Series / 9-1-1: Lone Star

Even the emergencies are bigger in Texas.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

9-1-1: Lone Star is a firefighter and rescue procedural drama created and produced by the creative trio of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear (known collectively for their work on American Horror Story), which was ordered by Fox in May 2019, it premiered January 19, 2020.

It is a spinoff of 9-1-1.

Taking place in Austin, Texas, the series tackles the lives of the 126 Fire House. After the fire house's rebuilding, a sophisticated New York firefighter, Owen Strand (Rob Lowe), relocates from Manhattan to Austin along with his son, Tyler Kennedy "TK" (Ronen Rubinstein). Owen must try to balance the duties of saving those who are at their most vulnerable and solving the problems in his own life.

Other than Owen and TK, the 126 includes Judson "Judd" Ryder (Jim Parrack), Marjan Marwani (Natacha Karam), Paul Strickland (Brian Michael Smith), and Mateo Chavez (Julian Works). Judd is married to Grace (Sierra McClain), who serves as a 9-1-1 call operator. The 126 works in conjunction with paramedics from the Emergency Medical Services, including captain Michelle Blake (Liv Tyler) and Nancy Gillian (Brianna Baker), and officers from the Austin Police Department, including Carlos Reyes (Rafael Silva), who becomes TK's boyfriend. In the second season, Michelle resigns as captain of the EMS and is replaced by Tommy Vega (Gina Torres), who is raising a pair of twin daughters, Izzy (Kelsey Yates) and Evie (Skyler Yates).

A recap page is in the works. Contributions are appreciated.

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This show provides examples of:

• AB Negative: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), the driver of the car crash needs a blood transfusion, but the hospital can't get to the accident site until at least an hour, her passenger, who came out of the crash unsacthed, tells Michelle that she is O-, the universal donor, and can be used for a field transfusion.
• Action Prologue: The "Pilot" (1.01) opens with the original 126 Fire House trying to put out a fire at a fertilizer plant only for it to blow up and kill everyone on the team, bar one.
• Actor Allusion: During a date, Owen describes how he imagines politicians' work in a way that sounds suspiciously similar to his work in The West Wing:
  Owen: I always imagine the world of politics to be really smart people waking briskly down corridors, talking real fast and all sort of sounding alike.
• Artistic License – Medicine: Like the show it spun off from, this series can be quite...liberal with inaccuracies when it comes to actual medical treatment, among other things. During the first season, the real-life medical director for Austin-Travis County EMS took to social media warning their paramedics to not do anything they see on the show.
  • One of the most egregious examples easily comes from “Hold the Line” (2.03) where, after Judd gives JJ (a minor who is in shock) a speech to keep fighting to stay conscious, he punches him upside the head for good measure. Needless to say, not only would that not even remotely help the situation in real life, but it would almost certainly get him fired if not arrested.
  • Invoked in "Tommy Dearest" (4.07). During an interrupted date night with Trevor, Tommy diagnosed his daughter Melody with juvenile gastrocentesis. For context, Melody was faking nausea to sabotage Tommy's date with Trevor, so Tommy gave her a fake diagnosis with a familiar-but-vague childhood ailment, and a related disgusting milkshake concoction as a fake treatment to get even. Gastrocentesis in real life is not an illness, it’s a surgical procedure that involves puncturing a stomach to release excess gases.
• Artistic License – Religion: A quick shot of Marjan's praying features mistake that could've been solved by simple research; Marjan doesn't wear a garb that covers her curvature alongside every body parts except for face and palms and her position before sujud (kneeling) is a typical rakooh position (bending waist forward with palms placed on each knee) while what actually comes before sujud is standing i'tidal (rising from rakooh, lifting palms facing forward on both sides of the head while saying "Sami' Allahu liman hamidah"). While details like leg stance, finger placements and some others may vary depending on interpretations, rakooh —> i'tidal —> sujud in that order is universal.
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: In "Friends Like These" (1.06) Zoe kisses Owen on the forehead before leaving.
• Afraid of Doctors: Harry in "Awakening" (1.09), the boy who got a toy car stuck up his nose, though he's more afraid of hospitals. His mother went to the hospital when she got bad headaches and then one time she never came back. He associates it with death.
• After-Action Patch-Up: After his Bar Brawl, Carlos helps TK clean up his face, in "Texas Proud" (1.03).
