Rumours are currently swirling that the 5th Season of ‘9-1-1: Lone Star‘ could be its last. We don’t usually report on rumours, however, there is a growing pile of evidence which is getting too big to ignore…
‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ explores the high-pressure experiences of first responders, including police officers, firefighters and dispatchers, who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations in Texas. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives. The show draws from real-life, high-pressure experiences of first responders who regularly face heart-stopping situations that are often unpredictable, intense and uplifting at the same time.
The first hint we got was a tweet from actress Marlene Harrism, who plays the mother of Judd’s (Jim Parrack) son, which said “So excited to be a part of @911lonestar’s final season!! What a ride it’s been!” presumably, what followed was a (somewhat shouty) call from Fox, and that tweet was hastily deleted…
However, Deadline is reporting that they are hearing similar comments from other members of the ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ cast too, with many of them, including the series regulars, putting themselves up for new roles and auditions. In fact, it seems Sierra McClain, who played Judd’s wife, Grace, has already confirmed she will not be returning for Season 5.
The speculation amongst the cast about the show ending seems to stem from the fact they have had two runs at contract renegotiations, both of which have failed to go anywhere, with Fox saying there would be no renegotiation, indicating Season 5 would be the last. Fox had previously said a renewal decision would not happen until after Season 5 airs in Autumn 2024. However, the options to retain the cast for a new season expire on 19th July, meaning they will have to make a decision before then.
As many of you will remember, the main ‘9-1-1’ show was moved from Fox to ABC, after Fox decided it was too expensive to keep on the network. Disney’s 20th Television makes the show, so the move made more economic sense, and it has thrived in its new home. That raises the question as to whether they may step in to pick up ‘Lone Star’ too… Unfortunately, that seems unlikely for a number of reasons.
Firstly, whilst ‘Lone Star’ is a cheaper series to make than the original, it is still more expensive than you might think. There is a lot of pre and post-production work on this sort of big-budget drama, with a lot of stunt work, and especially with VFX for all that fire (despite being set in Texas, it’s shot in Los Angeles, and they tend to look down on you setting fire to things when the entire area has a habit of bursting into flames at the slightest hint of a spark!) Whilst Disney managed to make the finances work for ‘9-1-1’, reports from the “mouse house” are saying that trying to do the same for ‘Lone Star’ may be a bridge too far.
Secondly, if the cast are all released from their contracts, that massively complicates getting them back together. Leading actor Rob Lowe is also an exec producer on the series, and has a good relationship with both Fox and 20th Television. He has indicated he would be happy to return, even if the contracts had expired, so there is that. However, if some of the other cast have landed new gigs, you might see some major changes to the crew at Station 126. On the plus side for the networks, that makes the show cheaper as it reduces the wage bill (something we’ve seen happen over at CBS this year with ‘SWAT’). On the negative side, you might end up losing some popular characters which changes the dynamic of the show.
As I said at the top of the article, nothing has been officially confirmed yet either way, so this is more of a “heads-up” to brace yourselves if the news does drop later this year. We will, of course, post when we get something official.
‘9-1-1: Lone Star‘ Season 5 is due to premiere on Fox in the USA as part of their “Fall Season” in 2024. It will then arrive on Disney+ UK at some point after that. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when they get a UK premiere date.
