Has Damon Left ‘All American: Homecoming’?
A spinoff from the CW series All American, All American: Homecoming focuses on two athletes as they navigate their lives and their careers. With the release of the premiere episode of season three, many worried about the future of one character in particular: Damon Sims.
Played by Peyton Alex Smith, Damon is one of the main focuses of the series as audiences follow him playing baseball for Bringston University. The season-opening showed a significant time jump from the season two finale and, while Damon and Simone are still together, another tragedy has unfolded. As funding for the school’s sports department is cut, two teams have to be eliminated. Despite winning the championship, Damon’s baseball team is on the chopping block and is cut from the program.
To continue living out his dream, Damon’s coach secured him a spot on a private team, the only issue being that it’s in the Dominican Republic. In order to focus on his career Damon talks with his girlfriend Simone, and, worried that the long distance would be too hard the couple decides that a breakup is their only option. The two still have love for one another though, leaving the door just a little open for a possible reunion. With Damon heading away fans worried that he would leave the show entirely, so, what happened?
Not quite gone
No, Damon has not fully left the show, but his role has been downgraded from series regular to recurring character. Smith isn’t the only actor that has undergone this change of status with Nkechi Okoro Carroll telling TV Line, “Peyton isn’t off the show; he just won’t be a series regular, which is not just the case for him but other cast members as well.” She added,
“What I can say about that is that the character of Damon and his impact at the school will continue on. The essence of what is at the heart of the Homecoming story for both characters, both sports, the pursuit of a dream for this ensemble cast… all of that stays the same.”
Why the changes?
According to Deadline, the reason for this change was down to a number of budget cuts that The CW had to make after its acquisition by Nexstar. The company stated it would be moving towards a lower-cost model and warned that many of the channel’s series wouldn’t make it as they are simply too expensive. All American: Homecoming managed to steer clear of cancellation but only at the cost of budget cuts. This meant that actors like Smith had to see their roles significantly reduced.
With Damon no longer a main character, the series has focused a lot more on Simone and her journey. As mentioned above, Damon’s impact will still be felt, and likely he is still a supporter of Simone and her dreams as he lives out his. With Damon still billed a recurring role, we won’t be surprised to see him pop back again in future episodes.
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