Note: This story contains spoilers from “9-1-1: Nashville” Season 2, Episode 1.
“9-1-1: Nashville” returned for Season 2 with a few big changes, and star Chris O’Donnell is here for the glow-up.
The ABC first responder drama kicked off its second season with emergencies involving killer hornets unleashed on a museum gala, and the flooding of a basement with a river of blood. The mystery got spookier when detective Rogue Kelly (new series regular Ryan Phillippe) revealed himself to be investigating the incidents as the works of a criminal suspect — and the mystery is only getting started.
“There’s quite a few plagues in the Bible, and we’ve only touched on a couple of them. More to come,” Chris O’Donnell, series executive producer and actor behind fire Capt. Don Hart told TheWrap to tease the ABC spinoff’s first ongoing storyline.
The Season 2 premiere had some big changes for Don, as he faced potential health issues and a cold shoulder from his wife Blythe (Jessica Capshaw). She faced court-appointed anger management sessions after her fight with Dixie (LeAnn Rimes) in the Season 1 finale, and realized her anger was rooted to her husband considering cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend. The arrival of her son into the Firehouse 113 is what kicked off the events of the series last fall.
Below, O’Donnell breaks down how Phillippe’s marks an intriguing new chapter for “9-1-1: Nashville,” and if he’d reunite with former “NCIS: Los Angeles” partner LL Cool J in his new CBS franchise spinoff. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
TheWrap: What’s been the guiding light as you and the team got back into production for these new episodes?
Chris O’Donnell: The big news was the introduction of Rogue Kelly, played by Ryan Phillippe and him coming into the city, which is different from what we did last year, having an ongoing storyline as far as a series of events that are connected to something bigger. So it’s been a little different in that respect, but I think it’s made it interesting.
I think the relationship between Rogue and Don will be a lot of fun. Last year there was so much setting up of the show and the characters, now we’re settled in. We know who they are, and you can dig a little more into the relationships between all these people.
Don goes through it in the premiere ending up in the ER after getting stung by a hornet, facing some potential lifestyle changes, and with Blythe starting a bed divorce at home. How is Don taking this change in the dynamic most of all?
Yeah, he seems to be spending more time in the emergency room than he does in his own bedroom. But he has regret about the fact that he almost went back to Dixie and made that decision.
Blythe is the most important thing in his life, and he can see that it really hurt her. She’s still got some collateral damage from it, so he’s going to do the baby steps and do whatever it takes to get her back on board.
Blythe remembered seeing how Don used the devil emoji in a text to Dixie when he considered meeting up with her. You and Jessica are great in those scenes. How is it to work on those relationship moments?
I really enjoy them. For me, those scenes are more exciting than actually going out and doing the big emergencies and rescues. Those are fun, but it’s like playing dress up and stuff. Getting into the emotions and dealing with issues that real couples deal with is far more interesting, just from an acting standpoint.
Don gets off to a complicated start with homicide detective Rogue Kelly, first after they meet at the museum and especially after the awkward moment at brunch. Why is he hesitant about this new person coming into the fold? Does it start off as a bit of a rivalry?
I don’t think Don likes the way Rogue is not necessarily playing by the rules. It’s one thing to do that at a crime scene and with the way he handles his business, but it’s another thing to roll into somebody’s house and start blurting things out and just not being respectful, as Don may see it. So he needs to make it clear that’s just not acceptable.
Rogue and Ryan Phillippe bring that police element we’ve seen elsewhere in the “9-1-1” franchise, but with the added twist of him being a Nashville outsider coming and meeting everyone. How has it been to have him on set, and how will he shake things up in the show?
It’s something that the show didn’t have last year. The “9-1-1” shows have always had a police element as well, and now we have that detective. It’s good to have somebody come in and shake it up and interact with the characters. We’re going to have a few other interesting guest stars over the season. Obviously, Rogue Kelly is more than just a visitor. He’s here to stay, which is great. We shall see where this goes.
The premiere introduced an ongoing mystery about a suspect bringing biblical plagues to life to Nashville and leaving bible pages with cryptic messages behind. Is this a season-long mystery?
I don’t know how long it’ll take to get through this. We’re seven or eight episodes in [filming] and there’s no end in sight so far. There’s definitely more to come, and it’s interesting because we didn’t have anything like this last year, as far as a series of events that were connected and trying to figure out what the bigger picture is. For the viewers it makes it interesting to figure out where this is headed.
This new chapter in Nashville is happening as your former TV partner LL Cool J returns to the NCIS franchise in New York. What was your reaction to the new spinoff and Sam Hanna finding a new partner?
It’s wild. I said I texted with Todd. I said, “Jeez, I feel like we’re cheating on each other.” I’m down in Nashville, he’s in New York. We had such a great time for 14 years working together, and I’m happy he’s back doing a show in his hometown. And we’ll see. Maybe our paths will cross again in the future, who knows?
Maybe Callen can go visit New York at some point.
Yeah, I don’t know where Callen is right now, but he’s somewhere.
“9-1-1: Nashville” airs Thursdays on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
