Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for 9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 2 and 9-1-1: Nashville Episode 2.
The universe of 9-1-1 has now expanded to a third show with the recent debut 9-1-1: Nashville. After eight seasons of 9-1-1 (and five seasons of 9-1-1: Lone Star), viewers now know what to expect from this universe. Each 9-1-1 the show focuses on a fire station and the dispatchers those firefighters are connected to, and each 9-1-1 The show starts each of its seasons with a big opening disaster.
9-1-1the great urgency of for its first season 9, Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Athena (Angela Bassett) went into space for what was supposed to be a rapid orbit, only to end up in the middle of a geomagnetic storm. Meanwhile, in 9-1-1: Nashvillefirst responders faced a different type of storm, only for their fire captain, Don Hart (Chris O’Donnell), only to be struck by lightning. None of these shows’ big emergencies yet have the emotional impact they should, ultimately reducing the overall stakes and suspense.
‘9-1-1’ & ‘9-1-1: Nashville’s Latest Opening Disasters Prioritize Flashy Emergencies Over Characters
9-1-1 has now perfected its first-season formula. Each season opens with an episode that sets the tone for the season, then a two-part emergency, before moving on to the rest of the season. The show had so many excellent opening emergencies, like the earthquake, the tsunami, the cruise ship sinking, and the bee-nado. That of Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) death was a show-changing loss though, so it seems too soon to 9-1-1 to try and recreate their old formula now. 9-1-1 has been full of non-stop emergencies since mid-season 8, with “9-1-1: Contagion”, the fire, the building collapse and now the geomagnetic storm. The show hasn’t had time to really sit down with its characters since Bobby’s death, and therefore the space emergency seems out of place right now. It is clear that 9-1-1 won’t be killing off another major character anytime soon, so the stakes feel lower than usual and the emotion is largely divorced from the current situation.
As for 9-1-1: Nashvillethe show may not be reeling from the death of a major character, but their emergencies are at odds with the show’s added soap opera twist. 9-1-1: Nashville has already set up overarching storylines, notably that of Blue (Hunter McVey) ethical dilemma as he draws closer to his new family for the wrong reasons, and Ryan’s (Michael Provost) difficult divorce from his wife, Sam (MacKenzie Porter). It’s hard to feel invested in any of these storylines so early on, though, when we haven’t seen much of these characters yet outside of emotional drama or quick calls. The most fascinating and endearing scene in 9-1-1: Nashville so far I have seen Roxie (Juani Féliz) and Taylor (Hailey Kilgore) supporting Ryan and joking with him after Sam handed him the divorce papers. 9-1-1 shows are always at their best when characters are simply spending time together without being in immediate danger, and 9-1-1: Nashville should look into it more, especially early in the series.
‘9-1-1: Nashville’s Great Disaster Happened Too Early in Its First Season
9-1-1 is now in its ninth season, and for good reason. Despite its recent difficult period of adaptation, the series did what it needed to go the distance. A big part of this is how 9-1-1 built its foundations in its first season, especially the fact that the show didn’t have much urgency until the plane crash in its fourth episode, “The Worst Day Ever.” This gave this urgency a greater emotional impact, because 9-1-1 had already taken the time to introduce its characters outside of calls as well. Calls in 9-1-1: Nashville are more serious than silly at this point, but intensity doesn’t work without an established emotional connection.
As things currently stand, there’s no reason for viewers to worry about Don after seeing him get struck by lightning. The show only revealed the essential facts about Don’s character, and gave viewers no specific details about him as a person outside of his job and family. Anyway, Don is obviously not going to die this early in the series.but even if he did, 9-1-1:Nashville has yet to elicit an emotional response to this kind of loss. Even with its added soap opera elements, 9-1-1: Nashville is still a show from the 9-1-1 universe, and it should introduce the series by establishing some general silliness and closeness between the group of firefighters. It would have taken some time to prepare for the emergency, as 9-1-1 did this in its first season, instead of trying to use these emotional and intense situations to try to make viewers feel something without earning it.
‘9-1-1’ and ‘9-1-1: Nashville’s Opening Emergencies Don’t Seem Big Enough
9-1-1 had a good premiere for season 9 before the whole space storyline, and after both series’ opening emergencies ended, 9-1-1 And 9-1-1: Nashville should both lean more into this style of episode. For 9-1-1: Nashvillesome silly, low-stakes plots can help viewers get to know and become attached to the characters. For 9-1-1crazier appeals and more character-driven storylines may help the series get back on track after Bobby’s death. In general, 9-1-1The calls are definitely memorable, but the characters and their dynamics are the best part of the show. Bobby’s death was so devastating precisely because 9-1-1 and Krause had made it feel so real, and 9-1-1: Nashville should definitely take notes from its parent show in this regard.
Both 9-1-1 And 9-1-1: Nashville are at the start of their new season, so they have time to course correct after the opening emergencies. For 9-1-1the series simply needs to continue on the path it was on at the start of the season before the space emergency. For 9-1-1: Nashvillethe series must put aside the soap opera aspect and major emergencies to properly present its characters, establish their relationships with each other, and give viewers the time and space to become attached to them.
New episodes of 9-1-1 And 9-1-1: Nashville airs consecutively on ABC on Thursdays starting at 8:00 p.m. EST.
- Release date
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January 3, 2018
- Showrunner
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Tim Minear
- Directors
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Bradley Buecker, David Grossman, Brenna Malloy, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jann Turner, Jennifer Lynch, Marita Grabiak, Sarah Boyd, John J. Gray, Barbara Brown, Robert M. Williams Jr., Kristen Reidel, Marcus Stokes, Tasha Smith, Millicent Shelton, Juan Carlos Coto, John Gray, Greg Sirota, Alonso Alvarez, James Wong, Kevin Hooks, Varda Bar-Kar, Shauna Duggins, Sharat Raju
- Writers
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Tim Minear, Andrew Meyers, Brad Falchuk, David Fury, Ryan Murphy, Christopher Monfette, Nadia Abass-Madden, Nicole Barraza Keim, Erica L. Anderson, Matthew Hodgson, Stacey R. Rose, Taylor Wong, Tonya Kong, Adam Penn
