Thankfully, There’s Still Hope That 9-1-1 Season 8 Make Up For Lone Star’s Biggest Missed Opportunity
In the wake of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s ending, 9-1-1 will solely carry the franchise’s legacy, but the procedural drama TV show could also absolve the spinoff of its biggest blunder. Since 9-1-1: Lone Star is over, it can’t fix its past mistakes. 9-1-1 is still airing on ABC, though. So, the parent series can redeem the spinoff’s missed chance to take advantage of an opportunity many other TV show franchises have banked on in the past.
Fox canceled 9-1-1: Lone Star before its season 5 premiere, meaning its fifth season is its last. The show’s large budget and less-than-ideal ratings resulted in its ending, while 9-1-1 continues to thrive on ABC. During 9-1-1: Lone Star’s series finale, Owen becomes the chief of the NYFD; Judd takes over as Station 126’s captain; TK resigns and he and Carlos adopt Jonah; Marjan is pregnant; Mateo becomes a U.S. citizen; and Tommy’s cancer goes into remission. Everyone gets a happy ending, but 9-1-1: Lone Star’s curtain call would have been better if the show hadn’t concluded without fixing a significant mistake.
Lone Star Ended Without A 9-1-1 Crossover Despite Fan Clamor
9-1-1: Lone Star never produced a proper crossover with 9-1-1, even though a team-up between the two procedural dramas would have been quite exciting for the audience. Yes, season 2, episode 3, “Hold the Line,” features cameos from some 9-1-1 cast members. However, it still can’t be considered a crossover. If 9-1-1: Lone Star characters appeared in a 9-1-1 episode as well, and the story from that hour carried over into a 9-1-1: Lone Star episode (or vice versa), that would be a crossover. Instead, Buck, Eddie, and Hen simply show up in Texas to help with wildfires in season 2.
Viewers expect TV franchises like 9-1-1 to have crossovers from time to time. One Chicago has released many of them over the years (even as recently as One Chicago’s January 2025 crossover), as have the FBI shows, Law & Order, and the NCIS universe. These franchises have capitalized on the connection between their TV series by creating big events that strongly appeal to audiences. It’s exciting to see characters from different shows interact and work together to solve a problem. Unfortunately, 9-1-1 never took this chance, and 9-1-1: Lone Star ended without producing a proper crossover.
9-1-1 Can Still Stage A Lone Star Crossover Even After The Spinoff’s End
The good news is that 9-1-1 can redeem its spinoff’s mistake by featuring 9-1-1: Lone Star characters in an episode. As stated above, this theoretical crossover still wouldn’t be proper. However, since 9-1-1: Lone Star has ended, it’s the best and only option fans can hope for. Given how the Fox procedural drama’s series finale played out, characters like TK, Carlos, Tommy, Judd, Paul, Marjan, Mateo, or Nancy coming to Los Angeles to assist Station 118 is quite feasible. It would even be possible if one or two of them moved to California and became a permanent member of 9-1-1’s team.
While speaking to TV Insider after the 9-1-1: Lone Star series finale, showrunner Rashad Raisani teased the likelihood of the spinoff’s characters popping up in a future 9-1-1 episode. Raisani said, “I don’t see why not. I would love it.” He also agreed that they could appear in the upcoming 9-1-1 spinoff (which doesn’t have a confirmed location or cast as of the writing of this article). Anything is possible in this post-9-1-1 world, meaning fans shouldn’t give up on a 9-1-1/9-1-1: Lone Star crossover just yet.
How A 9-1-1 & Lone Star Crossover Can Happen Given Their Respective Situations
Perhaps aside from Owen and Judd, every 9-1-1: Lone Star character could feasibly move to Los Angeles and join the Station 118 crew. Or, they could simply be visiting Los Angeles when they encounter the 9-1-1 season 8 cast. Owen is quite busy in New York City with his new position as the New York Fire Department’s chief, while Judd is Station 126’s new captain following Owen’s move. So, it might not be as feasible to orchestrate an appearance in 9-1-1 compared to other characters.
Tommy, Mateo, Nancy, Marjan, and Paul could also easily jump from the spinoff to the parent series following the ending of 9-1-1: Lone Star.
On the other hand, TK and Carlos’ coming to Los Angeles with Jonah would be realistic. As new parents, they might want to leave Austin and start anew in a different place. Carlos can join Athena in the LAPD, and TK can work alongside Hen and Chimney as a paramedic at Station 118. Or, he could continue being a stay-at-home dad. TK and Carlos aren’t the only 9-1-1: Lone Star characters who could be in 9-1-1, though. Tommy, Mateo, Nancy, Marjan, and Paul could also easily jump from the spinoff to the parent series following the ending of 9-1-1: Lone Star.
Why A 9-1-1 & Lone Star Crossover Can Help Ryan Murphy Launch Its Next Spinoff
Before 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 12 aired, news about a second 9-1-1 spinoff from Ryan Murphy and Tim Minear broke. The original co-creators of the franchise are working on a new ABC series set in the 9-1-1 universe. Unfortunately, not much is known about it. ABC hasn’t announced the spinoff’s location or characters. However, Rashad Raisani (9-1-1: Lone Star’s showrunner who is also a part of the new spinoff’s team) previously confirmed it wouldn’t take place in Hawai’i, Seattle, Chicago, or other cities that have been the setting for popular shows. Regardless of its mystery, the spinoff would greatly benefit from a 9-1-1 crossover.
Murphy and Co. would be wise to use 9-1-1 characters to establish the spinoff in the universe. People from 9-1-1: Lone Star appearing in the original series could easily build hype around the franchise as a whole, which, in turn, would generate excitement for the spinoff. Of course, characters from the new spinoff showing up in the theoretical 9-1-1/9-1-1: Lone Star crossover (or a possible backdoor pilot) would also be smart. Or, a 9-1-1: Lone Star character or two could join the spinoff’s cast. Whatever the case, 9-1-1 has a lot of power, and ABC must take advantage of it.
