Such is certainly the case with All American, a riveting new CW drama that premieres this evening at 9/8 central. All American follows Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), a young Black man from a low-income Los Angeles neighborhood, after Coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) recruits him play for the Beverly Hills High School football team. In doing so, Spencer is stunned by how the other half — actually, more like 1% — lives. If the sports and the struggle depicted in All American strike you as extra real, it's because they are: The show is based on the true story of professional football player Spencer Paysinger, who retired from the NFL in 2018 after seven seasons as a linebacker. "It’s not 100% my story but the bones of it are truly accurate," Paysinger told CBS of the show