Why ABC Saved '9-1-1' After Fox Canceled It
9-1-1 is ending its run on FOX despite being one of the most-watched series on the whole network. The first responder procedural will move networks after Season 6, which will be its final season on FOX. However, ABC has taken up the show for Season 7.
Although some people may have found it surprising, FOX’s decision to cancel 9-1-1 was motivated by money. The expense of 9-1-1 became unaffordable given that Disney now owns 20th Century Studios, the network’s internal studio, and is no longer.
Shortly after the cancellation announcement, it was rumored that the cost of 9-1-1 for each episode was too much for FOX. That’s exactly what happened, it turns out. The decision to terminate 9-1-1 was discussed in detail by CEO Rob Wade during a conference call before FOX’s upfront presentation.
According to Wade (per The Wrap), “We felt moving forward into what is really a new era of television, the economics weren’t going to work out for this show for us.” He continued by claiming that the production from 20th Century Television’s “business model wasn’t right for us,” which helps to explain why ABC decided to pick it up.
Despite FOX’s decision to not renew 9-1-1, the network will continue to air the show’s well-liked spinoff series. 9-1-1: FOX has renewed Lone Star for a second season. That might prevent any crossovers between the two series in the future.
The cast’s contracts still had at least one more year left on them, which made it easier for ABC to pick up the series because they didn’t have to deal with contract renegotiations. Not to mention the fact that Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, The Rookie, The Good Doctor, and other procedurals on the Disney-owned network are in very good company with 9-1-1.
It also helps that both Fox and ABC have identical agreements with the streaming service, as the show will continue to release fresh episodes the day after they air there.
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