“9-1-1” creator Tim Minear had a clear answer about how the upcoming crossover with “The Bachelor” came to be: “It was Jennifer Love Hewitt’s idea.”
“She’s a huge ‘Bachelor’ fan, just like Maddie is on the show,” Minear told TheWrap. “She called me after hanging out with some of the ‘Bachelor’ people and she’s like, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if the 118 had to respond to an emergency at the ‘Bachelor’ mansion?’ I was like, ‘No brainer.’”
Love Hewitt notably caught the attention of Bachelor Nation fans when she attended the live Season 1 finale of “The Golden Bachelor” in December, with the camera panning to her in the audience several times during the two-hour telecast. The special emergency crossover — set to air April 4, marking the show’s milestone 100th episode — features appearances from recently engaged “Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei and host Jesse Palmer (You can watch a sneak peek of the episode above).
“It felt like something that could live in the universe of our show,” Minear added. “ABC was on board, Warner Bros. (Television Studios) signed off and the ‘Bachelor’ people were unbelievable.”
Minear praised the “team effort” between the “9-1-1” and “Bachelor” creative teams to bring the special emergency to life, which included editors for both shows collaborating to bring the ABC dating show’s essence into the scripted drama.
The showrunner, who returned full-time to the procedural upon its move from Fox to ABC for Season 7, hoped to assure fans that references to the show’s new network home was a creative decision from the start; noting he’s spotted online commentary that criticized the broadcaster of using the popularity of “9-1-1” to “promote the network.” The synergy is certainly a smart way for ABC to benefit from the Ryan Murphy-produced show’s popularity, which drew 10.1 million total viewers for its Season 7 premiere within a week of release.
Could “9-1-1” pay a visit to any other ABC shows in the future?
“They might have a police procedural with an old captain of mine that takes place in L.A. that would make the most sense,” Minear said, clearly referencing “The Rookie” starring Nathan Fillion (who starred in Minear’s “Firefly” in 2002).
“9-1-1” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Episodes are available to stream the day after premiere on Hulu.
