9-1-1: Lone Star is sadly coming to an end with season 5, meaning that the writers only have 12 episodes to wrap up the show’s and characters’ stories. The Fox procedural drama TV series, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear, serves as a spinoff to 9-1-1, which moved to ABC following its sixth season and is set to air its eighth in the fall of 2024. 9-1-1: Lone Star follows the lives of first responders, including police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency dispatchers, in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, fans will soon have to say goodbye to them.
9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 consists of 12 episodes and is scheduled to premiere on Monday, September 23, 2024, at 8 pm ET on Fox.
Following the eventful 9-1-1 season 4 finale, Station 126 and co. are adjusting to various iterations of a new normal when season 5 opens. Owen is reeling in the wake of his half-brother’s death; TK and Carlos are adjusting to married life; Carlos is haunted by his father’s murder; and Grace will be absent from the TV show. 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 has a lot to address and not a lot of time to do so. Hopefully, though, the season was crafted with the fact that it might be the end in mind, meaning many storylines will be nicely wrapped up.
7 Sierra McClain’s Grace Has A Satisfying Sendoff
The 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 Finale Was McClain’s Last Episode
As previously reported, 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 will lose an original cast member in Sierra McClain’s Grace Ryder. McClain was unable to come to a resolution with Fox while negotiating her contract for season 5. As a result, Grace will sadly not appear in the final episodes. While the actress’ exit is devastating to many, it is an unfortunate reality that the writers will have to deal with in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5. However, they must give Grace a satisfying ending that feels right for her character.
When 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 premieres and Grace is nowhere to be found, the show should have a good explanation for her absence. And, no, killing off Grace is not the answer just because it’s the easiest solution. The excuse also shouldn’t be that Grace is around but just offscreen throughout the 12 episodes. Perhaps a career opportunity pulls Grace away from Texas. Or she leaves to tend to a sick family member. Whatever the case, 9-1-1: Lone Star needs a satisfying and believable sendoff for McClain’s character (which also doesn’t include a divorce between Grace and Judd).
The reasoning behind Grace leaving should appease the audience, while also honoring McClain’s “irreplaceable” character.
The good news is that viewers will reportedly learn why Grace is absent right away during the 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 premiere. Showrunner Rashad Raisani told TVLine that the reasoning behind Grace leaving should appease the audience, while also honoring McClain’s “irreplaceable” character. Raisani teased, “People are allowed to feel the feelings they have about it, but I would say that we did all we could to protect [Grace].”
6 Carlos Solves His Father’s Murder
Gabriel Reyes Died In 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4, Episode 17
The penultimate episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star season 4 featured an unknown figure murdering Carlos Reyes’ father, Gabriel Reyes. After trying on his tux for his son’s impending nuptials, someone rang Gabriel’s doorbell. When the older man opened the door, the person shot and killed Gabriel. So, Carlos had to attend his father’s funeral in one episode and get married to TK Strand in the next, all while letting the knowledge that Gabriel’s killer was still out there stew in his mind. Consequently, when 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 is released, Carlos has to find out who murdered his father.
Unfortunately, Gabriel made a lot of enemies over the course of his career as a Texas Ranger. So, solving his murder will be quite difficult. If anyone can do it, though, it’s Carlos as he is set to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Texas Ranger in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5. Unfortunately, Carlos’ pursuit to find Gabriel’s killer might come at the expense of his marriage. Raisani previously teased that Carlos’ obsession with solving the case creates “interesting and compelling drama” in Carlos and TK’s relationship in the upcoming episodes.
5 The 126 Finds Judd’s Replacement
Judd Steps Away From The 126 In 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5
Following Wyatt Harris’ devastating injury in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 4, Judd Ryder resigned from Station 126 to care for his son. With him gone, Owen must find Judd’s replacement on the squad. But Rob Lowe’s character won’t have to search outside the 126 to find his new second-in-command. During his interview with TVLine, Raisani teased that Marjan Marwani and Paul Strickland will compete for the lieutenant position in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, and it likely won’t do their friendship any favors. The competition could cause some tension between the two characters, while Owen contemplates the difficult decision.
Judd’s son, Wyatt, will serve as Grace’s replacement as a dispatcher at the 9-1-1 call center in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5. Wyatt initially wanted to be a firefighter like his father, but his accident in season 4 killed that dream.
