A new 9-1-1 spinoff is coming to ABC, and showrunner Tim Minear weighed in on the latest casting.
It was recently announced that NCIS: Los Angeles star Chris O’Donnell would be leading 9-1-1: Nashville as Captain Don Sharpe, a rugged fire captain and rodeo rider who runs the busiest firehouse in Nashville with his son.
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Minear, who currently serves as showrunner on 9-1-1 and has been working on the new spinoff with Ryan Murphy and Rashad Raisani, told TV Insider he thinks O’Donnell “actually fits into this franchise in an interesting way, and I think it’ll be fun for him, too, because he was so great on NCIS: LA.”
“But I think he’ll be able to do different things on Nashville because we all know Chris O’Donnell is also very funny,” he continued. “I’ve been following him since he was a really young guy. One of my favorite movies is with him and Jessica Lange. It is called Men Don’t Leave. If you’ve never seen this movie, he plays her son and it is the follow-up from the director who made Risky Business, [Paul Brickman]. I think it’s the only other movie that director directed, and Chris O’Donnell is so good in this movie and Jessica Lange is just lights out great. And it’s just a great movie, and I think you should check it.”
O’Donnell is no stranger to procedurals. The actor previously starred as Special Agent Grisha “G.” Callen on CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles. The series ran for 14 seasons, wrapping up in 2023. There was initially some hope that he could still appear in the franchise like fellow co-stars LL Cool J and Daniela Ruah, but now that he’s landed 9-1-1: Nashville, that might be a bit hard. At the very least, it will be exciting to see him in this new show.
After Murphy revealed in October that there was a new 9-1-1 spinoff in the works, ABC officially ordered it to series in February to premiere sometime during the 2025-26 season. News of the spinoff came just over a week after 9-1-1: Lone Star ended on Fox after five seasons. As of now, O’Donnell is the only one cast in 9-1-1: Nashville, but it shouldn’t be too long until his on-screen kid and fellow firefighters join. The wait will be worth it.