Procedural drama 9-1-1: Lone Star, airing on Fox, is a spin-off of 9-1-1 and follows the team of Austin’s 126 Fire Department as they respond to emergencies of all sorts. The series premiered in 2020 and will end with Season 5, set to premiere in late September with 12 episodes after being delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The final episodes will air in early 2025. The series was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, the same team behind flagship series 9-1-1.
Like its predecessor, Lone Star features some truly over-the-top disasters which would be unbelievable if not for the fact they’re inspired by actual 911 calls. In a few short seasons, the team has already seen almost everything, from a volcanic eruption to a devastating blizzard. And wild disasters will only keep coming, as Season 5 is set to kick off with a train derailment.
10 “Monster Inside”
Season 1, Episode 8
In Season 1 episode “Monster Inside,” the team was called to help an elderly man with dementia who had gone to the first home he lived in with his wife, but they hadn’t lived there in 15 years, and his presence left the family currently living there terrified. Just when it seemed the situation was resolved, TK (Ronen Rubinstein) was shot, leading to a collapsed lung and the possibility of brain damage.
The characters in the 9-1-1 franchise have all had their fair share of near-death experiences, but none have had more than poor TK. In “Monsters Inside,” TK had a close call when he was shot in the field, and despite some tense moments, he pulled through with minor injuries. While anything can happen to first responders on a scene, it was an unexpected ending to the episode and a reminder of how people can behave when they’re scared or stressed.
9 “In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency”
Season 3, Episode 8
When TK’s mother, Gwyn, played by guest star Lisa Edelstein, was hit by a bicyclist, she fell and hit her head, resulting in her death in “In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency.” TK and Owen (Rob Lowe) traveled to say their final goodbyes to her in New York, but the flight had a mechanical failure. Flashbacks showed TK’s struggle with addiction and how Gwyn helped him through it, all while TK struggles with a possible relapse in his grief.
“In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency” is a great ironic title. This is 9-1-1, so not only is an emergency likely, it’s pretty much a given. And while malfunctions on planes are relatively rare, they’re not unheard of or unusual, but the situation in which a woman was nearly sucked out of the plane was extreme. The episode’s storylines, that of the plane malfunction and TK’s past dealing with addiction, also both dealt with the theme of Gwyn not being able to present to help him.
8 “Friends with Benefits”
Season 2, Episode 4
In “Friends with Benefits,” the crew responded to a wedding where the guests were experiencing food poisoning, and the bride was found to be having an affair with the best man. Meanwhile, Grace (Sierra McClain) receives a call from a man whose dominatrix had been stung several times by bees and was having an allergic reaction, and her EpiPen fell out of her hands as she collapsed. Grace talked him through saving her life in a creative, extreme way.
“Friends with Benefits” presented some shocking and strange situations, even if the emergencies themselves weren’t too wild, food poisoning and allergic reactions to bee stings, while they can be serious, are fairly normal. The circumstances surrounding them, on the other hand? Not so much. The situation with the dominatrix also proved yet again how skilled and quick-thinking Grace is when it comes to handling calls, as well as what a gem her character is.
7 “Act of God”
Season 1, Episode 4
A tornado struck Austin in “Act of God,” and the crew raced to save lives in the aftermath. Unfortunately, not everyone survived, and the losses included the father, who had rushed back into the family home to save their cat. Elsewhere, a man got trapped in a large gun safe and was in danger of running out of oxygen, but Grace was able to help his girlfriend open it and get him out by figuring out the combination.
Like some other Lone Star emergencies, a tornado in and of itself isn’t that over-the-top, but like in the flagship series, dramatic natural disasters are a staple. The tornado was just as intense and devastating as expected. On top of that, some of the emergencies as a result weren’t just simple, straightforward injuries, like the man trapped in the gun safe. The episode also included the first death of the series.
6 “Bad Call”
Season 2, Episode 8
In the mid-season finale “Bad Call,” the team responded to a bank robbery, but when they arrived, the robber had a bomb strapped to his chest to ensure he delivered the money. Carlos (Rafael L. Silva) lets him go, which leads to an investigation. Later, the paramedics were taken hostage and forced to save the robber’s life. Meanwhile, Grace and Judd (Jim Parrack) are in a car accident in the episode’s final moments, with the car crashing through a guardrail and ending up submerged in water.