• Almost Dead Guy: The astronaut in "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), that gets through to Grace is dying of radiation poisoning due to the solar storm, he is able to stay alive long enough to speak to his wife and daughter, telling them both how much he loves them and he'll be watching over them.
• Almost Out of Oxygen: In "Act Of God" (1.04), a man is stuck in a gun safe, he slowly begins to run out of air, while Grace has to talk his girlfriend through unlocking the safe.
• Always on Duty: Averted, if only through passing references. Like real firehouses, Firehouse 126 has several different crews that man the trucks at different times. The main characters are seen leaving at the end of their shifts and there are other unnamed firefighters seen throughout the fire house.
• Always Someone Better: Michelle had this relationship with her sister, Iris. Whatever Michelle would accomplish, Iris would do the same thing but better. In high school, Michelle won District for track, while Iris won State. Michelle became certified as an EMT and Iris went to medical school.
• Anger Born of Worry: In "Texas Proud" (1.03), Judd blows up at TK and starts a fight, after TK disobeys a direct order on a rescue. Later Judd explains that seeing TK go under in the corn silo, reminded him of losing his original team.
• Attention Whore: Marjan shows traits of this, as she is the first to do a dangerous rescue if there's a chance it'll be caught on camera and uploaded to social media.
  • Averted however when her hijab comes off in "Texas Proud" (1.03), Marjan is quite worried that moment was caught on camera.
• Appetite Equals Health: Owen doesn't have much of an appetite in "Texas Proud" (1.03) after his chemo treatment.
• Awesome by Analysis: Paul Strickland's specialty and the main reason he was tapped for joining the 126: in his interview its revealed that after rescuing someone from a burning building, he punched out a man revealed as the arsonist. Deconstructed as he reveals it to be a defense mechanism due to growing up trans as he needed to identify threats before they identified him. In the "Pilot" (1.01), he's able to determine how a mother crashed her car and where the doors would have come off, just by viewing the crash site. In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), he's able to figure out who and how the officer workers were poisoned within minutes, just by observing the area they were all sitting at.
  Paul: Growing up the way I did there was a lot of folks who wanted to hurt me so, I guess learned to figure out who they were before they figured out who I was.
  • The whole house does this when they are properly motivated, specially in “A Bright and Cloudless Morning” (3.18)— while Carlos and TK were figuring out their speech, they deduced the gist of it from the cheese and charcuterie types, the sparkling cider they had on the table, and the overall buildup to a toast. Except for Mateo, that is...
• Badass Boast: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Owen to Billy after Billy tells him the new team won't last after he gets Owen's job.
  Owen: You want my job? Come and take it.
• Bait-and-Switch:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), Owen attempts to rescue a baby in a tree. Just as Owen reaches the baby carrier,it falls to the ground, everyone gasps, only for Owen to reveal that he had already removed the baby from the carrier and he was safely in Owen's arms.
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), after a bit of insulting banter between Owen and Billy and then a bit of Reverse Psychology on Owen's part, Owen is able beat Billy during a hand of poker game, it looks like Billy is going absolutely blow up, however Billy laughs and says that he likes Owen.
• Bar Brawl: T.K. instigates one in "Texas Proud" (1.03).
• Baseball Episode: “Red vs. Blue” (3.07) sees an attempted rival-ending game between the Owen and the 126 vs. Sergeant O’Brien and a group of baseball-skilled APD officers.
• Bested at Bowling: Josie easily beats Paul on their bowling date in "Studs" (1.05).
• Big Disaster Plot: "2100°" has a dormant underground volcano erupt, and the aftermath of the eruption itself is seemingly dealt with in the same episode.... but the eruption caused a wildfire so big it required a crossover with the original 911.
• Big "NO!": Was yelled out by one of the ladies involved in the strip club fight in "Studs" (1.05), when Owen has to cut out her $250 tiara from her hair, 3 days before her wedding.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Billy Tyson, pretends to be friendly with Owen, but as soon as he finds out that Owen has cancer, Billy turns around and tells the Deputy Fire Chief of his condition. Billy intends to force Owen out of his position of captain of the 126.
• Bittersweet Ending: When a tornado hits in "Act Of God" (1.04), a father is separated from his two kids and the kids end up trapped in the ruins of their house. The firefighters desperately try to locate the two kids and Owen then has to attempt a dangerous rescue. The kids are saved but the father is revealed to have sustained a major internal injury. He collapses and dies.
