In one of the biggest twists of 2023, Fox has decided not to renew its top-rated scripted series, 9-1-1. As Deadline previously reported, the drama, which was produced by 20th Television, has instead been picked up for a seventh season by 20th TV subsidiary ABC.
Though the announcement was made earlier this month, Fox CEO Rob Wade revealed during a pre-call on Monday morning that the decision to end 9-1-1 with Season 6 was actually made by his predecessor, Charlie Collier, a year ago, as part of the difficult, rushed renewal process for 9-1-1 and The Resident, which ended hours before the network’s pre-show.
“But needless to say, you look at the shows in two different ways. “First and foremost from a creative perspective and how much we love creating, and the second thing is really the economics of it,” Wade told Deadline. “And I think we felt that as we moved into a really new era of television, the economics weren’t going to be in favor of this show. The decision was made there that the business model wasn’t right for us and 20th would take over the show.”
It’s unclear exactly when ABC came on board as a new network, but it was likely an option from the start, as Fox never announced Season 6 as “final.”
Wade spoke more about the network’s evolving business model earlier in the call.
“As we all know the industry is at an inflection point, but Fox sees the game differently: we’re bold in everything we do, we adapt to the marketplace, and we’re disciplined in our approach,” he said. “We’ve adopted new business models for production and talent deals. We’ve gotten out of the pilot business and have rolled out year-round development. We’ve taken the lead in live-streaming deals for creators, and we’ve consolidated our production and show properties. And importantly, Fox owns or co-owns our content, which gives us even more creative freedom. That means when deciding what stories to tell, there are two factors: we have to love the creative and we have to love the business model.”
Six seasons in, 9-1-1, which Fox does not own, remains the network’s highest-rated scripted series among adults 18-49 and its most-watched series overall, but it is also its most expensive, at around $9 million to $10 million an episode. It was a six-year-old high-profile drama with a big-name cast, led by Oscar nominees Bassett and Krause, and a plot that featured major disasters involving visual effects and elaborate stunts.
9-1-1, which had been in decline in the ratings, was developed and continued to air under a different economic model when the Fox network and 20th Century Fox TV were part of the same company, before Disney acquired Fox’s key assets, including its television studio.
Because of its focus on owned and co-owned content, Fox chose not to bring back the last two live-action series that were ordered when the network vertically integrated with 20th Television, 9-1-1 and The Resident.
The spin-off 9-1-1: Lone Star, which has been renewed by Fox, was ordered after 20th Television moved to Disney.
With Lone Star renewed for another season by Fox and 9-1-1 on ABC, future crossover events between the two series are “extremely unlikely,” Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn said.
