9-1-1: Lone Star may have aired its series finale, but the Texas-based spinoff’s lingering presence threatens to overshadow the franchise’s next project. The upcoming 9-1-1 spinoff will be the third Ryan Murphy show following first responders in a specific location, but the new setting feels too reminiscent of its predecessor. 9-1-1’s next spinoff will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, though the cast and plot specifics are still unknown. Following the ending of 9-1-1: Lone Star, creating a spinoff set in Nashville feels less like a calculated decision and more like an attempt at a replacement for the canceled Texas crew.
Despite the controversial time jump in 9-1-1: Lone Star’s series finale, the franchise’s first spinoff retains a passionate, vocal following that continues mourning its cancelation. Yet, rather than any possible continuation for the characters we met in Austin, Texas, 9-1-1: Nashville is instead doomed to come across as a mere imitation of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Unless 9-1-1’s second spinoff takes extreme precautions to establish a unique identity, its setting is already setting the series up for failure.
9-1-1’s 2nd Spinoff Being Set In Nashville Will Make It Very Similar To Lone Star
While Lone Star’s setting was immediately distinct from the original LA location of 9-1-1, choosing Nashville for the next spinoff feels like a cop-out. Tennessee and Texas are different states with unique personalities, but any setting is inevitably watered down for a fictional series. Whatever special identity Tennessee has will undeniably be diluted and end up blending in with the general Southern tone already explored in 9-1-1: Lone Star. While Nashville as a city is well-known for its illustrious music scene, 9-1-1’s spinoff can only explore that angle for so long before it becomes stale.
9-1-1: Nashville being the direct successor of Lone Star means that it not only has to prove its merit as a new series, it has to prove that it isn’t a mere counterfeit. If Nashville includes a call that feels too similar to even one of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s intense rescues, it will instantly lose all credibility as an original series. Consequently, 9-1-1: Nashville is fighting an uphill battle before it even premieres, all due to its Tennessee setting.
Where 9-1-1’s 2nd Spinoff Should Have Been Set
When 9-1-1’s second spinoff was announced, I was equally excited and relieved that the franchise would be taking its tried-and-true premise to an entirely new region. Following the original West Coast and the first spinoff’s Southern settings, it felt logical that the franchise would take a bolder risk than Nashville. There were many possible cities for 9-1-1’s second spinoff that could take the franchise into a brand-new direction to breathe new life into the formula with a unique setting. Taking 9-1-1 to the Midwest, East Coast, Pacific Northwest, etc. could have offered fresh local cultures to add character.
Of course, there’s still time for them to find an approach that won’t feel derivative. Although it will be difficult for 9-1-1: Nashville to be distinctive, it isn’t impossible. As long as the second spinoff showcases the little idiosyncrasies that make Tennessee different from Texas, its identity will stand out enough to give the series room to grow outside the shadow of its predecessors. At least while 9-1-1: Nashville is still in development, 9-1-1: Lone Star will retain its monopoly on the franchise’s Southern representation.
