Although I'm still upset with Fox for canceling Prodigal Son, they have softened the blow by renewing a trio of series that I also enjoy. The network has officially renewed The Resident, 9-1-1, & 9-1-1: Lone Star. The Resident will be returning for season 5, 9-1-1 is also back season 5, while its spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star, will be back for a third.
The Resident being renewed really is no surprise. The medical drama is Fox's biggest scripted series after their 9-1-1 franchise. The show has been a steady performer for Fox since its start and is currently averaging about 5.8 million viewers & a 1.0 on the key 18-49 demo. Originally based on Marty Makary's book "Unaccountable", the series follows a group of doctors at Chastain Memorial Hospital as they face personal & professional challenges on a daily basis. The series stars Matt Czuchry, Emily VanCamp, Bruce Greenwood, Manish Dayal, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Jane Leeves, & Morris Chestnut. The latter will drop to recurring in season 5 after he was tapped to lead another Fox series, Our Kind Of People.
9-1-1 & 9-1-1: Lone Star are Fox's top two scripted series & honestly they both are true juggernauts for the network. 9-1-1 is averaging 9.9 million viewers after a week of delayed viewing while 9-1-1: Lone Star ranks second on the network with just under 9 million viewers. Fox also teased a big crossover next season for both shows so ratings are likely to surge higher when that happens. Created by Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear, & Brad Falchuk, 9-1-1 explores the high-pressure experiences of police officers, firefighters, and dispatchers who are thrust into frightening, shocking, & heart-stopping situations. The series stars Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Rockmond Dunbar, & Ryan Guzman while former WWE superstar Ronda Rousey recurs. 9-1-1: Lone Star follows Owen (Rob Lowe), a sophisticated New York firefighter, who, along with his son, relocates to the Texas capital and must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in his own life. The series also stars Gina Torres, Ronen Rubinstein, Jim Parrack, Sierra McClain, Natacha Karam, Brian Michael Smith, Julian Works & Rafael Silva.
The Resident, 9-1-1, and 9-1-1: Lone Star are the only returning veteran scripted dramas returning to Fox next season. Fox has ordered five other hourlong series that include The Big Leap, The Cleaning Lady, a Fantasy Island reboot, Monarch, and Our Kind of People. On the comedy front, Fox has ordered Pivoting, Welcome to Flatch, and an animated show from Rick and Morty's Dan Harmon in 2021-22.
Are YOU happy to see these shows return?