Meanwhile, Judd is going through a lot in 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5. Of course, the episodes must address who will replace Judd in the 126, but they also have to explore how he is dealing with quitting and Grace’s absence. Raisani revealed that Grace’s exit and Judd’s resignation results in a time of significant “complexity” as Judd becomes “adrift” in a “deep place of isolation.” Judd is also forced to confront “uncomfortable feelings he doesn’t want to admit to himself.” Despite his struggles, the hope is still that Judd returns to the 126 before 9-1-1: Lone Star ends.
4 Tommy & Trevor Take The Next Step In Their Relationship
Trevor Mentioned Marriage During The 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 4 Finale
Gina Torres’ Tommy Vega has been through a lot in 9-1-1: Lone Star and she deserves a happy ending. Hopefully, Tommy’s ending in the Fox procedural drama TV series involves her and Trevor Parks taking the next step in their relationship. 9-1-1: Lone Star first introduced Trevor, a pastor, during the season 4 premiere. Sparks immediately flew between Tommy and Trevor, and they began officially dating in season 4, episode 7. Trevor accompanied Tommy to Carlos and TK’s wedding, where he entertained the idea of her becoming a pastor’s wife, and Tommy didn’t shut him down.
If anyone deserves a satisfying and heartwarming ending, it’s Tommy.
Before 9-1-1: Lone Star ends after season 5, Tommy and Trevor should get married. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant event, especially because it would be both of their second marriages and the Fox procedural drama just had a big wedding during the season 4 finale. Perhaps Tommy and Trevor have a small ceremony at their church surrounded by their close loved ones. If anyone deserves a satisfying and heartwarming ending, it’s Tommy.
3 Liv Tyler Reprises Her Role As Michelle Blake
Tyler Exited 9-1-1: Lone Star After Season 1
It has been a long time since viewers have seen Liv Tyler’s Michelle Blake in 9-1-1: Lone Star, but season 5 should change that. As many will recall, Tyler was a member of the 9-1-1 spinoff’s original cast in season 1. Michelle was the paramedic captain at Station 126, but she left her job sometime between seasons 1 and 2, and the other characters had to explain her absence. Michelle quit because she wanted to dedicate her time to helping mentally ill, homeless people, like her sister, and she hasn’t appeared in the series since.
Unfortunately, Tyler’s return in 9-1-1: Lone Star is more of a pipe dream. It will be truly surprising if the actress makes a special guest appearance in one of the upcoming episodes to reprise her role as Michelle. Nevertheless, since 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 is the Fox TV show’s last, it should feature several callbacks to previous seasons, special guest appearances (like Lisa Edelstein’s cameo in the season 4 finale), and more as a gift to the fans.
2 Another 9-1-1 Spinoff Is Set Up
ABC Is Reportedly Considering Greenlighting A Spinoff
When Fox announced that 9-1-1: Lone Star had been canceled, the report also said that ABC was contemplating developing a 9-1-1 spinoff taking place in a different city, like Las Vegas. Nothing has been confirmed, but given the show’s popularity and 9-1-1‘s success on ABC, a spinoff seems like a no-brainer. Perhaps since 9-1-1: Lone Star is ending, one character (or two) can continue on in the proposed spinoff.
Even if ABC hasn’t greenlit a 9-1-1 spinoff yet, season 5 leaving some characters’ stories open-ended could allow them to move out of Austin and to Las Vegas (or wherever this theoretical spinoff takes place). Carlos and TK are two of the 9-1-1 universe’s most beloved characters. It would be smart to continue their love story after 9-1-1: Lone Star ends during the 2024–2025 season. Maybe the married couple adopts TK’s younger half-brother, Jonah, and moves out of Austin, Texas, to wherever ABC takes the 9-1-1 franchise next.
1 One Last Intense & Thrilling Disaster
9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Begins With A Train Derailment
It just wouldn’t feel right if 9-1-1: Lone Star didn’t have an outrageous emergency during its final season. Thankfully, one is already set in stone as a multi-episode intense disaster has already been teased in the trailer for 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5. The first responders of the 126 are on the scene of a horrifying train derailment during the procedural drama’s premiere. Season 5’s premise reveals that the emergency endangers numerous lives, including the main characters.
Hopefully, the train derailment will live up to the thrilling 9-1-1: Lone Star emergencies that came before it, like the volcano eruption in season 2 or the ice storm in season 3.
The final season of 9-1-1: Lone Star literally begins with a bang (as it should). Since it’s their swan song, the cast and crew should go all out concerning the disasters that the characters must respond to, making them as memorable as possible. Hopefully, the train derailment will live up to the thrilling 9-1-1: Lone Star emergencies that came before it, like the volcano eruption in season 2 or the ice storm in season 3.