Why did 911: Lone Star not make its way to ABC? A major studio exec shares why they couldn’t take up the spinoff!.
911 fans have enjoyed the show's move to ABC. While the show was good on FOX, being on ABC gives them a bigger budget for even bigger spectacles. It also has a larger audience and can rock fans, such as the recent shocking death of Peter Krause’s Bobby Nash.
However, fans of 911: Lone Star weren’t so lucky. That series ended season 4 in 2023 with season 5 then delayed over a year due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes. Just as the fifth season was starting, it was confirmed that it would be the last year for the series.
The reasons appear to be the show’s high budget and FOX trying to cut some costs after the strikes. The show did wrap up its five-season run well with a finale that offered closure to several characters. Yet, fans hoped that ABC would pick up the series.
That’s not happening, as there are instead plans for a new spinoff set in Nashville. So why did ABC not pick up Lone Star?
Why ABC couldn’t pick up 911: Lone Star
In a long interview with Deadline, Disney TV Studios Chief Eric Schrier talked of the various projects for both ABC and FOX. The discussion turned toward Lone Star, with Schrier confirming that it was simply the budget that prevented the show from continuing on ABC.
“I think Lone Star is actually a good example of the pressures of the business in the current environment. As companies have to be profitable and have to justify the business behind all these shows, Lone Star became a very expensive show for what it was performing at and didn’t make economic sense for the platform or the studio to continue with. Ultimately, as these shows grow and become more and more expensive, that threshold for performance becomes higher and higher. And so unfortunately, Lone Star just wasn’t achieving that level of success from a performance standpoint. As much as we loved the show and it was hard for us to see it leave, it was time.
Schrier had helped develop Lone Star for FOX before joining ABC/Disney. He thus had a soft spot for the show yet had to face the business aspects of bringing it to ABC.
As any 911 fan knows, the series requires a lot of big set pieces with numerous disasters, which means high budgets. Having Lone Star on the network would have increased that, making it harder to give both shows the money required to make them work.
There’s also having to bring on the contracts for the cast, especially stars Rob Lowe and Gina Torres. No doubt, the cast would have asked for bigger salaries with the move, which only increased the cost at a time when studios are trying to save money.
Put it all together and Schrier and ABC decided it’s much more affordable to develop a new spinoff with a new cast than take on the added cost of an established series. It’s sad but it’s the reality of the television business.
A five-season run is nothing to sneeze at, and Lone Star had a good finale. So, while fans can wish it had continued, the 911 franchise will live on.
911: Lone Star is now streaming in full on Hulu.
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