Rob Lowe Breaks His Silence on '9-1-1: Nashville' and Reveals If He'd Reprise His 'Lone Star' Character

After five seasons, 9-1-1: Lone Star aired its final episode earlier this year, bidding farewell to Rob Lowe's Captain Owen Strand for what appeared to be the final time. Now, ABC is turning to a new spin-off to fill the void in 9-1-1: Nashville, complete with a new team all under the control of the canceled series's old showrunner, Rashad Raisani. Strand's story may not be over just yet, however. In a recent conversation with Decider about his Atkins partnership, Lowe was asked about the possibility of popping in for the Tennessee-based show when it premieres this fall, and not only did he express an openness to the idea, but he cited a more personal connection to the show he could hit up about making that a reality — his brother, Chad Lowe.

"Well, I’ll have to ask Chad Lowe, my brother," the star responded. "See, all my family are gatekeepers to my own future business now.” The younger Lowe is no stranger to working with his Brat Pack brother or the 9-1-1 universe. He's previously directed episodes of both the flagship series and Lone Star, where he also appeared on-screen as Strand's brother, Robert. According to Lowe, "Chad Lowe is the executive producer, director of 9-1-1: Nashville. And so I’m just waiting for my phone to ring." He also joked that bringing back Captain Owen would only be fair now that the shoe is on the other foot and Chad's the one with the power to decide instead of him. "I mean, you know, I hired him on Lone Star. I think turnabout is fair play."

Lowe has always kept the door open for future overtures from 9-1-1. Like fans, he was relieved the series finale didn't kill off the captain of the 126 in Austin after 72 episodes of service and even expressed interest in coming back for a spin-off when there were still talks of sending the franchise to Hawaii. However, his key stipulation was that he wanted whatever came next to honor the history of Lone Star if Strand made his return, saying "I think we leave a legacy, not to put too fine a point on it, on storytelling, big spectacle, big cast, great actors, stars, and if there’s an appetite for that that still exists, I’m down." 9-1-1 co-creator Tim Minear, for his part, previously said there weren't plans for the Lone Star characters to cross over into other shows, but similarly said, "it's not impossible.' Nashville might be the perfect fit to turn possibility into reality, between the familial connection and letting Lowe reunite with his former showrunner.

Who Is Part of '9-1-1: Nashville's New Team?

If Captain Owen does indeed get the call to respond in Nashville, he'll be surrounded by a new team this fall filled with some big names of their own. NCIS: Los Angeles veteran Chris O'Donnell will play the franchise's newest captain, Don Sharpe, with Grey's Anatomy's Jessica Capshaw accompanying him as Blythe Ward. There will be another father-son dynamic at play on the team involving Sharpe and his kid, as the rugged captain takes on emergencies from the country music capital of the world. Another new name who might be familiar with Nashville is country music icon LeAnn Rimes, who fills out the rest of the crew with Kimberley Williams-Paisley, Hailey Kilgore, Michael Provost, Juani Feliz, and Hunter McVey. Plot details are being kept under wraps at this time, but a promo featured at CMA Fest hinted at a heavy focus on music and Nashville culture, including two firefighters who are aspiring musicians themselves.

How or if Owen can jump into this setting remains to be seen, but he's not the only one curious about a crossover. 9-1-1's Angela Bassett and Oliver Stark have already addressed the possibility of linking up with the new team. Exactly what's in store for 9-1-1: Nashville will have to wait until this fall when the series premieres on ABC. Stay tuned here at Collider until then for more on the spin-off.