From the cast to how it could connect with other ‘9-1-1’ shows, here’s what we know so far about ‘9-1-1: Nashville’. 9-1-1 is coming to Tennessee.
Creators of the hit first responder procedural — which premiered in 2018 starring Angela Bassett as a patrol sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department — revealed in February 2025 that the franchise’s next home base would be none other than Music City. NCIS: Los Angeles alum Chris O’Donnell has been announced for the cast and showrunner Tim Minear maintained to Entertainment Weekly that the spinoff won’t “be the same show” as the original 9-1-1. He added that it would also be different from its Rob Lowe-led predecessor, 9-1-1: Lone Star, which concluded after five seasons in February 2025.
Though Hawaii was rumored to be the series’ next location, Minear told EW that they landed on Nashville because of its “personality.” “We just thought it would be a good fit for the franchise — and actually quite different than Texas,” he said. The spinoff will also bring Bassett along as an executive producer. From the cast to the plot, here’s everything to know about 9-1-1: Nashville. What is 9-1-1: Nashville about? The plot for 9-1-1: Nashville hasn’t been revealed but some details emerged when showrunners announced that Chris O’Donnell would lead the 9-1-1: Nashville series as Capt. Don Sharpe. The actor will star as a fire captain who runs a very busy firehouse with his son.
Co-creator Ryan Murphy has also teased what fans can expect in the universe’s next iteration. In October 2024, before the spinoff news was announced, he said that the show would be “fun.” “Tim Minear and I are working on a new spinoff that we’re actually writing, and that we hope to get on the air next fall,” he told Variety, adding that Lone Star was canceled for financial reasons. “So now we’re going to launch a new show in a new city that I can’t name, but it’s fun.”
Is 9-1-1: Nashville a spinoff? Yes, 9-1-1: Nashville is a spinoff of 9-1-1 but the series will most likely have a new cast and storylines that are separate from the original 9-1-1, much like Lone Star. According to one of the creators and stars though, a crossover is not out of the question.
Minear told Entertainment Weekly that he hoped to work with Lone Star’s Gina Torres “soon,” and Bassett opened up about the possibility of a crossover with the original series. “We have to see how we do this interstate, how are we gonna play this, what business I have over there?” the Zero Day star told TV Insider in March 2025. “But we’ll see if the FBI comes into play, if somebody runs from California to Nashville or vice versa, but yeah, you definitely could have some crossover action going on.”
Who is in the 9-1-1: Nashville cast? In March 2025, showrunners announced that Chris O’Donnell is leading 9-1-1: Nashville as Capt. Don Sharpe. A press release detailed his character as “a rugged fire captain and rodeo rider who runs Nashville’s busiest firehouse with his beloved son.” Though he’s devoted to his family, the release teased that Capt. Sharpe “has his secrets.” Minear told TV Insider that he had been following O’Donnell’s career, which included a 14-season run on NCIS: LA, for a while and thought he’d be an “interesting” star for the series. “I think he actually fits into this franchise in an interesting way, and I think it’ll be fun for him, too,” the showrunner said. “But I think he’ll be able to do different things on Nashville because we all know Chris O’Donnell is also very funny.”
