Madison Meeks – Opinion Editor 

mvm7037@psu.edu

Photo Credit: FOX

In 2023, there are a lot of incredible television shows. Which makes me think that  out of all the shows that I have seen, which one is my favorite? 

There is one show that I have deemed my favorite. “9-1-1: Lone Star” is the one show that I always go back to when thinking about what my favorite show could be.“9-1-1: Lone Star” is the spinoff series of the procedural drama “9-1-1”

“9-1-1: Lone Star” follows the lives of first responders just like its predecessor. The show’s first season was released in January 2020 and is now starting its fourth season.  “9-1-1: Lone Star” takes place in Austin, Texas following a group of first responders as they balance their work and the chaos that life throws at them. 

The series starts as a New York fire captain named Owen, played by Rob Lowe, is offered a job to rebuild the 126 firehouse after a tragic accident. Owen decides to take the job after his son T.K., played by Ronen Rubinstein, relapses and accidentally overdoses but survives after finding out that the man he wanted to marry cheated on him. Due to this, Owen and T.K. go to Austin to rebuild the 126 firehouse. 

Along the way, the two meet some incredible people. Paul, played by Brian Michael Smith, is a trans firefighter from Chicago who has an eye for detail and finds out that he has a heart issue later in the series. Marjan, played by Natasha Karam, is a firefighter from Miami who is a daredevil and a devoted Muslim. Mateo, played by Julian Works, is a firefighter who is a dreamer and finds out that he has severe dyslexia during the series’ first season. Judd, played by Jim Patrick, a firefighter and the only survivor of the 126 tragedy, Grace, played by Sierra McClain, a 9-1-1 operator and Judd’s wife, Michelle, played by Liv Tyler, a paramedic who is only in the first season, Tommy, played by Gina Torres, the paramedic Captain that comes in season 2 and ends up losing her husband, Nancy, played by Brianna Baker, a paramedic who is a member of the 126 paramedic team, and Carlos, played by Rafael Silvia, a kind police officer who ends up in a relationship with T.K. and ends up solving detective cases.

This show has an incredible and diverse cast which I have not seen in a lot of shows before. I love that each character has a storyline and that no character is pushed off to the side where they never have a story. 

One of the aspects that I love about this show is the storylines that show the chaos that is life, specifically in season 3 in the episode called “In The Unlikely Event of an Emergency.” This storyline takes place in the current time and includes flashbacks. 

T.K loses his mother in an accident and the episode flashes back to when his mother Gwen helped him get into rehab and supported him throughout his recovery and tells a story in the present where Owen, T.K., and Carlos have to make it to Gwen’s funeral but are hit with the chaos of an almost plane crash. The aftermath of Gwen’s death shows that the characters are there for each other in times of need unlike in other shows that I have seen. 

Another aspect that I love about “9-1-1: Lone Star” is the relationships between the characters, romantic and platonic. Each character has a special relationship with the others. For example, T.K. has a romantic relationship with APD cop Carlos, played by Rafael Silva, while his relationship with his teammates is a family relationship where they along with Carlos have supported him like family. 

“9-1-1: Lone Star” is my favorite show because there are so many aspects that I haven’t seen in other shows before. The characters in the show have incredible storylines, are cast perfectly, and there is such a diverse cast and characters. I also love the relationships between each of the characters. 

I would recommend ”9-1-1: Lone Star to anyone even if they are not a fan of procedural dramas because there is so much to love about the show.