REVIEW: ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Season 1 Episode 1 — “Pilot”

It’s strange to see another spin-off show with the 9-1-1 structure and title sequence. But while I still mourn 9-1-1: Lone Star‘s cancellation, 9-1-1 Nashville eventually pulled me into its clutches with its trailers set to Fleetwood Mac and the promise of intense family drama. 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 1 throws us into the well-established dynamics of Firehouse 113 right before major family drama shifts the balance. Not to mention a tornado dead set on leveling the city of Nashville, or at least, Kane Brown’s concert.

Captain Don Hart (Chris O’Donnell) is not just a fire captain. He’s a bull rider, too, mostly to really let us know we’re in Nashville, I think. And his son, Ryan Hart (Michael Provost) seems to dabble as well. The point is, these firefighters got side gigs.

Firefighter Taylor Thompson (Hailey Kilgore) sings and writes songs, with the help of 9-1-1 dispatcher Cammie Raleigh (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), and Blue (Hunter McVey) is a stripper turned fire cadet. Seems to be a pretty well-rounded group, though this pilot is mostly focused on the family dynamics of Don, Ryan, Don’s wife Blythe (Jessica Capshaw), and Blue. And so far, that family drama is a big selling point.

Family Drama is 9-1-1 Nashville’s biggest selling point.

There’s not a whole lot to glean from Don and Ryan’s father-son dynamic, except that they have the same hobbies and work at the same firehouse. It would have been nice to get to know them a little better before another son was introduced into the mix.

Previous qualifications as a lifeguard set Blue up to assist in a bachelor party mishap involving a paddle bar crash. His current occupation as a stripper makes him appear well-suited for the role of a firefighter, ready to save the day. He seems to know what he’s doing, but when the 113 shows up, Blue’s presence at the scene wasn’t just kismet for the young bride. It’s also the scene his dad and brother were called to. And thus the family drama begins.

Who doesn’t love a good surprise son and brother plot twist? Ryan sure doesn’t! He feels betrayed by his father and takes his concerns to his mother, who already knew about Don having another kid. This revelation leaves Ryan to deal with the surprise on his own. And then his father offers Blue a job at the firehouse as some sort of sign from God or destiny or something.

Family plot twists are one of network television’s best tropes, and it’s alive in 9-1-1 Nashville.

Really, it’s a pretty contrived way to get Don, Ryan, and Blue working under the same roof, but we got it. Again, it would have been nice to understand Don and Ryan’s relationship better before Blue appeared. It’s a reveal that feels better suited for mid-way through a season, but it also sets up some intriguing dynamics.

Namely, partnering Blue with Ryan during his cadet training. I didn’t want to throw around the word nepotism that much because I know how nepo babies get when they hear that word, and really, we just met Ryan and Blue. But two sons working for you at the same firehouse? And one of them just strolled into the firehouse with no training, said he wanted to be a firefighter because of destiny or whatever, and you say okay? Just like that? Fire cadet, on the scene, I guess.

Watching Blue in the middle of that tornado was a lesson in suspending disbelief because how in the world is someone with no training just on the job now?

Regardless, the seemingly one-sided beef between Ryan and Blue should be fun. Especially considering Blue and his mother talk about how they’ve conned Blue’s way into the firehouse in order to get money for his mom’s surgery. It’s not entirely clear when that plan came into effect, as Blue admits that he made more money as a stripper.

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 1 feels more grounded than others in the franchise.

There’s definitely a lot of anger and resentment from Blue’s mom, Dixie (LeAnn Rimes), about Don not being around for Blue. Blue acknowledges that it seems as if they hadn’t run into each other on a call, Don might never have responded to Blue’s email. These set-ups have all the makings of really juicy family dramas in the middle of this show about first responders. 

The look and feel of 9-1-1 Nashville is obviously fairly similar to its two predecessors. Though 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 1 feels more grounded — perhaps it’s the lack of a gray filter over it, a crime 9-1-1: Lone Star will never live down. But the flow of the sets and how the characters interact with them — especially the firehouse — make it seem like this show has been on the air for years already.

Despite its spacious appearance, the firehouse feels incredibly lived-in. It helps that the firehouse has an established group of firefighters acting as a backdrop to fill the space out. But there’s also Taylor, who gets some screen time, and Roxie (Juani Feliz), a paramedic and physician, who fill out the main cast. They don’t have a lot to do in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 1, but they already have a great dynamic. 

While not every character has a lot to do in 9-1-1 Nashville Episode 1, they all have promise.

Lacking in this pilot episode is the use of dispatch. The 9-1-1 universe started out with a major focus on the dispatchers themselves, with Connie Britton taking on the first and main POV role in 9-1-1 Season 1. Grace followed in 9-1-1: Lone Star, but dispatch was scaled back from the main POV.

But here, Cammie barely gets an introduction before she’s just taking calls and directing the firefighters where to go. Dispatch is what sets 9-1-1 apart from other cop and firefighter shows. It would be a shame if it took even more of a backseat than it already did in 9-1-1: Lone Star. 

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 1 ends on a cliffhanger; a tornado is headed straight for the aftermath of Kane Brown’s concert. The pilot episode ends abruptly, but the rest of the series provides a refreshing yet often familiar vibe. A solid start, with room to grow. 

9-1-1 Nashville Episode 1 is streaming now on Hulu and airs new episodes on Thursday at 8 p.m. Central on ABC