Taye Diggs made a surprising return for the series finale of All American in a touching final moment for his character Billy Baker.
Taye starred on the show for the first five seasons as the former NFL player turned high school football coach that becomes a surrogate father to Spencer (Daniel Ezra).
Sadly, (SPOILER!) during the show’s fifth season finale, Billy dies in a tragic bus accident while saving a student’s life. So fans were surprised to see him show up in the season 8 finale, which also doubled as the show’s last episode.
Why did the show bring Billy back?
Showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll revealed in an interview with TV Insider that bringing Taye back to reprise his role as Billy felt right for the final episode of the show.
“God bless Taye Diggs, because I also called him as soon as we got the Season 8 pickup. I was like, ‘So, I have this idea. Budget is tight, but we can try to make whatever work.’ I didn’t finish pitching him the story before he said yes,” Carroll shared.
What happens in the final scene?
His last scene shows Billy standing near the goalpost and watching as Spencer and his biological son Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) walk off the field to return home to their families. Billy looks on with a proud smile on his face.
Taye’s return was emotional for the cast
Star Daniel Ezra, who also directed the series finale, told TV Insider about how having Taye back for the episode was ideal because he’s the “perfect person to have on set” amid all the heavy emotions as the show came to an end.
“Everyone was tearful, and then Taye skips in and starts making fun of everyone. It was beautiful because that’s been Taye for the entire run of the show,” he said.
Carroll added that there was “no version of the end of the series that felt right without Billy Baker, even posthumously.”
“As many of us who have lost parents can attest to, they never really leave you. A little bit of that feeling is knowing they are there with angel wings, constantly looking over your life. It was important to us that we show Billy was always there with them.” she continued, with Daniel saying it all felt like “the perfect bookend.”
The post Taye Diggs Makes Surprise ‘All American’ Return in Series Finale: Here’s How Billy Baker Came Back appeared first on Just Jared - Celebrity News, Entertainment News & Photos.