Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear, the procedural drama 9-1-1 has had a tumultuous journey. Originally airing on Fox, where it was canceled after six seasons in 2023, ABC later picked up the show and recently began airing its eighth season starting September 27, 2024. The show has proven to be enduring with fans thanks to its compelling storylines and characters that are revealed through each episode in a “case of the week” format. The show’s success led to an equally well-received spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star, which gave fans more of the procedural drama they craved.
When it was announced that 9-1-1: Lone Star would be canceled after its fifth season (via Deadline), the news came as a shock to many, with some hoping the show would see a similar revival. However, Ryan Murphy has finally spoken out about why the show was and is being canceled, while also giving fans a glimmer of hope for the future of 9-1-1.
While the cancellation of 9-1-1: Lone Star may have come as a surprise to some, the show’s struggles with Fox and subsequent move to ABC, as well as the cast leaving before season five, were clear signs. In an interview with Variety, Ryan Murphy confirmed that the reason wasn’t a lack of love for the show, but a necessary move; “Sadly, we all love ‘Lone Star,’ but the financials just weren’t working out. It’s a Disney company owned by Fox, and it’s never going to work.” Murphy was referring to Disney’s 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which included the film and television studio 20th Century Fox1 but did not include the Fox Network, where 9-1-1 and Lone Star aired. For Fox Network, there was no financial incentive to keep a Disney-owned show, and Disney ironically left one of its shows stuck on a channel that it didn’t have the rights to air on its other platforms. That’s a loss for 9-1-1: Lone Star. Still, 9-1-1: Lone Star fans can rest assured that the final season, which is expected to end in early 2025, will still be an emotional start. In the same interview, Murphy said of the final season, “We all went into it with a pretty clear understanding that this was going to be the last season, so that affected us.” influenced everything we did,” implying that the cast and crew had put their all into making the final season a memorable show.
9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star were certainly successes, with the main show attracting over 10 million average viewers in its first and fourth seasons, respectively, signaling that cable still had appeal and relevance to modern audiences. The show had appeal, and a ninth season was almost expected. However, with 9-1-1: Lone Star canceled, Ryan Murphy also revealed they have plans for another potential spinoff that fans can look forward to: “Tim Minear and I are working on a new spinoff that we’re actually writing and we’re hoping to air next fall… 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 nights. Obviously they’re interested in that, so we’re going to give them another show that I really like.”
