Is All American's Asher Really That Bad of a Character?

Even though All American seemed like just another mundane teen sports show when it premiered on The CW in 2018, it quickly proved its worth. The show about a black teen recruited to play for Beverly Hills High demonstrated remarkable quality, with viewers instantly falling for its characters. Now in its fifth season, All American remains as strong as ever, with only a few minor issues detracting from the fans' enjoyment of the story.

One such issue is undoubtedly Asher, Spencer's teammate. From the very first episode, Asher has displayed an arrogant and egotistical attitude, doing everything within his power to humiliate Spencer. Asher has also been completely disrespectful to all his girlfriends, cheating on them and treating them like trash.

‘He cheated on Layla. He slut shamed Olivia. He gave away his team's playbook. He took steroids coach Baker covered for him and basically lost his job for it. He cheated on Liv. That is just through season 3,’ a fan noted.

Slow Climb

While Asher started his time on the show as a universally despised character, he gradually began to redeem himself once the writers delved into his backstory. Asher spent his childhood in solitude, with his parents paying him no attention, which led to him experiencing abuse and neglect from a young age.

While this doesn't absolve him of his wrongdoings, it certainly explains how Asher became the person he is, and understanding his motivations makes his journey even more poignant.

During Season 5, Asher finally proved himself reliable and decent, which greatly pleased the fans. Some even went so far as to label Asher's storyline as one of the best in recent television history and praised it as an excellent character arc.

'His character development is amazing. It’s on par with Nathan Scott from One Tree Hill but his character started off as a douche and he has some of the best character development of that series,' another fan explained.

Source: Reddit.