• Black Gal on White Guy Drama: Judd and Grace have had to deal with this in their past. Judd mentions that Grace's father was adamantly opposed to his daughter marrying a white man, and ending up building him a pool deck as part of his attempt to win him over.
• Blame Game: Played between Mateo and Paul on who broke Owen's espresso machine in "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10).
• Blood from the Mouth: Pretty much what's going to happen when you get a tiara impaled through your cheek in "Studs" (1.05).
• Bolt of Divine Retribution: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), Judd calls Billy getting struck by lightning, an act of God.
• Book Ends: After an emergency in the "Pilot" (1.01), Carlos tells TK his dad is an impressive man. In the season finale, "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), this happens in reverse with Carlos telling Owen that TK is an impressive man.
• Brainy Brunette: Marjan has the highest score on the firefighter written exam out of everyone in the 126.
• Bridal Carry: After he makes a dinner that only she likes, Judd carries Grace like this to the bedroom in "Studs" (1.05).
• Bringing in the Expert:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), Owen is brought in because he successfully rebuilt a fire house after most of the crew were killed on 9/11. This makes him uniquely qualified to do the same for Fire House 126.
  • One of the reasons Owen wants Judd to come back to the fire house is because Judd has knowledge about local conditions and dangers that Owen lacks.
  • In "Texas Proud" (1.03), Owen puts Judd in charge of the corn silo rescue, because Judd is the only firefighter on the crew who has dealt with a situation like this and thus knows the dangers involved.
  • In "Act Of God" (1.04), when tornadoes hit the Austin area, Owen refers to Judd's expertise on how to handle the situation.
• Brutal Honesty: A side effect of the drugs that help Iris manage her schizophrenia is they remove her filter. Thus, she’s never intentionally malicious, but she doesn't hold back what's on her mind.
• The Bus Came Back: After being noticeably absent since the end of Season 1, Iris Blake returns in "The New Hotness" (4.01) and is shown to not only now be managing her schizophrenia thanks to medication and counseling but is also working at a shelter helping others suffering from mental illnesses like she was. She is also revealed to be childhood best friends with Carlos.
• Buried Alive: In "Act Of God" (1.04), a father ends up buried under his collapsed house after a tornado tears it apart, he manages to crawl out but his kids are still buried.
• But I Can't Be Pregnant!: Gwyneth in season two, twenty-five years after she and Owen welcomed TK. After the initial shock, it doesn’t keep her from loving the baby any less.
• Camp Gay: Invoked by TK when dealing with the Racist Grandma in "Yee-Haw'' (1.02).
• The Captain:
  • Owen was this to 252 Manhattan Fire House. Currently, Owen is this to the 126 Austin Fire House.
  • Michelle is this to the 126 EMS crew. When she leaves after season 1, that role is given to Tommy Vega, her mentor.
  • Billy Tyson is this to the 121 Fire House.
• Car Cushion: In "Texas Proud" (1.03), a yoga instructor lands on the top of a passing car, when she falls from her balcony.
• Cassandra Truth:
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Owen is warned numerous times about Billy throughout the episode, but chooses to ignore the advice he is given.
    • Judd warns Owen that Billy hates the idea of him, as Billy wanted to rebuild the 126. Owen chooses to goad him in the poker match.
    • Michelle warns Owen to keep an eye on Billy, as he can be a little bit slippery. Owen thinks that Michelle is just being a scorned ex, as Billy told him that they used to have a thing.
• Casting Gag: Lisa Edelstein plays Rob Lowe's ex-wife. They also appeared together in The West Wing, in which Edelstein was a high-priced call girl whom Lowe's character was trying to befriend and reform.
• Catapult Nightmare: What Owen does after he has a night terror about losing his hair.
• Cat Fight: What essentially happens at the strip club in "Studs" (1.05), between one group of ladies and another. Not that we see it, we only see the aftermath.
• Celebrity Paradox: In "Difficult Conversations" (2.05) Paul compares Judd to Dr House. Lisa Edelstein is a recurring actor who appears in the very same episode.
• Cliffhanger:
  • "Texas Proud" (1.03) ends with a woman driving towards a tornado and screaming.
  • "Awakening" (1.09) ends with a call coming through to the 9-1-1 operator center from a space station, warning of something that's going to hit Earth's atmosphere.
