Why Fox Canceled '9-1-1'
The Season 6 finale of 9-1-1 is airing next week, and it's still hard to believe that it's going to be the last episode of the first responder drama to air on Fox as it will be moving to ABC next season. The move was a surprising one considering 9-1-1 is Fox's highest-rated series, but unfortunately, ratings had no say in it. According to Deadline, the decision to cancel the series was financial, as it cost $9 million-$10 million to make a single episode, likely because of the huge emergencies that the series pulls off, including an upcoming major freeway accident and overpass collapse.
There is also the fact that 9-1-1 has some pretty huge names attached to the cast, most notably Angela Bassett and Peter Krause, both of whom serve as executive producers as well. Fox's merger with Disney also didn't help, as 9-1-1 was initially developed when Fox and 20th Century Fox TV were under the same company. Then the Mouse came in and acquired Fox assets, which included the TV studio. That was also the reason why both renewals of 9-1-1 and the now-canceled medical drama The Resident came down to the wire last year.
While it's both disappointing and shocking that the series will no longer be on Fox following next week's finale, there were previous reports of 9-1-1 possibly moving networks if Fox didn't follow through on a renewal due to costs. It seems like a lot of shows are suffering financially, making networks make tough decisions and look more at costs rather than ratings, which is what they usually look at.
It's going to be strange to see 9-1-1 on ABC next season, but at least there will be another season of 9-1-1. Fans are particularly mixed about 9-1-1, even if it is moving networks. The storyline possibilities are endless, and after six seasons, it will be nice to see some change on the series. Hopefully, though, this doesn't include any deaths because we've made it this far without a major character being killed off, I don't think we'll be able to handle it if we had to really say goodbye to someone from the 118.
9-1-1's final episode on Fox is set to air this Monday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET and the series is going to go out with a bang that you do not want to miss. While it won't actually be a series finale, it will feel like that in some way. Though when one door closes, another opens, and 9-1-1's new life on ABC will definitely be something to look forward to, hopefully later this year.