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Fans of the 9-1-1 universe are about to say goodbye to a cast of characters when 9-1-1: Lone Star ends in January 2025. However, at least one character may have been saved from permanent cancellation, and 9-1-1 may have revealed how the show is writing in a Lone Star alum into the parent series.
Is Tommy Vega Joining 9-1-1?
Tommy took another step toward joining 9-1-1 after 9-1-1: Lone Star was canceled in Season 8, Episode 2, “When the Boeing Goes Hard…” in which Gina Torres—who has played Tommy on 9-1-1: Lone Star since Season 2—made a brief appearance as the dispatcher who made the final call at the funeral of Sergeant Athena Grant-Nash’s late fiancé, Emmett Washington, in Athena’s flashback.
See also: See 9-1-1 Cast Salaries and Who Makes the Most “All units, clear the air to prioritize traffic,” Tommy said. “Dispatch to 237, Officer Washington. This is the final call for 237. Officer Emmett Washington is 10-7. Thank you for your dedication, service, and loyalty. You can rest easy. We’ll be watching from here.”
In an October 2024 interview with TVLine, co-creator Tim Minear revealed that he hired Torres to do the voice because he “really wanted to understand what this moment would be like” for the audience.
“I called Gina and just said, ‘Hey, can you do a little voice for me?’” Minear said. “I needed a great voice, and she has the best voice. She was even the voice on a ride at Disney World, if I’m not mistaken — and I’m not mistaken.” After “four or five takes,” Minear included Torres’ voice in the final cut. “I was always looking for reasons to hire Gina Torres,” Minear said.
Prior to 9-1-1: Lone Star, Minear and Torres had also worked together on The WB’s Angel and FOX’s Firefly. But is Minear’s comment about “always finding a reason to hire Gina Torres” a clue that Tommy could move to 9-1-1 after 9-1-1: Lone Star ends? News broke in September 2024 that FOX had renewed 9-1-1: Lone Star for a fifth and final season. The show is scheduled to air its final episode in January 2025. It’s not impossible for Tommy to join 9-1-1 after Lone Star ends. This has happened on primetime shows before. After Station 19 was canceled in 2024, Jason George—who played firefighter Ben Warren—returned to Grey’s Anatomy as a series regular. The same goes for LL Cool J, who joined NCIS: Hawai’i as a series regular in 2024 after NCIS: Los Angeles was canceled in 2023. Tommy’s cameo in 9-1-1 Season 8 also establishes a connection between her and Athena, which could be explored in future seasons of 9-1-1, as Emmett’s death has been a part of Athena’s storyline over the years. Tommy could also serve as the ambulance captain for the crew on 9-1-1, which is a role the show lacked compared to 9-1-1: Lone Star. And then there’s the possibility of Tommy starring in a new 9-1-1 spinoff, which Ryan Murphy confirmed was in the works in an interview with Variety in October 2024. “Tim Minear and I are working on a new spinoff that we’re actually writing right now and we’re hoping to air next fall,” he said. “Sadly, we all love Lone Star, but the financials just weren’t viable. It was a Disney property that was on Fox, and it never worked. And we’ve had such a long time. So now we’re launching a new show in a new city that I can’t name, but it’s exciting. And 9-1-1 moved to ABC and suddenly became, I think, the biggest show on Thursday night. They obviously had interest in that, so we’re giving them another show that I really like.
However, one thing that could prevent Tommy from being on 9-1-1 or another spinoff is her potential cancer diagnosis, which was alluded to in 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5, Episode 6, “The Naked Truth,” in which she revealed that a doctor “found something” on her breast after a mammogram. “It sucks,” Tommy said. tells paramedic Nancy Gillian. Co-producer Rashad Raisani also hinted at a “character-defining storyline” for Tommy in an interview with TVLine in September 2024, further fueling speculation that she could be killed off in the final season of 9-1-1: Lone Star.