• Color Wash: The first season has a noticeable dull yellow filter over its scenes. The second season tones down the filter quite a bit, letting the natural hues of the setting come though better.
• Conspiracy Theorist: During a call-out in "Yee-Haw'' (1.02), the 126 team has to deal with a Conspiracy Theorist that doesn't want to leave his apartment, he thinks the team is there to lure him outside to be killed. Owen decides to play into his delusion in order to get him safely out, the whole team plays along.
  • Tommy's first call in "Back in the Saddle" (2.01) winds up with her, Owen, and a patient getting shot at by a person who believes 5G towers cause COVID.
• Contrived Coincidence: In "Texas Proud" (1.03), Carlos ends up being the officer to process TK when he gets arrested for the Bar Brawl. Carlos' excuse is that Austin isn't that big.
• Crazy-Prepared: In "Studs" (1.05), when TK accompanies Owen to his chemo treatment, he has a whole backpack full of things Owen might need. Including peppermint oil, saltines, headphones, just to name a few.
• Crisis of Faith: After the death of his original team, Judd doesn't see the point of going back to church with his wife.
• Crossover Relatives: In the episode "Hold The Line", a crossover with parent series 9-1-1, Mateo asks the LA crew if they know his cousin Marvin, a minor character from 9-1-1's second season. This doubles as a reference to the fact that Mateo and Marvin are played by the same actor.
  • Marvin comes back later when he needs bail posted for grand theft auto and after Mateo and Nancy help him out he dies stealing another car two hours after his bond was posted.
• Crowd Panic: In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), when poisoned office workers attempt to throw themselves out a window, the whole room - other workers and the emergency services - freak out, not knowing what was causing the suicide attempts.
• Dance Party Ending: The ending of the "Pilot" (1.01) after the team's first successful mission.
• Darker and Edgier: Downplayed. While the main series is no stranger to victims dying or tragedies occurring, the 126 more frequently has to deal with people dying on them or failing to save someone.
• A Day in the Limelight:
  • Paul gets focused on in "Studs" (1.05) and “Tommy Dearest” (4.07).
  • Mateo gets focused on in "Friends Like These" (1.06), "Dust to Dust" (2.14), and “Double Trouble” (4.11).
  • Grace and Judd in "Saving Grace" (2.09) and “Open” (4.13).
    • Separately, Grace gets focus in “Displaced” (2.07) and “Open” (4.13); while Judd is focused on in “The ATX Files” (3.06) and “Spring Cleaning” (3.17).
  • Tommy in "One Day" (2.13), “The ATX Files” (3.06), and “Tommy Dearest” (4.07).
  • TK in "In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency" (3.08).
  • Owen in “Shift-Less” (3.16).
  • Marjan in “Road Kill” (4.09).
  • Carlos would get a large portion of Season 4 for focus, ranging from past friendships, to his family, and a Roaring Rampage of Revenge to find his father's killer.
• Deadly Gas: Accidently made by Michelle in "Studs" (1.05), when treating the He-Man Woman Hater, a chemical reaction was made by the combination of the man's arthritis medication, then putting him on O2 and then using the defibrillator.
• Death Glare: TK gives one to Judd after their fight in "Texas Proud". (1.03)
• A Death in the Limelight:
  • Tim Rosewater in "2100°" (2.02).
  • Gabriel Reyes in “Best of Men” (4.17).
• Description Cut: The season 3 premiere has Owen telling the gang in mid-2021 that they will not stop fighting to keep the station open "until Hell freezes over." Cut to the firehouse closed just as the January 2022 winter storm hits Texas.
• Deus ex Machina: Lampshaded. In "Bum Steer" (1.07), Owen's pride gets him into a situation where he could lose his job as captain of the 126. Judd points out that only an Act of God can save him now and they all should start praying. When Billy Tyson is pushing for Owen's removal is then struck by lightning while playing golf and Owen is able to save the guy's life. This convinces Owen's superiors that he is fit to lead the fire house and saves his hide.
• Didn't Think This Through: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), while trying to prove that he is still fit to be a firefighter, Owen offers to run the firefighter qualifying physical endurance course. He ignores the fact that this is a test that is very hard to pass for a 20 year old in top physical shape, he is much older than 20 years old, he has lung cancer and is suffering from the effects of chemotherapy. When he tries to do a practice run, he passes out 2/3 of the way through the course. Subverted when he performs an extremely physically taxing rescue and saves the life of a fellow firefighter. His superior deems it sufficient proof that he is still physically fit enough to do the job.
