When news that a fresh, highly-anticipated 9-1-1 spinoff received a straight-to-series order from ABC and finally nailed down a location, I’ll admit, I had one thought: Connie Britton.
Hardcore Britton fans like myself (Friday Night Lights forever!) know that in addition to playing dispatcher Abigail Clark on the first season of 9-1-1, Britton also played “Queen of Country Music” Rayna Jaymes on ABC’s Nashville from 2012 to 2018. So who’s more qualified to star in Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear, and Rashad Raisani’s upcoming 9-1-1: Nashville spinoff than Britton?!
When Decider chatted with 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear about the OG show’s triumphant return last week, we made sure to ask if Britton’s name came up in any 9-1-1: Nashville casting conversations. The answer? Of course it did!
“Yeah, actually!” Minear confirmed with a chuckle. “Her name came up yesterday, and I’m like, ‘Maybe we just bring that character back to life? We just say Abby has a twin sister, and we thought she was dead, but she’s really not!’”
During a recent press tour for their Netflix series Zero Day, 9-1-1 star and 9-1-1: Nashville EP Angela Bassett also said that Britton is welcome to return to the hit first responder procedural whenever she wants, telling People, “It’s always like, Connie, open door, whenever you want to come back.”
Though Britton hasn’t physically returned to 9-1-1 since Abigail Clark’s two-episode arc in Season 3, her character — who dated, and ultimately abandoned, Buck (Oliver Stark) in Season 1 — has come up in conversation several times since, including the jaw-dropping Season 8 reveal that Buck’s ex-boyfriend Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) was once engaged to Abby. *Gasp!*
Per Minear, Britton’s character was almost mentioned in Season 8, Episode 9’s script as well. Why? Well, when Buck decides to live in Eddie’s house ahead of Eddie’s big Texas move, it’s seriously reminiscent of when Buck stayed in Abby’s apartment during her Season 1 travels.
“[The parallels] did [cross my mind], and I had even made reference to it later, but that ended up falling out,” Minear told Decider about his 809 callback. “I think it just got a little confusing for the network. But there was a reference to that fact. For Buck, it’s different, because he’s not Eddie’s lover, for one thing. He was pining for Abby when she left. But he didn’t think he was living in her place. He thought he was waiting for her to come back.”
“I’m glad you noticed it, because I did, too,” Minear continued. “What’s different here is Buck staying in Abby’s place meant he was expecting Abby to come back. Him thinking of taking over Eddie’s lease means that he’s resigned himself to the fact that Eddie is not coming back.”
Though it doesn’t sound like Britton will be returning to a dispatch center any soon, with roles in American Horror Story and American Crime Story, here’s hoping we haven’t seen the last of her in the Murphy-verse.
As for 9-1-1: Nashville, the hunt for a cast continues with the series expected to premiere sometime during ABC’s 2025-26 season. Per TVLine, music will “absolutely” factor in the spin-off series, so it sounds like Nashville fans could be headed back to The Bluebird Cafe even without Britton.
When the new spinoff is up and running, perhaps we’ll also see some sort of 9-1-1 crossover event like we did with the recently canceled 9-1-1: Lone Star. If Athena Grant can find herself on Doctor Odyssey, surely there’s a way for 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Nashville to come together, right?!
While we await more details on 9-1-1: Lone Star, be sure to read Decider’s full interview with 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear for more Season 8 insights.
New episodes of 9-1-1 Season 8 premiere Thursdays on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
The post ‘9-1-1’ Boss Tim Minear Confirms Connie Britton’s “Name Came Up” In ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Casting Convo: “Maybe We Just Bring That Character Back To Life” appeared first on Decider.
