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As the last 9-1-1 show standing on Fox, it’s understandable why fans want to know when 9-1-1: Lone Star will return for Season 5 and when the series is expected to come back to TV. (Spoiler alert: Don’t hold your breath for a speedy return.)

9-1-1: Lone Star is Fox’s procedural drama series following the personal and professional lives of fire, police and ambulance departments of the fictional first responder company, 126, in Austin, Texas. The series — which premiered in 2020 — is a spin-off of 9-1-1, which follows a similar premise but instead is set in Los Angeles, California.

In May 2023, news broke that 9-1-1 would be moving to ABC for its seventh season after it was canceled by Fox. “It has been an honor to be the founding network of 9-1-1 and we are grateful to Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, together with Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman and the rest of the cast and crew, and 20th Television for delivering such an impactful series to Fox,” Fox said in a statement at the time. “We wish them well after 9-1-1’s final Fox season concludes.”

In ABC’s own statement, Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group, explained why the network renewed 9-1-1 after it was canceled by Fox.  “Thanks to the creative drive of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear, as well as the talented cast, 9-1-1 has been one of the most defining and original dramas on network television over the last six seasons and we are honored to bring it to the esteemed group of series on ABC,” he said. “It’s a privilege to keep 9-1-1 in the family with 20th Television producing, and we look forward to telling more heart-racing and uplifting stories about these beloved characters on our air.”

While 9-1-1 is no longer at Fox, its spin-off, 9-1-1: Lone Star, still remains on the network. The series aired its Season 4 finale in May 2023 and was expected to return in the fall of the same year. However, due to the recent SAG-AFTRA and Writer’s Guild of America strikes, that premiere date was delayed. Now, it’s been delayed even more for another reason. So when does 9-1-1: Lone Star return for Season 5? Read on for what we know about when 9-1-1: Lone Star comes back to TV.

When does 9-1-1: Lone Star return for Season 5?

When does 9-1-1: Lone Star return for Season 5? It won’t be for a while. Variety confirmed in November 2023 that 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 won’t return to Fox until fall 2024, which is more than a year after the series aired its Season 4 finale in May 2023.

A source told Variety at the time that 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 will consist of 12 episodes, which is six episodes less than Seasons 3 and 4 — both of which had 18 episodes. The episode count is also less than 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 2, which had 14 episodes. 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 1 had 10 episodes. As for why 9-1-1: Lone Star won’t return until fall 2023, the source told Variety that Fox plans to use the series — which is its highest-rated drama now that the original 9-1-1 has moved to ABC — to launch two new primetime shows: Doc and Rescue: Hi-Surf.

Both Doc and Rescue: Hi-Surf were ordered by Fox earlier in 2023, however, they hadn’t started production yet due to the the recent Writer’s Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Doc is a medical drama series based on the Italian series Doc — Nelle tue mani. The original series centered around a male doctor with amnesia. Fox’s version of Doc will gender-swap the lead and center around Doctor Amy Elias, Chief of Internal and Family Medicine at Westside Hospital in Minneapolis. Afte a brain injury erases the last eight years of her life, Amy must navigate an unfamiliar world where she has no recollection of the patients she’s treated, the colleagues she’s worked with, the husband she divorced, the man she loves now, and the tragedy that caused her brain injury.

“This moving and heroic medical drama is the very definition of storytelling excellence and what audiences have come to expect from Fox,” said Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming at Fox Entertainment, told Deadline in a statement in April 2023. “Doc explores the raw emotion, redemption and resilience of the human spirit in ways we rarely see, and for that we credit the creative leadership of Barbie, Hank and Erwin, who we know will bring this story to spectacular life, this extraordinary source material and our deeply valued partners at Sony.”

Rescue: Hi-Surf is a lifeguard dram series that follows the personal and professional lives of heavy-water lifeguards who patrol and protect the North Shore of O’ahu, the most famous and dangerous coastline in the world. “Rescue: HI-Surf brings an edge-of-your-seat style to the North Shore of Hawaii, where lifeguards and surfers collide with visceral rescues, great character drama and all-around fun,” said Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming, Fox Entertainment, told Deadline in a statement in April 2023. “This new franchise is pure beachfront property for Fox, especially with the powerful auspices of John, Matt and our incredible partners at Warner Bros.”

According to Variety, Fox is expected to use the Season 5 premiere of 9-1-1: Lone Star as a lead-in for Doc and Rescue: Hi-Surf, given the series’ high ratings. While an exact premiere date for 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 hasn’t been confirmed, the series is expected to come back in late September 2024 based on the premiere dates for 9-1-1.

9-1-1: Lone Star is available to stream on Hulu.

For more on 9-1-1, check out cast’s salaries per episode — including which star makes the most —  in the gallery below. 

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