Rob Lowe thinks '9-1-1: Lone Star' will conclude with season 5: 'It is the end of an era' (original) (raw)

Rob Lowe is ready to bid farewell to his 9-1-1 spinoff.

Though he's not 100 percent certain, the actor recently said that he believes the first-responder drama 9-1-1: Lone Star will conclude with its forthcoming fifth season, which premieres next month.

"We all went into it pretty much knowing that it was going to be the last season, so that affected everything we did," Lowe, 60, told Variety. "We wanted to really show everybody what is still possible in network television if people have the appetite to do it."

Rob Lowe on '9-1-1: Lone Star'.

FOX via Getty

Reached for comment on Lowe's remarks, a representative for the show told Entertainment Weekly on Friday that the network and studio, Fox and 20th Television, have not announced or confirmed that Lone Star's fifth season would be its last. (EW previously reported that Fox had not made a decision about Lone Star's fate in June.)

Whenever Lone Star's conclusion does come, Lowe said it holds more symbolic significance than is usual for the end of a show.

"It feels like it's probably the end of an era of a certain type — well, it doesn’t feel like it," he said. "It is the end of an era of a certain type of show we once had an opportunity to make, and I think they’re great. We wanted to go out making our case for the value of shows like that, and I think we did a really good job. The stories that we were able to tell on a weekly basis in terms of the scope and scale — that's probably the thing I’m the most proud of. They were truly like mini-movies every week."

Following speculation about the show's fate earlier this summer, Lone Star actors Rafael Silva and Ronen Rubinstein discussed the series' status on Instagram. "Wherever the ship sails, [I'm] grateful for the family I've created on this show," Silva said.

"We will continue pouring our blood, sweat and tears into these last few episodes and deliver to you our most special season yet," Rubenstein wrote. "I better see all of you in September."

'9-1-1: Lone Star'.

FOX via Getty

The Lone Star crew will be down one member when it returns for its fifth season, as Sierra McClain, who portrays 911 dispatcher Grace, will no longer be a series regular on the show.

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Elsewhere in the Variety interview, Lowe responded to criticism surrounding the show's depiction of minority characters as they related to his character, Owen. "[The creators] imagined a show centered around the only survivor of a terrible tragedy in 9/11 and him rebuilding a firehouse, but also rebuilding his family. And in terms of playing time, I think that they did a really good job," Lowe said. "I don't think there is another show on television with as diverse a cast as we had, telling the kind of diverse stories that we did. Owen was there as a way to tell those kinds of stories and I’m really proud of how we were able to do it."