A change to FOX’s midseason plans brings bad news for fans of The Resident and 9-1-1: Lone Star.
The network announced Friday that the previously planned two-hour season finale for The Resident will now air across two weeks.
The penultimate episode will air in its regular time period on Tuesday, January 10, at 8 p.m.
The season finale will now air Tuesday, January 17, at 8 p.m.
It is a surprising development, especially given the heavy promotion for the planned two-hour finale.
FOX dropped some plot details for the episodes earlier this month, and they’re as dramatic as you would expect from the medical drama.
“The ER quickly fills up after a heavy storm causes a devastating helicopter crash,” the logline teases.
“Conrad, Devon and the rest of the Chastain doctors rush to treat patients including the helicopter pilot, a barista, and Chastian’s least favorite person, Governor Mark Betz.”
As for what will go down in the season finale, “Then, Conrad is pulled away from celebrating Gigi’s 6th birthday when Sammie comes into Chastian with a 104-degree fever, and Kit must call in a favor for treatment,” the network teases.
“Meanwhile, a heart arrives for Governor Betz’s transplant surgery.”
FOX has yet to renew or cancel the series, but the series remains a decent performer in live + 7, averaging 4.4 million viewers and a 0.5 rating.
The series’ fate will likely be assessed when FOX’s midseason shows get underway.
It could be the end, but if the new shows bomb, the series could eke out another renewal.
Possibly complicating matters is that the show is aging. Older shows come at a bigger expense to networks.
We’ve counted The Resident out before, and it got renewed, so it is a fighter.
Meanwhile, the highly-anticipated fourth season of 9-1-1 Lone Star is also getting delayed.
Originally set for a return on Tuesday, January 17, the series will return one week later.
What are your thoughts on the news?
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
