Nashville's Latest Casting Proves It's Best Poised To Do The Ryan Murphy Signature Episode That Continues To Elude The Flagship

Ryan Murphy has a signature TV show trope that the 9-1-1 franchise has managed to evade so far, but that could change with 9-1-1: Nashville. On the heels of 9-1-1: Lone Star's cancelation, the first-responder procedural continues to thrive with a brand new spinoff coming this fall 2025. Set in Nashville, Tennessee, 9-1-1: Nashville has rounded up an impressive ensemble led by Chris O'Donnell and Jessica Capshaw. It offers several other things to be excited about, but there's 1 possibility that will hopefully happen fairly early in its run.

Specific plot details about 9-1-1: Nashville are still scant at the moment, but its location is specifically chosen for its storytelling. This suggests that the spinoff is planning on incorporating its location into its narrative, perhaps more than 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star have ever done. That's an exciting way to tackle the new show, as it ensures that it will have its own distinct tone and vibe. Aside from that, however, there's 1 other thing that it could do before the flagship series.

9-1-1 Has Yet To Do A Musical Episode (Despite It Being Ryan Murphy's Signature)

Ryan Murphy Is Known For Bringing Music To Shows

When you look at the likes of Glee and American Horror Story, there is something that stands out. Murphy loves to bring music to his projects, and that usually means some sort of musical episode. Sure, Glee was all about an a cappella group, but American Horror Story had nothing to do with music, and yet the second season had a whole number within an episode. It’s surprising that the 9-1-1 franchise hasn’t done something like that yet.

After eight seasons, the 118 has managed to avoid being caught in some sort of emergency that has them singing, and that’s surprising considering it’s set in Los Angeles and the home of movies and TV. 9-1-1: Lone Star also failed to bring a musical number or episode, despite Owen and TK coming from New York, the home of Broadway. With a new 9-1-1 spinoff on its way, it’s time for the franchise to correct this wrong and bring in Murphy’s signature move for TV.

Why 9-1-1: Nashville Is Best Poised To Do A Musical Episode

Nashville Is The Home Of Country Music

While Los Angeles is the home of movies and New York and Texas both have their musical elements, there is one place in the whole of the United States that people will immediately think of as the home of music. Nashville is the home of country music, and that makes 9-1-1: Nashville the best series to bring the musical episode to Murphy's network TV franchise.

It’s not even just about the location, either, as there are country music stars, such as LeAnne Rimes, who are geared to star in the series. On top of that, TVLine shared that Hailey Kilgore will play both a firefighter and a singer, making use of her talents as a Tony and Grammy Award nominee. With this in mind, there are sure to be many more who can sing, as we know Grey's Anatomy's Jessica Capshaw was involved in that show's musical episode, so she would likely be in for some fun again.

Nashville Can Do The Musical Episode First, But 9-1-1 Still Has To Do It Moving Forward

This Doesn’t Stop The 118 From Getting Involved

While 9-1-1: Nashville can certainly be the first in the franchise to do the musical episode, we still need to see the flagship series take part. The 118, Maddie, and Athena cannot escape whatever takes over to lead to everyone singing, and it could lead to an amusing crossover event between the two shows. We already know that 9-1-1 crossover events are possible thanks to the timeslots the two shows will have, and it's not like there aren't singers in the cast, such as Jennifer Love Hewitt.