9-1-1: Lone Star canceled after five seasons as ‘sad’ fans rage ‘someone better say sike right now’

9-1-1: Lone Star has been canceled after five seasons.

The Ryan Murphy-created procedural drama follows the lives of Austin, Texas , first responders.

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The upcoming fifth season of Fox‘s 9-1-1: Lone Star will also be its last, per Deadline .

On Thursday, the outlet revealed that the first responders drama’s final 12-episode run will kick off on September 23, with the series finale slated for early 2025.

Lone Star was the last drama series on the network produced by its former corporate sibling 20th Television before the TV studio, along with other assets, was sold to Disney in 2019.

According to Deadline, the cancellation of Lone Star, like mothership 9-1-1 which ended its run on Fox last year after six seasons, is a result of the changing economics of the TV business.

Unlike 9-1-1, Lone Star is not expected to move to ABC.

The new sister network of the 9-1-1 franchise, 20th TV, renewed the flagship series for an eighth season.

The franchise could get another spinoff on ABC but in a new location.

Las Vegas is among potential cities rumored to follow 9-1-1’s Los Angeles and 9-1-1: Lone Star’s Austin.

“From the start, fans have followed the heroic and deeply moving stories of the men and women who make up Austin’s 126, so a huge thanks to one of the greatest creative teams in all of television – Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear – for creating one of the most action-packed dramas anywhere,” Fox TV Network President Michael Thorn said in a statement that both revealed the show’s cancelation and promoted its upcoming season.

He continued, “Now in our final season of the show, we’re set to give it the high-stakes send-off it deserves, complete with breathless rescues, insurmountable odds, and relatable personal struggles, thanks to our incomparable, stellar cast led by Rob Lowe and Gina Torres.”

Rob Lowe , 60, who also serves as series co-executive producer, plays Owen Strand – a firefighter captain who reloaded to Austin from New York City.

Gina Torres, 55, plays Tommy Vega, the Emergency Medical Services captain who replaced Liv Tyler’s Michelle Blake after her departure following Season 1.

The series also stars Jim Parrack as Judd Ryder, Natacha Karam as Marjan Marwani, Brian Michael Smith as Paul Strickland, and Julian Works as rookie firefighter Mateo Chavez.

Rafael Silva and Brianna Baker also star.

DISAPPOINTED VIEWERS

Fans reacted to news of the show’s cancellation on X, formally Twitter.

One person wrote, “Sad to see ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ ending with Season 5.

“I’ve enjoyed the show and will be interested to see how it wraps up.”

“Someone better say sike right now,” exclaimed another in all caps.

A third tweeted, “Finally have official word that 9-1-1 Lone Star is canceled. It’s what they deserve after how they treated Sierra McClain.”

Original cast member Sierra McClain departed the series after the second of two unsuccessful attempts at contract renegotiations between 9-1-1: Lone Star producers and the network.

Other actors have started to read, meet, and audition for other projects as well.

“The economics weren’t going to pan out for this show for us,” Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade said about the flagship series 9-1-1 after the series made the jump to ABC in May 2023.

While not quite as expensive as 9-1-1, the Austin-based spinoff has similar economics, costing significantly more to produce than the $3millon-$4millon per episode Fox is targeting for dramas in its current disciplined approach as an indie network.

9-1-1: Lone Star was created and executive-produced by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear.

Bradley Buecker, who directed the series premiere, also is an executive producer alongside Rashad Raisani, John J. Gray, Angela Bassett, Rob Lowe, Carly Soteras, and Wolfe Coleman.

CHANGES NEEDED

Earlier this year, fans of ABC’s 9-1-1 demanded the show’s production crew receive a better work schedule after the death of Rico Priem , a grip on the drama.

The 66-year-old died in a car crash after a 14-hour shift on the first responder procedural.

Rico, who helped set up and operate the camera rigging and equipment on 9-1-1 , worked the long shift on Friday and into early Saturday morning.

The crash occurred just before 4:30 a.m. on his way home when his Toyota Highlander drove off the 57 Freeway in San Dimas, California.

The SUV flipped onto its roof after going up an embankment off the freeway.

Rico was pronounced dead at the scene.

Matt Loeb, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, said in a statement , “Everyone in the IA family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss.”

“We are working to support our member’s family, their fellow members and colleagues,” he added.

“Safety in all aspects of the work our members do is our highest priority and we will assist in any investigation in any way that we can.”

Fans of the procedural are begging those behind the scenes to make immediate changes to the working environment for crew members, demanding better hours or shorter shifts.

“No one should EVER have to die for a TV SHOW,” one angry fan tweeted, adding, “This is genuinely so heartbreaking, and I give all my condolences to Priem’s loved ones.”

“Please, give the crew better hours. This shouldn’t have even been a cause for concern,” the X user continued.

“I will never understand why these big productions don’t have a rotating crew,” a second confused fan wondered.

“They need to pay for safety Uber rides to and from set,” one fan insisted, while another suggested, “10-hour max days for every crew member.”

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