Mid-season finales always promise intense episodes, especially on a show like Lone Star, and this one delivered, with the twists of the bank robbery and more. Of course, the episode ended on a dramatic cliffhanger, but rather than in one of the cases, it came with Grace and Judd. Their fate was left unknown, and to make things even worse, the car accident came just as they were discussing having children.
5 “Studs”
Season 1, Episode 5
In the aptly titled “Studs,” the emergencies the crew responded to include a man having a seizure at a protest and a fire at a bull-semen factory, where a farmer was trying to obtain the stored semen of a bull who had died recently. The man at the protest was given sulfate-based arthritis medicine, which, when combined with the team’s use of a defibrillator, caused a cloud of toxins to form, killing him and poisoning the first responders.
“Studs” presented more than one wild medical case, again, based on true stories. The plot of the bull-semen facility was one of the more bizarre stories on the show, and it even made Judd laugh in the middle of a dangerous fire. Meanwhile, the aftermath of the man who had the seizure led to even more injuries and seemed unbelievable. And yet both still managed to be somewhat tame, compared to some of the other emergencies featured on the show.
4 “2100°”
Season 2, Episode 2
In “2100°,” a volcanic eruption rattled Austin, and the team tried to help a family on a mini-golf trip where the ground collapsed, and the father’s hands melted. The team also helped a group of college students at a pool party, which resulted in the death of Tim Rosewater (Mark Elias) after he was hit by a falling lava rock. Meanwhile, a woman was trapped in her food truck because it was surrounded by scorpions.
Like some of 9-1-1: Lone Star’s most memorable episodes, the best of them have often featured more than one wild disaster at a time. Although a volcano in Texas seems implausible, the situation was based on an actual volcano in the Austin area. And while it may provide a more immediate danger than a horde of scorpions, they were certainly more unsettling. The episode also had some brutal moments. Tim’s death was a surprise, and the melted hands were particularly gruesome.
3 “Everyone and Their Brother”
Season 2, Episode 6
Owen and TK put their lives on the line to save two brothers in a homemade minefield in “Everyone and Their Brother,” and the homeowner was ultimately killed when one went off. Meanwhile, Grace received a call from a man whose conjoined twin was choking and who he had a strained relationship with, while Tommy interviewed potential new EMT candidates, and the chosen newbie refused to go on the call to the minefield.
It doesn’t get much more harrowing than a homemade minefield, where an explosive could go off at any moment. The danger of the situation was driven home by the fact that an EMT didn’t even want to go on the call, although a person unwilling to help someone in danger probably shouldn’t be an EMT. But the more unusual case was that of the conjoined twin brothers, which also highlighted Grace’s skill as a dispatcher.
2 “Texas Proud”
Season 1, Episode 3
A man fell into a grain silo and began suffocating in the corn it was storing in “Texas Proud.” Because Judd was the only Texas native on the scene, he was put in charge, and Marjan (Natacha Karam) and TK were nearly injured or worse when the corn behaved like quicksand and pulled them under. Elsewhere, the team also responded to an incident at a steak-eating contest, as well as a strange home intruder.
Even the most innocuous things can become dangerous in the 9-1-1 universe, including grain silos. Although it was easy to see how it became so dangerous, especially when the team themselves were at risk, and the situation was made even worse by TK’s struggles to take orders from Judd. The episode was also noteworthy for how they reacted when Marjan’s hijab fell off in the aftermath of the rescue, as they shielded her from view while she put it back on.
1 “The Big Chill”
Season 3, Episode 1
With the 126 shut down and the crew working temporary positions elsewhere, Season 3 kicked off with a surprise cold front bringing an ice storm to Austin, causing plenty of problems for the team over the course of three episodes, starting with the premiere, “The Big Chill.” The emergencies the crew responded to include a boy falling into frozen pond and a stabbing, and on top of that, Grace went into labor.
A snowstorm hitting Texas was bound to cause all sorts of problems, and Season 3 delivered on that front, with multiple episodes dedicated to the event. On top of providing plenty of drama for the characters, the plot wonderfully addressed the major ramifications of snow hitting an area that’s not used to dealing with it and therefore isn’t truly prepared for it, even if some of the emergencies—like Grace going into labor—were a bit predictable.
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