How Sierra McClain’s Exit Changed Plans for Judd and Grace (Exclusive)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Episode 9 “Fall From Grace.”]

How has Judd (Jim Parrack) been doing without Grace (Sierra McClain, who did not return for the final season) on 9-1-1: Lone Star? In two words: not well.

As Owen (Rob Lowe) discovers after bringing him home after a night out, Judd has been drinking—there are bottles everywhere. Judd’s been hungover, not sick, at work, but he swears he’s never been drunk on the job. It started after Grace left, Judd admits, because he lost his “center.” He can stop cold turkey, he promises, it’s just a rough patch. It’s been five months, Owen argues. Judd protests that he’s acknowledging the problem. But now Owen’s decided not to take a job offer in New York and insists on taking Judd to a meeting.

Below, co-showrunner Rashad Raisani takes us inside Judd’s arc for the end of the series, what we would’ve seen if Sierra McClain had returned, and more.

Why have drinking be how Judd’s handling not having his center Grace around?

Rashad Raisani: Well, if you go back to before Judd met Grace in the “Saving Grace” episode where we really played on what Judd was like before Grace. He was kind of a mess. He was drinking too much, he was fighting, he had problems. I mean, really, his issues were anger and alcohol. We wanted to play that Grace has been the stabilizing force.

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. And I think if you go back in this season all the way to Episode 1, Owen shows up in the middle of the day, and Judd’s like, “Hey, you want to drink?” And every scene we played at the house, there was always a beer out. This is something that’s been going on all year. And because that’s who he was the minute before he met Grace.

Kevin Estrada/FOX

And we got the moment at T.K.’s (Ronen Rubinstein) party.

Yep, 100 percent. And I was very adamant. I was like, “We don’t usually do that on Lone Star, where we’re threading things in there that come out two or three episodes later, but I just felt really strongly that this was something that we needed to tell the audience.” I’m sure that most people have noticed that moment, but they probably don’t realize the magnitude of it. And they probably haven’t realized that that’s the fourth or fifth time we’ve done it this year. But that was the most blatant where we were saying, “No, look, something’s going on here and nobody notices.” I mean, none of the other characters in the show notice, but the audience does.

So what was initially the plan for Judd and Grace this season?

Grace was going to have a spiritual crisis, and this was something I talked to Sierra about. It was her pitch, to be frank. And I liked it. Funny enough, we were going to flip their usual dynamic where Judd was more of the scaffolding and the strength for Grace, and they were going to end the series probably with a second kid and happy. We were definitely going to give them a happy ending.

Owen’s taking Judd to a meeting when we last see them, but it’s never that simple with things like this. So how is that going to go? How receptive is Judd to actually getting the help he needs?

Well, I’ll tell you, Episode 10 has my favorite teaser of the series, and it’s exactly about what you’re saying. And the answer is it is not. We’re going to see the power of addiction and the things that it can make good people do in Episode 10. And that’s what I’ll say about that. It’s just beginning. It’s not over.

Are we getting some good Judd and T.K. scenes then?

We will get one in the finale, but he’s not ready for it yet in episode 10, It’s going to be Owen and Judd.

Are we going to hear about Grace finding out what’s going on with Judd?

Indirectly. There will be a moment at the end of Episode 10. Grace is very involved, even though she’s not on the show, with Judd’s journey in Episode 10.

9-1-1: Lone Star, Returns, Monday, January 20, 2025, 8/7c, Fox

If you or someone you know has addiction issues, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration‘s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.