9-1-1 is the rare TV franchise that’s split between two networks. Both 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star were on ABC, but Fox has picked up the former for its seventh season, meaning they will be going up against one another in the ratings.
It’s unique, not only in terms of connectivity but in terms of planning as well. One of the perks of having multiple shows within a franchise is being able to orchestrate big crossover events, but it may be harder than ever to make that happen for 9-1-1. Fox executives weighed in on the topic during a recent interview with Deadline.
Will there be a 9-1-1 crossover episode?
Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn was ecstatic about securing the original show for a seventh season, but made it clear that the network’s priority is the show and not the franchise at large.
“Right now we’re really focused on our own schedule and how we look forward with our own series,” he added. “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.”
When asked point blank about the chances of seeing characters from both shows interact, Thorn was not optimistic. He said that a crossover event would be “extremely unlikely” at this point in time. It makes sense, given the different circumstances and arrangements that each network makes for its shows.
In terms of proximity, it’s understandable why 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star wouldn’t crossover. One is based in Los Angeles and the other in Texas, so the circumstances would have to be highly specific for the show’s different teams to cross paths. It’s different than One Chicago, which has all of its shows concentrated in one city.
While fans won’t be getting their crossover anytime soon, they can rest assured that they will continue to get entertaining episodes from both sides of the franchise.
