9-1-1: Nashville delivered a surprise familiar face in its midseason finale — Tim Matheson, beloved for his roles in Virgin River and Hart of Dixie, made his debut as Edward Raleigh, the father of Jessica Capshaw’s Blythe.
During Thursday’s episode, the 113 crew responded to a dangerous fire at Edward’s distillery. As Don (Chris O’Donnell) and his team fought to contain the flames, a critical delay in water supply forced Don into a tough call: he had to drain the highly flammable, extremely valuable ingredient known as “the 113” before the fire spread. Edward, furious and unable to intervene, was restrained by officers as he demanded Don protect his product.
Despite Don repeatedly explaining there wasn’t time to wait for backup water, he later confessed in a tense sit-down with Edward that personal feelings may have influenced his decision. The conversation took another turn when Don reluctantly asked his father-in-law for a donation to help prevent department layoffs. Edward agreed — but only if Don fired Blue.
The request didn’t sit well with Don, especially given Edward’s harsh words about Blue. Blythe ultimately stepped in, asking her father to leave after the heated exchange. But before Don could deliver the bad news to Blue, he uncovered a key truth: the water theft causing the delay traced back to Edward and his distillery. Don used that information to pressure Edward into donating — without firing Blue — and the plan worked.
Though this episode served as the midseason finale, fans can expect much more of Edward Raleigh. Showrunner Rashad Raisani confirmed to TVLine that Matheson is sticking around:
“He’s great. And he’s basically now a series regular,” Raisani said. “I worked with him on Burn Notice years ago and remembered how incredible he was — and he’s even better now. What’s coming up for his character is tremendous. He’s absolutely part of our fabric.”
Matheson is widely known for portraying Dr. Brick Breeland on Hart of Dixie and currently stars as Doc Mullins on Netflix’s Virgin River. He also earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for his role as Vice President John Hoynes on The West Wing. His appearance in 9-1-1: Nashville marks his first TV acting role since a 2023 guest spot on the Quantum Leap reboot.
9-1-1: Nashville returns Thursday, Jan. 8 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, with episodes streaming the following day on Hulu.
