TV Q&A: Why did ‘9-1-1’ move from Fox to ABC?

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.

Q: Why did 9-1-1 move from Fox to ABC? Did Fox simply not want the show any longer, or was there more to it?

— Xavier, via email

Rob: Welcome to the world of ever-changing corporate synergies!

When “9-1-1” was developed by Fox Studios and first aired on the Fox network in 2018, Fox Studios (then called 20th Century Fox Television) and Fox broadcasting were part of the same company and Fox Studios produced “9-1-1” for Fox Broadcasting.

In 2019, Disney bought Fox Studios, which owns “9-1-1,” while Fox broadcasting stayed in the Fox portfolio that also includes Fox News Channel.

In its seventh or eighth season, TV series tend to become more expensive. Often actors’ contracts are up and have to be renegotiated, which leads to higher production costs.

Fox broadcasting no longer wanted to pay the high cost of “9-1-1” and canceled the show while keeping the younger (re: less expensive) spin-off, “9-1-1: Lone Star,” which is expected to return for a new season in the fall. But Disney saw an upside to retaining “9-1-1” and adding it to ABC’s Thursday night lineup. And so far it’s working out with ratings up on linear TV and streaming platforms for the seventh-season premiere episode.

Q: With this being the final season of “Young Sheldon,” is a spinoff of the series in the plans? The cast is strong and no Sheldon actually would make the new show much better.

— Jodi, via email

Rob: Yes, CBS ordered a multi-cam sitcom (like “Big Bang Theory” and unlike the single-camera “Young Sheldon”) that will follow Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment), which I included in a recent column on visiting the “Young Sheldon” set at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Calif., last month.

Q: Will they have Rand (Pete Holmes) return at all again on Night Court?

— Mary, via Facebook

Rob: During a set visit last month, “Night Court” executive producer Dan Rubin told me there are no current plans for Rand to return since he and Abby (Melissa Rauch) broke up at the end of the show’s first season.

“We would love to have Pete back,” Rubin said. “We don’t have any plans to have him back this season but I anticipate Rand coming back at some point for sure because we love Pete. He’s hilarious.”

Q: Is “Jeopardy” ever going back to regular contestants?

— Sandy, via email

Rob: My understanding is the daytime game show will return to regular contestants after the current “Jeopardy!” Invitational Tournament.

Q: I’ve been trying to stream or buy “Sling Blade” for several years. No luck. I even called and emailed Miramax with no response. Can you find out anything?

-Rich, Greensburg

Rob: Some titles just don’t stream and I don’t know why that is but my default assumption is usually it has to do with music rights in older entertainment created before streaming without provisions for streaming.

JustWatch.com indeed shows “Sling Blade” is not available to stream, so your best bet is to buy a copy at Amazon.com.

Q: Was CBS’s “Tracker” pre-empted on Sunday, March 24, because of an NCAA basketball overrun? Will the episode be shown on anther Sunday?

— Elaine, Mt. Lebanon

Rob: The episode was scheduled to air at a special time, 8 p.m. March 24, but started late at 8:27 p.m. due to an NCAA basketball game. The episode aired in its entirety and there are no current plans for it to be rebroadcast, but the episode can be watched at CBS.com or on streaming service Paramount+.