‘9-1-1’ Potential Spinoff Reportedly Eyeing Hawaii Setting

Hawaii might be the setting of yet another franchise. After CBS canceled NCIS: Hawai’i and on the heels of Fox premiering new lifeguard drama Rescue Hi-Surf, ABC seems to be eyeing the Aloha State as the setting for a new 9-1-1 spinoff, according to Deadline. Ryan Murphy previously announced that he and Tim Minear were working on a third series in the growing first responder franchise, with reports revealing that Las Vegas was the top contender.

However, sources say that now Hawaii could be the potential setting for the potential spinoff, which has been gaining momentum at the network. It might not be so easy, though, as financials could be a big con. Hawaii is an expensive location, and with budgets constantly being cut down, it may not be as feasible as it once was. The 50^th state proved to be a successful backdrop for shows such as Gilligan’s Island, as well as Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I., and their respective reboots, and not to mention Lost, but it’s a bit harder now. Costs was one of the big reasons why NCIS: Hawai’i was canceled, despite doing better than some shows that were renewed for the 2024-25 season on CBS.

That being said, if done financially and culturally right, a 9-1-1 spinoff in Hawaii could be interesting. It’s likely that the show wouldn’t be able to do some of the more high-budget emergencies or have big names attached to the cast in order to save costs, which would make sense. It’s not impossible, but considering 9-1-1 moved to ABC for financial reasons and 9-1-1: Lone Star got canceled on Fox partly due to financial reasons, it may not be the best idea. If Murphy, Minear, and ABC are able to figure something out, then by all means.

Nothing has been confirmed, and it’s very possible that another city could come out on top. Vegas is still a pretty popular contender, even among fans, or perhaps a completely different city will be the next setting. In the meantime, fans will just have to settle with the two current cities, 9-1-1: Lone Star in Austin on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox and 9-1-1 in Los Angeles on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. There are endless possibilities as to what city will be next, and at this point, it’s hard to predict what that will be.