Photo: ABC
Chris O’Donnell knew that an action-drama series couldn’t take place in Nashville without incorporating the city’s unparalleled dedication to music.
O’Donnell and his fellow 9-1-1: Nashville cast mates shared why music plays a significant role in the “high-octane action” show that premiered earlier this month. Award-winning artist Kane Brown was the first to guest star on the show. Actress Jessica Capshaw said “you can’t be in Nashville and you certainly can’t make 9-1-1: Nashville without feeling the heartbeat of the city. It’s the music.”
She and O’Donnell star in the show alongside Hunter McVey, singer-songwriter LeAnn Rimes, Hailey Kilgore, Juani Feliz, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Michael Provost and more. Rimes said “Nashville is known as Music City, and of course, we’re going to have a lot of great music on the show. One of the first responders is actually a musician and writes a lot of her own music.”
“Music is the epicenter of what we’re doing,” Kilgore continued. “So, the fact that we get to play with country music and rock and soul, and put that into rescues and high-pressure and high-intensity situations, it’s really exciting.”
Feliz said the city of Nashville is almost a character of its own, taking on the city’s real-life energy throughout the series. Provost noted that Music City is known for its great food, great music and country artists, and the newest 9-1-1 installment pairs these characteristics with the show’s “big disasters” and “high-octane action.”
“I think that any show that shoots in Nashville has to have a little bit of an undercurrent of music,” Williams-Paisley said. “It’s part of the lifeblood of this town.”
ABC describes the action-drama as “a high-octane procedural about heroic first responders, as well as their family saga of power and glamour set in one of America’s most diverse and dynamic cities.” 9-1-1: Nashville airs on Thursday evenings at 9 pm ET/PT on ABC and is available to stream the following day on Hulu.
Watch the cast share how music plays a role in the new action series here: