Can a 9-1-1 Crossover Finally Make 9-1-1: Nashville Feel Like Part of a Franchise?

Everything is bigger in the 9-1-1 universe.

Crossovers are like a rite of passage for any franchise. And 9-1-1 was no stranger to this when it joined forces for an epic 9-1-1 Lone Star Crossover when the spinoff was airing.

Sometime in 2026 we can expect the same as some of our favorite faces from the OG series will spend some time with our 9-1-1: Nashville crew.

But can a crossover be what gives Nashville the oomph that it needs?

We’ve talked at length about how 9-1-1: Nashville lacks the found family vibes of the other two series.

Despite feeling like it pulls from 9-1-1: Lone Star with some of its bad habits, the series somehow stumbles even more when it comes to showcasing any of the other characters outside pf the Hart family.

Nearly halfway into the first season, that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.

Even the calls on Nashville feel more like suggestions than integral parts of the series that stand out for the show or even keep people tuning into things.

However, the finale did introduce something massive with a hack that affected all of Nashville and had dispatch crashing and offline.

Something of that caliber would likely lead to the FBI getting involved, and we aren’t sure to what degree this may expand to other places.

It’s possible that they could use this event to connect to the OG series in some way, but I don’t see how.

Nevertheless, what this could lead to is some of the 118 coming to Nashville to assist during a crisis. From the looks of things, it’ll be Buck and Eddie.

They’re the most fun duo to make a pit stop in Nashville.

It’ll be a nice little treat to have the original series’ most dynamic duo coming face to face with the Hart brothers, Nashville’s most dynamic duo by default because goodness knows none of the others get screentime.

Bringing in characters like Buck and Eddie may finally give Nashville the opportunity it desperately needs to actually focus on the full house, the station dynamic, and how these firefighters come together and work as a unit and family.

The 118 are everything to each other. They’ve been through hell and back with one another, and there are so many fascinating dynamics among the crew that it’s difficult to choose a favorite.

When they’re on calls together, the stakes are high because we actually know and care about these characters, they care about each other, and we don’t want to see anything happen to them.

Whether the calls are harrowing or hilarious, what sells them most is our investment in the team as they work together.

Nashville hasn’t produced or executed that well yet. It’s been too busy making one of the Hart men the hero of every call rather than truly leaning into whatever chemistry the squad may or may not have together.

But maybe with Buck and Eddie there, the essence that makes the 118 so geeat can rub off on this crew.

Or maybe with newcomers in the mix, we’ll get to see how they function through the eyes or characters we know, love, and trust.

Because the 113 hasn’t exactly put on a show for us or allowed viewers to fully get to know them as a firehouse and fire family, but maybe in the face of peers from elsewhere, we’ll get to see that in action more.

It feels like this crossover will be an attempt to lure viewers of 9-1-1 to Nashville, assuming some or even many haven’t tuned in or aren’t watching the series already.

It’s not uncommon to use crossovers to boost the smaller show.

But it also feels like the first real move to connect 9-1-1: Nashville to the franchise. Because thus far, it feels like a franchise extension in name only.

It doesn’t have the key components that people love most about the original and Lone Star.

As a result, it doesn’t really matter how many kooky calls it may pull out, the show will always feel “off” compared to its predecessors.

Thus far, the extra soapiness of the series combined with the family focus that comes at the expense of the firehouse family and team dynamics has been what’s keeping the general audience from connecting to this newest spinoff compared to the other shows.

If this is the first big move to appeal to that audience, it may be exactly what 9-1-1: Nashville needs.

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9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville return on January 8 on ABC.