Sierra McClainexit from 9-1-1: Lone Star caused not only Grace’s story to change, but Judd’s as well.
During the Monday, December 2, episode of the Fox series, Owen (Rob Lowe) discovers that Judd (Jim Parrack) has been drinking a lot more since Grace left. Judd admits he’s lost his “center” without his wife, leading to a five-month drinking problem that he’s trying to stop. Owen chooses not to accept a job offer in New York and insists on taking Jude on a date.
Executive producer Rashad Raisani revealed how McClain’s departure plays a role in Judd’s developing story.
“If you go back to before Judd met Grace in the Saving Grace episode, where we really played out what Judd was like before Grace. He was kind of a mess. He drank too much, fought, had problems. I mean his problems were anger and alcohol. We wanted to play that Grace is the stabilizing force,” Raisani said TV Insider. “And to be honest with you, we weren’t going to do that story this year.”
The writers’ room chose Judd to hit rock bottom after Grace exits the screen.
“It wasn’t until Sierra McClane didn’t come back, and therefore Grace didn’t come back, that it made us 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,” he continued. “And though on the outside he has all these things around him to keep him strong, on the inside his center is gone.” So we really wanted to play that.”
Raisani continued, “I think if you go back to this season all the way to episode 1, Owen shows up in the middle of the day and Judd will be like, ‘Hey, do you want a drink?'” And every scene we played in the house, there was always beer. This is something that happens all year round. And because that’s exactly how he was the minute before he met Grace.
News broke in June that McClain, 30, was leaving the show ahead of Season 5 after problems renegotiating the contract.
“Grace was going to have a spiritual crisis and that was something I talked about with Sierra. Honestly, it was her suggestion. And I loved it,” Raisani added of the original plan for Grace. “Funnily enough, we would have flipped their usual dynamic, where Judd was more of the scaffolding and strength for Grace, and they would have ended the series probably with a second child and happy. We would definitely give them a happy ending.”
The Season 5 premiere, which aired in September, revealed that she went overseas to volunteer with Mercy Ships, an organization that provides global operations. Her sudden departure left Judd at home with their 2-year-old daughter and caring for her son, Wyatt Harris, whom she welcomed from a previous relationship, while recovering from an accident that left him paralyzed.
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“The only thing we could think of to take Grace away from her family and her work was an even bigger calling,” Raisani told TVLine at the time. “And the only thing in Grace’s world that could answer that was God.”
Amid Judd’s personal problems, Raisani teases that the show will find a way to get involved Grace’s response, adding on Monday, “Indirectly. There’s going to 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 airs on Fox Mondays at 8pm ET.
