9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star renewed at Fox

It came down to the wire but Fox officially renewed their hit procedural franchise, 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star. Both came down to the wire due to complicated negotiations and the parent series actually didn’t secure its renewal until right before Fox’s upfront presentation.

Per Deadline, renewal negotiations weren’t able to close on Sunday before Fox’s upfront presentation on Monday. Reportedly renewal talks for 9-1-1 were more complicated because Fox and 20th Television aren’t a part of the same company following the acquisition by Disney. This makes the money end of the decisions a bit more tricky. This is challenging for most shows but even more so for a series that is heading into its sixth season. 9-1-1 has a huge ensemble cast and their contracts become even more expensive the longer a show lasts. This is also true for the creatives behind the series. Budgets simply increase and with network TV ratings dwindling, studios look closely at the financials more than ever.

Despite the down to the wire decision, there was little doubt of 9-1-1’s return. The series is Fox’s highest-rated show on Monday. The fifth season of the series averaged 8.2 million total weekly viewers and a 1.4 demo in the 18-49 demo with Live+7 playback factored in. It’s down a tad from season four’s numbers but it still stands as Fox’s most-watched program and it’s broadcast TV’s No.2 rated series just behind NBC’s This Is Us. 9-1-1 follows the busy lives of Los Angeles-based first responders that include police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and dispatchers. The ensemble cast includes Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Oliver Stark, Ryan Guzman, Aisha Hinds, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Kenneth Choi.

Its spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star, will be heading into its fourth season and its renewal was secured on Sunday, a day before Fox’s upfront presentation. The spinoff airs right after its parent series and it regularly wins its time slot on Monday night. 9-1-1: Lone Star averages 7.5 million viewers and a 1.0 in the 18-49 demo and while that is down more sharply from its previous averages, it’s still ranking as the No.2 program in audience numbers on Fox.

9-1-1: Lone Star follows the lives of the police, fire, and ambulance departments of company 126 in Austin, Texas. The spinoff also features a stacked ensemble that includes Rob Lowe, Gina Torres, Jim Parrack, Rafael L. Silva, Ronen Rubinstein, Sierra McClain, Natacha Karam, and Brian Michael Smith.

Are YOU happy to see 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star return next season?