Why You Won’t See a Crossover Between ‘9-1-1’ and ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Anytime Soon
9-1-1 is coming to Texas. The Fox procedural drama is getting a spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star.
The new show stars Rob Lowe as firefighter Owen Strand and Liv Tyler as chief paramedic Michelle Black. But don’t expect Athena or Bobby Nash to swing by the station house in Austin. Despite sharing a name, the two shows are totally separate, showrunner Tim Minear explained at TCA Winter Press Tour presentation for the upcoming series.
Don’t hold your breath for a crossover
9-1-1: Lone Star is part of the 9-1-1 franchise, but the two shows will exist in their own universes, at least for now.
“The idea is to have the brand grow in a way that feels organic and natural,” he said, according to Deadline. “We didn’t want to jump into a new iteration until we felt like we had something else to say.”
While Minear didn’t write off the possibility of a crossover between the shows, there’s nothing in the works.
“We’ve talked about it but I’m not there yet,” he said. “I’m interested in keeping both shows in their own lane. They complement each other. They’re very different.”
As for more 9-1-1 spinoffs, that’s definitely under consideration. “Am I going to Dick Wolf the series? Hell, yeah,” Minear said, referring to Wolf’s Chicago and Law & Order franchises.
Rob Lowe plays a 9/11 survivor who moves to Texas
Nearly 20 years before the events of 9-1-1: Lone Star, Lowe’s character was the sole surviving member of his Manhattan firehouse after 9/11. Owen Strand rebuilds the firehouse after the tragedy, and when a similar disaster happens at a firehouse in Austin, he and his firefighter son T.K. (Ronen Rubenstein) relocate there to help them start again. But based on the show’s trailer, his New York ways don’t exactly fit in the Lone Star state.
Once in Texas, Strand meets brilliant paramedic Michelle Blake and police officer Carlos Reyes (Rafael Silva). He also assembles a new team, including devout Muslim Marjan Marwani (Natacha Karam), transgender firefighter Paul Strickland (Brian Michael Smith), and rookie Mateo Chavez (Julian Works). He also works with Judd Ryder (Jim Parrack), who as the sole survivor of the Texas firehouse’s disaster is struggling with PTSD.
Training like first responders
In order to convincingly play first responders, the show’s cast underwent some intense training.
“I have done hour upon hour upon hour of training so god forbid someone in this room would have a medical emergency, I could almost help,” Lowe said at the TCA event.
“Being able to really hold the weight that these guys do every day really gave me a good perspective,” Smith said of his time training with actual firefighters.
Many of the show’s extras are also first responders, which means there’s often an expert to turn to for guidance. “That is really helpful for me because I can ask them a million questions while on set,” Tyler said.
9-1-1: Lone Star premieres Sunday, Jan. 19 at 10 EST/7 PST after the NFC Championship game on Fox. Episode 2 airs in the show’s regular time slot on Monday, Jan. 20 at 8/7c.
