‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ EP Teases Final Season Leaves the ‘Door Open,’ Promises ‘A Beautiful Send-Off’
The 9-1-1: Lone Star cast and crew “just let it rip” as they filmed the fifth and final season — but will fans get the closure they want?
“We give a beautiful send-off to each and every one of these characters,” co-showrunner Rashad Raisani told TVLine on Monday, September 23, teasing, “But we also leave the door open on stories.”
Raisani confessed that “It feels like there’s actually still more stuff to deeply explore” despite season 5 being the last for the Fox drama.
The EP explained that his team were aware heading into this season that it would be an “uphill battle to get anything past season 5.” The group knew “there was a good chance this could be it.”
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Raisani realized that with the “corporate factors at play” that 9-1-1: Lone Star’s fate was “above our creative heads.”
9-1-1: Lone Star, which stars Rob Lowe, Gina Torres, Jim Parrack, Ronen Rubinstein and more, debuted in 2020. As season 5 drew near, the network remained mum on whether they’d get a season 6.
Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade told Deadline in May that the show’s fate depended on how season 5 played out. “We’re going to see how that goes as always, and then make decisions about the future of that franchise,” he said.
One month later, Robyn Lively added fuel to cancellation rumors in a since-deleted Instagram post. “So excited to be a part of @911lonestar’s final season!! What a ride it’s been!” Lively, who plays recurring character Marlene Harris, wrote in June.
Rubinstein, who portrays paramedic T.K. Strand, tried to quiet the speculation, noting that the stories going around never “stated a certain fate for our show.”
He wrote via his Instagram Story in June, “One thing I do know for certain is we will continue pouring our blood, sweat and tears into these last few episodes and deliver to you our most special season yet.”
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Last month, Lowe, who plays Captain Owen Strand, hinted that the rumors might be true. “We all went into it pretty much knowing that it was going to be the last season, so that affected everything we did,” Lowe, 60, told Variety in an article published on August 1. “We wanted to really show everybody what is still possible in network television if people have the appetite to do it.”
News broke on September 5 that 9-1-1: Lone Star was not returning for season 6 after months of speculation about its cancellation. (The cancellation came after Deadline reported in June that Sierra McClain wasn’t returning as Grace for season 5 after issues renegotiating her contract.)
The end of the show, however, doesn’t mean the cast isn’t going out without a bang. “It’s really beautiful and it’s exhausting,” Torres, who plays chief paramedic Tommy Vega, exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month about what to expect from the season premiere.
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“80 percent of what you are seeing is practical. The explosions are real. The fires are real,” Torres, 55, teased, confirming that the “toxicity” of the smoke cloud on the show is not. “That trainwreck isn’t miniatures. That trainwreck is real,” she added.
The actress revealed, “If you’re a Tommy lover, we’re gonna go through it this season,” noting it’s the “most challenging season” for her character.
Raisani, meanwhile, confessed he’s not prepared to say goodbye to 9-1-1: Lone Star. “I love this show tremendously. I love working with these actors,” he told TVLine. “I feel like we’ve just started to scratch the surface of what they’re all able to do and what we as a show are able to do.”
Season 5 of 9-1-1: Lone Star premieres on Fox Monday, September 23, at 8 p.m. ET.