The end is in sight for 9-1-1: Lone StarFollowing the premiere of the show’s final season on Monday, co-showrunner Rashad Raisani opened up about how long he’s known Lone Star wouldn’t return beyond season five.
Speaking to Variety, Raisani noted that even before the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes halted production across Hollywood, “the writing was on the wall about 9-1-1: Lone StarWhy From [9-1-1/Lone Star studio] 20th Television is purchased by Disney and the contractual cycle of 9-1-1it ended in a way that allowed 9-1-1 to transition more seamlessly to ABC, and ours didn't line up so cleanly.” He added: “So we knew it was going to be difficult to get through all of this,” explaining how “it would be difficult for the series to go beyond a fifth season because of the actual numbers of the two companies we are dealing with.”
Despite the challenges that lie ahead Lone Starof a season six renewal, Raisani shared that she always hoped there was “some spark that could work.” So, with the writing on the wall, Raisani has planned Lone Star Season 5 as if it were going to be its last seasonwhich later turned out to be the real reason Fox canceled the procedural drama series in early September.
“It’s been an uphill climb, but my feeling has always been: I want to end this series in a way that feels like a nice journey and closure for these characters, but doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t have a new life, if by some twist that were possible,” he said. “But I wanted to, just to be safe, and assuming it was going to be the last one, I really wanted to give us that last episode to make people feel like, 'OK, I got to know these people and I feel like I'm leaving them in a better place, where I've seen them grow.'”
Lone Star Star Rob Lowe Confirms Cast Knew Show Was Likely to End
While Fox didn't officially cancel the series until September, Lone Star Star Rob Lowe confirmed in August that the cast and crew began season five, which would run from March to May 2024, “pretty much knowing it was going to be the last season, which informed everything we did,” including how they approached the final episodes.
“We wanted to go out there and make the case for shows like this, and I think we did a great job,” Lowe said. “The stories we were able to tell on a weekly basis in terms of scope and scale, that’s probably what I’m most proud of. They were really like mini-movies every week.”
What is 9-1-1: Lone Star about?
Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, 9-1-1: Lone Star follows a sophisticated New York City firefighter (Lowe) who moves from Manhattan, New York to Austin, Texas. He must balance the duties of saving those most vulnerable with solving the problems in his own life. In addition to Lowe, the main cast of the fan-favorite series includes Jim Parrack, Ronen Rubinstein, Natacha Karam, Brian Michael Smith, Rafael L. Silva, Julian Works, and Gina Torres, among others. Sierra McClain, who appeared in the first four seasons, will not return for the final season, leaving the series before production on season 5.
The next episode of 9-1-1: Lone StarThe final season will air on Fox on Monday, September 30.
Source: Variety