspire their players, instill within them good values, and emphasize the importance of having fun while playing football. Over the course ofWe Are: The Brooklyn Saints,the audience watches as the Brooklyn Saints start their season and work hard to make it to the national championship in Florida.
We Are: The Brooklyn Saints’ Tomatometer score onRotten Tomatoessits at 91 percent.
We Are: The Brooklyn Saintsconsists of four episodes,so, it would be a quick binge after finishingAll Americanseason 6 on Netflix. The athletes and coaches face adversity and strive to prove their talent and worth on a national stage in the documentary TV show, similar to Spencer’s journey in the CW sports drama.
8 All American Cast Members That Need To Return Despite The Season 7 Revamp
The CW renewed All American for season 7, and although rumors claim it will feature a revamped cast, it must still feature some original characters.
Quarterback
Set in the world of professional football, Quarterback revolves around rookie sensation Michael Carter, who rises from a small town to the glaring spotlight of the NFL. Battling personal demons, fierce competition, and the intense pressures of fame, Michael strives to lead his team to victory.
Netflix loves its sports documentaries —Quarterback,a TV show following a handful of quarterbacks in the NFL, debuted in July 2023 and consists of eight episodes. While Spencer James isn’t a quarterback inAll American(Jordan Baker is), the docuseries provides an inside look into a professional football player’s mind and life on the field, which should appeal to fans of the CW sports drama.Quarterbackreceived high praise from critics and viewers alike, asthe docuseries gives the audience the entertaining perspective of one of the best football players in the NFLright now.
Netflix releasedReceiver,a sports docuseries from the creators ofQuarterback, in July 2024, and the show follows NFL receivers Davante Adams, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Justin Jefferson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Quarterbackshines a spotlight on NFL quarterbacks such asthree-time Super Bowl champion and MVP Patrick Mahomes,Minnesota Vikings' great Kirk Cousins (who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons), and Heisman winner Marcus Mariota (who played for the Falcons while filming the docuseries but is now with the Washington Commanders). TheNetflix sports documentary showQuarterbackfollows the 2022 NFL season and is the first time the NFL has allowed quarterbacks to wear microphones during games. So,Quarterbackcaptures all of Mahomes, Cousins, and Mariota’s frustrations and celebrations on the field.
2Titletown High
June 26, 2025
Taking it back to high school football (the roots ofAll Americanon the CW), Netflix releasedTitletown Highin August 2021.Titletown Highis probably the most likeAll Americanof all the non-scripted football seriesas it works more like a reality TV show than a documentary. The Netflix series follows the lives of students at Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia, focusing on those on the Valdosta Wildcats football team and their friends.
Titletown Highis the perfect balance between those wanting to watch a fictional sports drama show and a sports documentary.
So,Titletown Highdoesn’t only revolve around football games; it alsoexplores the off-the-field relationships between the players and their friends/partners,likeAll American.The reality TV show only lasted for one season and eight episodes on the streaming platform since Netflix seemingly didn’t pick it up for a second season. Nevertheless,Titletown Highis the perfect balance between those wanting to watch a fictional sports drama show and a sports documentary, and it’s easily accessible on Netflix.
1The Game
2006–2009, 2011–2015, 2021–2023
The Gameis a TV series that has undergone many changesover the years. First, the show premiered in 2006 on the CW as a spinoff ofGirlfriendsand followed Tia Mowry-Hardrict as Melanie, a professional football player’s girlfriend who befriends his teammates' partners. After the season 3 finale, the CW canceledThe Game,and it was shelved for almost two years before BET picked the series up in 2011.The Gameran for six more seasons before ending in August 2015. However, in this day and age of revivals and reboots,The Game’s story wasn’t over yet.
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Paramount+
Paramount+ ordered a revival ofThe Game,which relocated the show from San Diego to Las Vegas, in 2021. The revival is more character-driven and focuses on the hard truths of the existence of racism, sexism, and more within the football world. Consequently, Paramount+‘sThe Gamereceived positive reviews, but it was still canceled after season 2. So, after finishingAll American, it’s worthwhile towatchThe Gameon Paramount+ (except for the revival because the streamer frustratingly removed it from its library).
