9-1-1 Canceled at FOX, Moving to ABC
FOX’s scripted drama slate just got smaller. The network is canceling long-running police procedural 9-1-1. The show will move to a new home on ABC next fall.
This cancellation leaves FOX with only five scripted dramas, all recent premieres, and three comedies. The network also has five animated programs—including The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers—and 15 unscripted programs. This change will impact the network’s ratings as 9-1-1 was FOX’s top-rated scripted show for adults.
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Viewers of Fox’s top-rated and most-viewed show will now be going to rival ABC for their procedural fix. The show joins ten dramas on the network, including Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, The Good Doctor, and The Rookie.
9-1-1: Lone Star will remain on the FOX network, and both shows will continue to stream on Hulu the next day.
Licensing fee prompts move
When FOX started airing 9-1-1 in 2018, the TV world was different. At that time, the Disney-Fox merger had been announced but still needed to be completed. In 2018, 9-1-1 was made entirely in-house, using the network’s production company, 20th Century Fox Television, to produce the show alongside executive producers Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Falchuk.
But a year into airing the show, the Disney-Fox merger closed, and the production companies—including Searchlight Pictures and 20th Century Fox Television—went to Disney while the network stayed with the Fox Corporation. What that means is Disney, through the renamed 20th Television, is selling 9-1-1 to FOX for a licensing fee. Before the merger, FOX was only playing a small in-house fee.
The show continued to be a hit for FOX, but sources told Deadline the fee was too expensive, around $9-10 million per episode. The change in fee model, with FOX buying the show from an outside company without ownership, made it an expensive financial proposition.
Disney moved the show from FOX to ABC because the conglomerate owns the network and the production company producing 9-1-1. “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,” said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, in a statement.
Where to watch 9-1-1
Until the May finale, you can still watch 9-1-1 on your local FOX channel. Reruns of the show air on Hulu the next day. However, starting next fall, things get a bit more complicated.
If you want to stick with 9-1-1, the flagship series, you’ll want to be looking for your local ABC channel. But don’t worry; the show will remain on Hulu for streaming as Disney has a majority stake in the service.
For 9-1-1: Lone Star, you’ll return to your local FOX station for new episodes. The show will stream on Hulu, as it does now so that you can catch 9-1-1 and its Lone Star spinoff streaming whenever you’re ready.
Alex began writing for student newspapers and has managed to turn that into a career. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he wrote about small businesses for Biz2Credit and Business.org. Before that, he spent time in communications for higher education institutions, created marketing materials for nonprofits, and worked for entertainment companies in Los Angeles. Today, he reports on emerging consumer trends and his work can be seen on The Penny Hoarder, Business.org, Reviews.org, Move.org, WhistleOut.com, SafeWise.com, HighSpeedInternet.com, and SatelliteInternet.com. When he's not writing, Alex watches too much TV, plays guitar, reads and writes fiction, and goes on nature walks.
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