Why Liv Tyler's Michelle Blake Left 9-1-1: Lone Star

Fox found itself something of a gold mine with "9-1-1." Created by Ryan Murphy, the mega producer behind "American Horror Story" and a host of other successful shows, the series is heading into its ninth season and has aired well over 100 episodes. More importantly, it's given birth to a whole universe of shows, including its first spin-off, "9-1-1: Lone Star," which ended its five-season run earlier this year.

The series follows Owen Strand (Rob Lowe), a New York firefighter who re-locates to Austin, Texas, to focus on saving those who are at their most vulnerable, all the while struggling to solve the problems in his own life. Liv Tyler also starred in the first season as, essentially, the show's co-lead Michelle Blake, a paramedic captain trying to locate her sister (who has been missing for several years).

Tyler is perhaps best known as Arwen in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, as well as movies like the 1998 smash hit "Armageddon" and the home invasion horror classic "The Strangers." However, her time on "Lone Star" was short-lived, as she left the series after just a single season. But why? Tyler had a multi-season contract, so she would have been welcome back.

It all came down to circumstances beyond either Tyler or anyone else's control. In 2020, Hollywood was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down just about every movie or TV production out there for months on end. Then, when things resumed, there were new risks with the continued spread of the virus. This is what ultimately led to Tyler's departure from the hit show.

"What a thrill it was having a movie star of Liv Tyler's stature to help us launch the first season of '9-1-1: Lone Star,'" as series co-creator Tim Minear told Deadline in 2020 when it was revealed that Tyler wouldn't be returning for season 2. "We loved working with Liv and will be forever indebted to her for her haunting, powerful portrayal of Michelle Blake. While we were able to tell a complete chapter in Michelle's story, as with Connie Britton on our mothership, we also feel like there are more stories to be told. The door here will always be open for a return."

Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1907741/why-liv-tyler-michelle-blake-left-911-lone-star/