9-1-1: Nashville has lassoed its leading man: Chris O’Donnell (NCIS: Los Angeles) is set to star in the highly anticipated spinoff, which will premiere on ABC during the 2025-26 broadcast season.
O’Donnell will play Captain Don Sharpe, “a rugged fire captain and rodeo rider who runs Nashville’s busiest firehouse with his beloved son,” according to the official character breakdown. “Don’s a devoted husband and family man but he has his secrets.”
The man is no stranger to network procedurals: He previously played Special Agent in Charge Grisha “G” Callen on aforementioned NCIS: LA. 9-1-1: Nashville marks his first series-regular gig since the CBS procedural wrapped its 14-season run in 2023. Additional TV credits include Bupkis and Grey’s Anatomy.
9-1-1: Nashville is being executive-produced by Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear, former 9-1-1: Lone Star showrunner Rashad Raisani, Brad Falchuk and Angela Bassett. No further casting has been announced as of press time.
ABC handed the Music City-set offshoot a series order in February. Minear previously explained to TVLine that there were two reasons why Nashville was chosen: “One, I think that it’s a really interesting city with its own personality,” he said. “It’s very unlike Austin. We did kind of a red state 9-1-1 [with Lone Star], but Austin is a very blue town. Nashville felt even a little bit more Southern. It also has the country music industry, and it just felt like it could be a fun place to set a piece of the franchise.”
The second reason is a bit more practical. “Quite frankly, Tennessee is very production-friendly,” Minear explained. “That also factored into our reasoning. There are some states that you think would be fantastic places to set the show, but it’s just not cost effective to do it.”
Are you looking forward to seeing Chris O’Donnell in a fireman’s uniform on 9-1-1: Nashville? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.
