Turns Out 9-1-1: Former Lone Star Cast Member Sierra McClain Hinted at a

Major Plot for Season 5 Before She Left the Show: ‘Oh, That’s a Genius Pitch’

Spoilers Ahead for 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5, Episode 6, “The Naked Truth.” Read at your own risk!

As the final season of 9-1-1: Lone Star continues on its 2024 TV schedule, the storylines are getting a lot more personal and emotional. The Fox first responder series has been keeping fans on their toes, and not just because of the dire emergencies. Last night’s episode included a major game-changing moment for one character, and apparently, Sierra McClain hinted at the idea before she left Lone Star.

In Season 5, Episode 6, “The Naked Truth,” Brianna Baker’s Nancy worries she has breast cancer after Tommy (Gina Torres) spots a lump in a NSFW photo Nancy unintentionally sent to everyone. After Tommy tells Nancy she should get a mammogram, she gets one at the same time as Nancy. While Nancy is lucky to have survived the disease despite her family history, Tommy is revealed to have cancer.

While it may seem like this storyline came out of nowhere, it’s actually been a long time coming and couldn’t have come at a better time. Showrunner Rashad Raisani told EW that the breast cancer storyline was brought up by none other than McClain, who exited Lone Star before Season 5 after playing dispatcher Grace Ryder from the start, explaining: “She and I are very close, and we got together to talk about her character, but then she brought up Gina.” She said, ‘I think Gina Torres is just a special actress, and she could take on a role that’s even bigger than anything we’ve ever done for anyone, with more depth and more risk.’ And she said, ‘I mean, I don’t want to speak for another character, but what if she found out she had breast cancer?’ And I just thought, ‘Oh, that’s a genius introduction.’

Tommy has been through a lot since appearing in Season 2. Between losing her husband, being kidnapped, nearly dying multiple times, and breaking up with her beloved boyfriend, breast cancer is another adversity she’s had to face.

It’s interesting to know that McClain came up with the idea because she knew her co-star would be able to pull it off. Unfortunately, McClain left and she didn’t get to see the story come to fruition, which is a shame. However, bringing in this storyline now gives the show a chance to dig deeper and really allow Torres to showcase who she is as an actor.

Raisani shared that the storyline will start with Tommy and Nancy’s “ending storyline,” but the cancer will “affect everyone” as the 126 Ambulance Captain deals with it. That makes me wonder how different the storyline would have been if Grace had still been around, but just the fact that they’re bringing in this major storyline that Sierra McClain helped bring up is fantastic.

This is going to be an emotional roller coaster for Tommy, and it’s hard to say how it’s going to play out, but knowing how close 126 is, she has a great support system. And we can’t wait to see how they all come together to help her as the season continues.