The Season 6 finale of 9-1-1 is almost here, meaning that the first responder series' stint on Fox is drawing close to its conclusion. Its cancellation wasn't all bad news, though, as it was swiftly picked up for a seventh season at ABC. With the series switching networks though, you can't help but wonder if there are plans for crossovers with 9-1-1: Lone Star, which is staying on Fox for Season 5. Well, we now have an answer on that front, as Michael Thorn, the President of Scripted Programming for Fox Entertainment, revealed whether or not that possibility is still on the table.
9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star have only had one major crossover, which occurred during their second and fourth seasons, respectively. Amid Season 5 of the parent show, Angela Bassett appeared on the spinoff in a mini crossover. And this year, the offshoot addressed Julian Works pulling double duty as cousins Marvin and Mateo Chavez. One would think that fans had fun with these little tie-ins. Unfortunately, Michael Thorn told TVLine that future tie-ins are unlikely to happen due to the fact that the shows are now on different networks:
Right now, we’re really focused on our own schedule and how we look forward with our own series. We’re really proud of the 9-1-1 franchise and excited to announce another season of Lone Star. It’s really a standout series… and rest assured, we’re going to relaunch that show. It’s an important show to our audience, and we’re very excited to have it back. As far as crossovers go, crossovers has always been really hard on the 9-1-1 franchise because they’re such ambitious schedules. We weren’t able to do it every year when both shows ran on the network, anyways, so I would say it’s extremely unlikely.
It's true that the schedules for both shows were tedious. They both film in LA, but their production timelines can vary due to rehearsals, filming more. In all honesty, this news probably shouldn't be all that surprising to fans, especially since the two sister shows rarely crossed over to begin with. Nevertheless, to hear that mash-ups are likely no more is still disappointing.
When 9-1-1: Lone Star initially premiered in 2020, fans were hoping that the 126 would cross paths with the 118 in some way. And even when it did finally happen the following year, not all of the main characters appeared in the episode. Things didn't become anymore substantial in that regard either, as evidenced by the 2022 mini crossover that saw Angela Bassett’s Athena helping Grace and Carlos with a case on Lone Star. And even that just happened by way of a phone call. On that note though, while Michael Thorn seems adamant that crossovers are done, one has to wonder if small interactions like the one just mentioned could at least happen at some point in the future.
I'm still holding out hope that the two series will link stories again. But if not, I'm just glad that we still have both programs whether they're situated at the same network hub or not.
Barring any changes, 9-1-1 should be part of ABC's fall lineup and a major title on the 2023 TV schedule, though it remains to be seen if 9-1-1: Lone Star ends up being a midseason addition again. At present, both shows are available to stream with a Hulu subscription.
