‘9-1-1’ Not on Tonight, Fox Airing Holiday Special Instead

There is no new episode of the Fox drama 9-1-1 on Monday, Dec. 5. The show’s fall finale aired last week on Nov. 28. Fox is handing over the Monday, 8 p.m. ET timeslot to a TMZ Christmas special with the whimsical title TMZ’s Merry Elfin’ Christmas.

The special features a roster of celebrities joining Harvey Levin and other TMZ staffers to talk about the biggest stories of 2022. Post Malone, Henry Winkler, Giada De Laurentis, Smokey Robinson, Kenny G, Kenya Moore, and Camille Vasquez are all featured in the special. In a brief teaser for the special, Winkler said he liked Leonardo DiCaprio after meeting him when the group began talking about DiCaprio’s dating life.

Fox has been the home of several TMZ specials since Fox Entertainment acquired TMZ Properties from WarnerMedia ahead of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Under the September 2021 deal, Fox will operate all TMZ properties, including the website, the show TMZ Live, TooFab.com, and the company’s other brands. Levin, who founded TMZ with the late Jim Paratore in 2005, remained with the company.

The most recent episode of 9-1-1 Season 6, “Red Flag,” aired on Nov. 28 and served as the fall finale. It was a traumatic episode for Bobby (Peter Krause), as he found the remains of his sponsor Wendell while responding to a fire. Although Wendell is dead, executive producer Kristen Reidel told TVLine that audiences will learn more about him in flashbacks during future episodes. “Thankfully, it’s TV, so we have the opportunity to go back and get to know him after he’s dead,” Reidel explained. The second half of the season will see Bobby unravel the mystery of Wendell’s death.

“Wendell was a very important person in his life,” Reidel told TVLine. “He was a friend, but he was also his sponsor. He helped Bobby out of some really tough times that we haven’t seen on the show. We’ll see Bobby investigating this shady rehab place and the couple that owns it, but we’ll also get a glimpse into what their relationship was like. We’ll get to know Wendell a little bit better.”

The main cast for 9-1-1 Season 6 also includes Angela Bassett, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Guzman, Corinne Massiah, Marcanthonee Jon Reis, and Gavin McHugh. Fox has not announced when the show will return, but the spin-off 9-1-1: Lone Star will start its fourth season on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. ET. In the meantime, fans can catch up with every episode of 9-1-1 on Hulu.