Following in the footsteps of the recently concluded 9-1-1 spin-off, 9-1-1: Lone Star, the franchise's next offshoot, 9-1-1: Nashville, will be a family affair. The show will center on the busiest fire station in Nashville, run by Captain Don Sharpe (Chris O'Donnell) — a rugged fire captain and rodeo rider. Don runs the station alongside his beloved son, Ryan, and away from work, the show will also explore his life as a family man, married to Blythe. While the role of Ryan has yet to be cast, it's been announced that Grey's Anatomy alum Jessica Capshaw will play Don's wife, Blythe. Capshaw has now shared some insights about her character in a recent interview with TVLine.
Capshaw, alongside O'Donnell, recently attended Disney’s Upfront presentation, where they both took turns speaking to TV Line's Matt Webb Mitovich. Interestingly, both actors revealed they’ve never been to Nashville. However, Capshaw expressed excitement about visiting the country's music capital for the first time. "9-1-1 Nashville, obviously coming in hot," the actress said. "With being part of a franchise that people hopefully know and love, and set in Nashville, which everyone is surprised to know I've never been to." She also offered generous details about her character, revealing that she's in the horse racing business:
"I play Blythe which I love that name. It was just the name. Not many people have the name Blythe. And uhmm married to Chris O'Donnell, and in the horse racing business. What I love about her, she's everything that you want to be, and you want to talk to your daughters about being. And she's like this equal mix of strong and smart and strategic and ambitious at the same time, as she's incredibly warm and sort of holding everybody together, making sure everyone's feeling good and sort of like an empath and a conductor at the same time. So it's um, I think it's going to be very very fun to see how that plays out."
Jessica Capshaw Is Open To Anything Her Role Would Require
While she may not have any experience living in Nashville, Capshaw could easily pass for a true Nashvillian, thanks to her deep love for horses, a trait that ties in perfectly with her character. When asked whether Blythe would be seen riding horses on the show, Capshaw shared: "Well, it's funny. I grew up riding, and my daughters ride, and so I'm around horses all the time. So I was talking to Rashad [Raisani] (Nashville showrunner). I'm like, actually I'm around horses all the time, and he's like, well, if you're comfortable doing it, then all of a sudden I flashed for me, like being on a horse that takes off (laughs)."
When the topic turned to music, Capshaw was enthusiastic about the possibility of singing on the show. “I would looove to,” she said with a big smile. “Nothing would make me happier. I’m game for anything. Like I said, I think the best thing we could do is bring a little space,” highlighting the need to keep the possibility open for some musical moments in the series. The show has already teased the musical aspects with the announcement of iconic country musician LeAnn Rimes as part of the cast.
O'Donnell has revealed that filming for 9-1-1: Nashville will begin in June. ABC has scheduled the show to premiere as part of the next TV season in the fall and will air Thursdays, with the premiere to launch with a big event, as is customary for the mothership series.
Stay tuned for future updates on the next chapter in the 9-1-1 universe.
