Taye Diggs is returning to All American but this has many fans confused. Diggs played Billy Baker on the show, and while his return is nice, the fact remains that Billy died on the show. With his death, many fans wonder how his return will occur. More so, what does it mean for the remainder of the season?
Here is a look at Taye Diggs’s return to All American and what it could mean.
Taye Diggs’ Billy Baker Coming Back To All American
Taye Diggs was one of the top stars of All American. However, when his time on the show came to an end, it was done in a way to ensure he couldn’t return. This is because Billy Baker died in the series. Billy, a father and football coach, died when he was saving his players after a bus accident in Season 5, Episode 11 (“Time”).
With Billy dead, how is Taye Diggs returning to the show? According to Deadline, Diggs will appear on May 20, which is the 99th All American episode. The next week, the hit CW show will air its 100th episode. While he died in Season 5, the characters have spent most of Season 6 dealing with his death and trying to move forward without him.
The logline hasn’t been released yet, and that means it is not known in what way Billy will be back on the series. However, there are a few ideas of how Diggs could return and have it make sense in the show’s universe.
It is most likely that Billy returns in flashback scenes, with a character (or characters) remembering special moments with him. Another option is that Billy could be back as a hallucination if something bad happens to a character he meant a lot to. This could happen in a few ways, but expect this to be an emotional moment in the series with the beloved character.
What Is Next For All American?
Billy’s death in Season 5 was a narrative decision by the showrunner and not a situation where Taye Diggs wanted to leave. This likely made it easy to get Diggs back for this episode. However, what happens next is a mystery. The episode Billy returns in is the eighth episode of the season.
This season, All American will have 15 episodes (originally 13). There is no word on whether it will return for a seventh season. All American is one of the only scripted shows to survive after The CW canceled most of the network’s popular shows as it tried to transform its network. Whether it has much longer to live is up to the network. Yet, the 15 episodes will allow it to end this season the way the showrunner intended.
What are your thoughts about Taye Diggs returning for one more All American episode after his death? Are you excited to see Billy one more time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Shawn S. Lealos has been a freelance writer for over 25 years and is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He is also a published author with a book about the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers.