Spoilers ahead for the fall finale of 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5, called "Fall from Grace."
9-1-1: Lone Star wrapped its run in the fall 2024 TV schedule with an episode that I fully expected to be mostly about how Judd is really doing without his wife, just based on the title. Instead, Carlos proved who really killed his dad – and it wasn't Campbell – and got the closure he needed to be ready for fatherhood with T.K.. For his, Owen was given the opportunity of a lifetime: return to New York to become Chief of the whole NYFD. He ultimately decided to stay in Texas to help Judd, which is very sweet... but possibly regrettable, considering the coming "end of days vibes" in the 2025 TV schedule.
If there was any question of if Lone Star would go big for the end of its final season, I think the promo for the episodes that will begin airing in January is proof that the Fox show will go out with a bang rather than a whimper! Take a look:
It's almost hard to believe that 9-1-1: Lone Star went for an asteroid plot to end Season 5 when the show hadn't even been cancelled until production wrapped, according to executive producer Rashad Raisani. An asteroid that could become a "statewide extinction event" certainly feels like a crisis that would be saved for a series finale, although I got a laugh out of imagining asteroid destruction being limited to the state borders of Texas. That would be good for Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and all the other place bordering the Lone Star State!
In all seriousness, I'm wondering if the asteroid will be a crisis that spans every episode that's left of the series. Season 5 only has three installments left before the final credits roll after the fall finale; given that the fifth season opened with a trainwreck three-parter, I could certainly see an asteroid warranting three episodes and ending the series epically. (You can find that opening three-parter streaming with a Hulu subscription now.)
Dedicating the last three episodes to an asteroid emergency could also explain why 9-1-1: Lone Star tied off some of its loose ends in "Fall from Grace," particularly when it comes to Carlos. It seems that the storyline of his father's murder has ended, and he even made up his mind about adopting T.K.'s brother with him as their own. I also thought that the show might drag out Owen's decision about whether or not to go to the NYFD, or even have him decide to go but just not leave before the end of the last three episodes.
Instead, Owen's just not going as of the end of this episode, and he's even helping Judd to deal with his issues with Grace still gone. While the lieutenant-turned-probie emphatically told Owen that he's proud of his wife, the many empty liquor bottles back at his house proved that he's been hiding just how badly he's been doing without Grace. Based on the promo, it looks like there will be time for a bit more of Judd's story between the asteroid-related twists.
All of this said, Owen wouldn't necessarily be in imminent danger if he'd just taken the NYFD job and left Texas, so I'm curious to see if anybody will comment on it. Judd was the only person Owen told. We'll have to wait and see if this asteroid problem will lead to a three-parter. 9-1-1: Lone Star will return for the first of its final three episodes on Monday, January 20 at 8 p.m. ET ahead of the winter premiere of Rescue: HI-Surf following its dangerous fall finale back in November.
