Connie Britton's calm and collected voice is exactly what we'd all want to hear on the other end of the line after calling 9-1-1, so viewers were immediately drawn in and curious if Fox's 9-1-1 would return for Season 2. And, they're in luck.
UPDATE: Per a Fox press release, 9-1-1 Season 2 will premiere on Sept. 23.
EARLIER: 9-1-1 was renewed in January for a second season, according to Variety, and given the show's powerhouse ratings, that's no surprise. According to Deadline, 9-1-1 is Fox's highest rated new show since Empire debuted, and wraps up Season 1 as the overall top show among adults 18-49 on Wednesday nights, matching Empire and Modern Family's viewership. The renewal also came with a ringing endorsement from Gary Newman and Dana Walden, chairmen and CEOs of Fox Television Group. "This is storytelling at its best and we’re so pleased that it’s resonated with our audience," the two said in a joint statement, according to the same Variety piece. "We’d like to thank everyone involved with this production for their stellar work, and we look forward to another thrilling season of 9-1-1."
Showrunner Ryan Murphy is no stranger to success, but he does seem taken aback by the awesome reception to his newest endeavor. "I was surprised at how it premiered strong and really hung in there. The consistency of the ratings, that’s what I love because I feel like that is key to an even more successful Season 2," he said in the same Deadline article. "I think people have fallen in love with the characters, and I’m grateful for it. I’m grateful that Dana pushed us to get it on the air in January, which I think was a really smart counter programming move, and it’s unexpected because I hadn’t done a procedural for so long."
Murphy has previously done a cut-and-dry procedural series with Nip/Tuck, but that wrapped in 2010. Since then he's largely been known for his anthologies, like American Crime Story and American Horror Story. It's safe to say that his return to this format has been successful, and Murphy is already gearing up for Season 2, though he's not completely sure what that will look like just yet. He told IndieWire that he's contemplating adding even more characters to the mix, outside the initial protagonists of Britton, Peter Kraus and Angela Bassett.
Murphy said Britton wasn't eager to jump into a multi-season deal after recently coming off Nashville, but he's working with her to bring her back. "The show has become such a success, successes are good, and Connie and I both realize that, so we’re talking about her coming back in some capacity to season two if we can make her deal work," he told Deadline in the same piece.
He also told IndieWire that the nature of the show lends itself to additional seasons — there are new 9-1-1 calls every episode that people can keep up with, even if they haven't religiously followed every single episode of the season. "It’s a show that has a serialized element to a certain degree but you can jump in every week and catch up," he said. And, if even another season of 9-1-1 wont satiate the most ravenous fans, there's something else that's been discussed behind the scenes — a spinoff of the show. "We’ve been talking about it but we haven’t figured that out," Murphy told Deadline of the possibility. "It’s something that we probably wouldn’t do for another year, but there’s been mention of it."
9-1-1 has obviously made a splash among viewers — the ratings are solid proof of that. But aside from the numbers, the show has boasted solid plotlines and complex, nuanced views of the lives of first responders and the people with which their lives intertwine. There's an endless wealth of stories that can come from this premise, and Murphy's team seems to be far from stopping.
