FOX Still Hasn't Been Able To Fill the '9-1-1' Void Two Years After Cancelling It

There are a lot of factors that go into a network choosing the shows they're going to air. It's a complicated process with a lot of moving parts that executives must consider, including whether each show will bring in specific demographics of viewers, how the shows fit into their overall schedule, and what financial costs each show will incur. Some networks are able to select shows that result in a successful line-up, while others struggle to find their footing. FOX originally gained a lot of viewers with the first-responder procedural, 9-1-1. But now that the series has jumped ship to ABC, the network is still struggling two years later to fill the void the series has left behind.

'9-1-1' Made the Move From FOX to ABC in 2023

9-1-1 follows the adventures of the 118 Firehouse in a fast-paced, adrenaline-inducing drama. Each week sees plenty of new emergencies for the first responders to tackle, while still including lots of romance and friendship conflicts between the characters. Starting with its debut in 2018, the series was an incredibly popular addition for FOX. However, after six seasons, the FOX executives were becoming wary of the amount of money that was going into producing the series. The network cited enormous production costs of $9 million an episode as cause for concern. There were several reasons the series was so expensive to make (including cast contracts and the production value of all those wild natural disasters brought to life), but there was another factor at play here. The network was also required to pay a licensing fee to Disney's 20th Television (who owns the rights to the series). That created a hefty price tag for FOX to continue paying for subsequent seasons.

FOX decided their only recourse was to cancel the series, despite positive ratings for the show. Luckily, ABC saw an opportunity at hand to keep the Ryan Murphy-produced series alive. 9-1-1 just shifted networks, and came over to ABC with very few complications (and no need to pay an additional licensing fee). In fact, the series' viewership rose dramatically upon the move to Thursday nights (which aired right before Grey's Anatomy). The show's ratings marked a two-year high for the series, and the opening episode gave ABC its biggest premiere in several years. This switch-up seemed to be working out really well: ABC got to keep going with a popular series with a built-in audience, and FOX could cut down on their ballooning budget.

FOX Tried Replacing '9-1-1' With Two Other First-Responder Procedurals

Even though FOX was leery of continuing 9-1-1, the executives did realize the popularity of the show. Two years into 9-1-1's run, a spin-off series named 9-1-1: Lone Star debuted on FOX. Starring Rob Lowe, the series built off the flagship's premise with first responders who are more family than co-workers (but this time it was set in Texas, rather than California). The synergy of the two shows airing on the same network seemed to work well, until 9-1-1 made that jump to ABC. The two shows were then separated, which made for a confusing viewer experience. It was difficult to remember which show aired on which network, and this is, in part, what led to an early demise of the Lone Star spin-off after just five seasons. The drama's cancellation was announced last year, with its final episodes airing in February 2025. There were some rumblings of cast disputes over pay, but the ratings had also diminished by the time the final season was set to air. Without the original show airing on the same network, it didn't make a lot of sense to keep Lone Star on FOX.

FOX had another first responder in its line-up that it thought would help take over for 9-1-1. Rescue HI-Surf premiered last fall, and it is in the same vein as the other first responder procedurals of its kind, except this time, it is set in Hawaii. Instead of bulky fire gear, everyone is donned in bathing suits to take on emergencies. However, many reviewers cited the show as leaning too heavily on melodrama, and the series was eventually canceled a few weeks ago after airing just one season. The series was also an expensive one to make at an estimated $4 million an episode (partly due to filming on location in Hawaii), and the ratings were pretty abysmal. While four million people tuned into the premiere, by the end of the season, there was a 75% drop in viewership. This just proved that Rescue HI-Surf was nowhere close to being a surefire replacement for 9-1-1.

FOX Will Need To Find Another Procedural To Match '9-1-1's Success

When looking at ABC's triumph at bringing 9-1-1 into the fold, it's even more clear that FOX needs to find a successor for the procedural. ABC is thriving with stellar ratings for 9-1-1, which has just wrapped up its eighth season. There's also a brand-new and much-anticipated iteration of the franchise, 9-1-1: Nashville, which will be premiering in the fall. Starring Chris O'Donnell and Jessica Capshaw, the series is set to introduce even more exciting emergencies under the backdrop of Music City. However, when it comes to FOX, the network has now been left with zero first responder dramas. There have been some rumors that the network is thinking of doing a Baywatch reboot (which sounds a little too similar to the now-defunct Rescue HI-Surf), but they're certainly directionless when it comes to a line-up that's a guaranteed success.

Most of the networks have already announced their official lineups for the 2025-2026 season. But the question remains whether FOX will ever be able to recapture the impressive ratings they once had with 9-1-1. Perhaps the network will decide to go in a completely different direction, as it seems like they're opting to focus on straight-forward dramas (such as Doc) and going all in on animation (American Dad!, Bob's Burgers) and reality shows (Beat Shazam, Don't Forget the Lyrics, Fear Factor). As ABC flourishes with 9-1-1 (with ratings that continue to climb) though, those suits at FOX might still be filled with regret about letting that first responder drama go.