Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5, episode 9, “Fall From Grace.”
Even though many things were going on in the9-1-1: Lone Starseason 5 finale, one of the standout moments concerned Judd and how he had been dealing with Grace’s frustrating exit. As many know,Sierra McClain, who began playing Grace in season 1 of the Fox procedural drama, exited the series ahead of season 5(reportedly due to contract negotiations). So, the writers had to cut Grace from the final season’s story. Unfortunately, though,Grace’s9-1-1: Lone Starexit was so disappointing, thanks to one glaring issue, and the fall finale surely didn’t fix the character’s upsetting departure.
Following the season 5 fall finale,9-1-1: Lone Staris going on a seven-week hiatus before returning on Monday, June 08, 2025, at 8 pm ET on Fox. Then, only one episode remains until the series finale of9-1-1: Lone Star, which premieres on July 13, 2025.
Grace’s exit was explained during the9-1-1: Lone Starseason 5 premiere—Judd revealed that Grace had decided to volunteer for Mercy Ships,a real faith-based international organization that provides life-saving care to those in need. Grace had learned about the charity while attending church and felt the urge to help. However, Grace abruptly leaving her family and the country doesn’t make much sense. While it’s believable that Grace would want to help others, it’s confusing as to why she would leave her husband and their young daughter to do so.
9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Will Explore Judd’s True Feelings About Grace’s Exit
The Fall Finale Reveals How Judd Has Been Coping With Grace’s Absence
9-1-1: Lone Starseason 5, episode 9 circled back to Grace’s exitand how Judd had been coping with his wife’s absence. As one would expect, Judd wasn’t dealing with Grace’s departure all too well. After he brought Judd home after a night out, Owen discovered empty alcohol bottles everywhere.Judd admitted that he had been drinking heavily after Grace left,which is why he was so sick (i.e. hungover) at work. He insisted that he was never drunk on the job, though.
Alan Autry
Chief Ranger Bridges
Judd claimed he lost his “center"once Grace left in9-1-1: Lone Starseason 5. However,Judd promised Owen that he would quit cold turkey.Rob Lowe’s character didn’t seem to believe him, which is why he turned down the New York job offer. Owen wants to help his friend, but only time will tell if Judd lets him when9-1-1: Lone Starseason 5 returns in 2025.
9-1-1 Season 8’s Secret Lone Star Crossover Just Makes Its Upcoming End More Disappointing
One 9-1-1: Lone Star actor makes a cameo in 9-1-1 season 8 that is exciting, but it makes the spinoff’s cancelation all the more frustrating.
How Judd’s Reaction Can Make 9-1-1: Lone Star’s Grace Exit Story Worse
Judd’s Reaction Is Realistic But Upsetting
Grace leaving her family was a hard enough pill to swallow. However, now that it’s making Judd spiral out of control, Grace’s controversial exit might get worse before the finale. Yes, Judd having a negative reaction to his wife’s absence is realistic, but it’s also heartbreaking. Plus,Sierra McClain will not return in the9-1-1: Lone Starseries finale, meaningthe show doesn’t have a good way of fixing her character’s departure or Judd’s response to it.What makes it all worse is that the writers had to change Judd’s storyline after McClain’s exit. Co-showrunner Rashad Raisani toldTV Insider:
“And to be frank with you, we weren’t going to do this story this year. It wasn’t until Sierra McClain didn’t come back and, therefore, Grace didn’t come back that that led us to start thinking about, well, who is Judd without Grace? And we can’t hide the fact that she was such a stabilizing force in his life. And even though he has, on the outside, all of these things around him to stay strong for, on the inside, his center is gone. And so we really wanted to play that.”
The writers only have three episodes to wrap up Judd and Grace’s story. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough time to fix her exit, especially after Judd’s scenes in the fall finale. It seems likethis drinking plotline will be a major part of Judd’s arcas9-1-1: Lone Starnears its end, making Grace’s absence all the more disappointing.
9-1-1: Lone Star
Cast
A spin-off series of 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star is an action-drama series created for Fox. The series follows Rob Lowe as Owen Strand, a firefighter from New York City who, after having rebuilt a team in the aftermath of September 11th’s attacks, is brought in to form a new one in Austin, Texas.