• Dirty Coward: In "Act of God" (1.04), when a tornado strikes nearby, a guy panics, abandons his girlfriend and locks himself in the safest place he can think of. After the tornado bypasses the house, the girlfriend is really angry but also relieved that he did not take her with him since the idiot locked himself in his father's gun safe and does not know the combination to open it.
• Disproportionate Retribution: In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), an office full of people is poisoned with mercury causing multiple people to go crazy and fatally harm themselves. Turns out it was revenge by their food delivery person for constantly refusing to tip him and (according to him) treating him like he was invisible when he brought their food.
• Downer Beginning: "Pilot" (1.01) begins with the original 126 firehouse trying to put out a fire at a fertilizer plant. Things seem to be going well... until one of the fertilizer plant's workers reveals that the plant is full of ammonium nitrate. Judd tries to tell his team to get back before the plant explodes, but literally seconds after the call, the plant blows up. Judd was the only one that survived the fire.
• Driver Faces Passenger: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), the accident at the start of the episode is the result of this. The driver turns to face her passenger to grab her phone, to charge it, taking her eyes off the road and straight into the back of the trailer of a truck.
• Eating Contest: Michelle and her crew are called out to the aftermath of a steak eating competition in "Texas Proud" (1.03)
• Eating the Eye Candy: TK is seen enjoying the sight of the half dressed male strippers in "Studs" (1.05).
• Emergency Services: One of the most comprehensive treatments of this trope, incorporating police, fire services (both firefighters and paramedics), and 911 dispatch workers.
• Establishing Character Moment: Our first scene of Marjan is her defying her captain's orders to save two civilians drowning in the water.
• Explosive Stupidity: A paranoid man surrounds his house with a highly illegal minefield. His property is remote enough that he gets away with it for a while but then a couple boys trespass trying to find a crashed drone. He spots the kids after they have already entered the minefield and in his rush to rescue them, he forgets where he buried the mines. He gets blown up by one of his mines and shrapnel injures one of the boys. Firefighters must then risk their lives to rescue the boys before the injured one bleeds out and dies.
• Facial Horror: A platinum tiara is impaled through a woman's cheek in "Studs" (1.05).
• Family-Friendly Stripper: A male equivalent, none of the studs go the full monty in "Studs" (1.05).
• Family of Choice: The 126 is this for TK.
• Film the Hand: In "Act of God" (1.04), Marjan does this to block a news crew filming a recently deceased dad in front of his children.
• Firemen Are Hot: The series is kind to both genders in terms of general attractiveness.
• Fisticuff-Provoking Comment: TK does this just before the Bar Brawl in "Texas Proud" (1.03).
  TK: It's not that she didn't see you. It's that she didn't like what she saw. (TK winks at the drunks)
  (Drunk swings at TK and a fight ensues.)
  • After learning the circumstances behind a woman getting pinned under a car, Owen does this to her abusive husband in order to get him arrested in “Spring Cleaning” (3.17).
  Owen: Are you sure [his two sons] are your kids? ‘Cause they don’t bear much of a resemblance. Got me thinking: (smirks) when was the last time a wife-beating cuck like yourself—?
  (The man throws a right hook at Owen’s face.)
• Five-Second Foreshadowing:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), Grace warns Judd about flammable fertilizer in the burning building he's at, but it's too late to save the other firefighters before it explodes.
  • In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), an elderly woman shakes the hands of every male member of the 126 team but she snubs Marjan and Mateo. She also uses the term "these people", when referring to her neighbors, the ones that she has called the fire department on. It is revealed not long after that, that the woman is a racist.
• Flashback Echo: The fire at the bull semen factory causes Judd to have flashbacks to the 126 fertilizer factory fire in "Studs" (1.05).
• Flat Character: Tim and Nancy from the EMS crew, as of Season 1 serve no character purpose or role other than filling out Captain Blake's paramedic team. After Tim’s death, Nancy’s character gets more rounded out in Season 2.
• Food as Bribe:
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Owen makes Marjan a nutmeg-kiwi smoothie before asking her to help Mateo study for his firefighter written exam.
  • In "Awakening" (1.09), Marjan attempts to become Buttercup's favourite through the use of food. It doesn't work.
• Foreshadowing:
  • A severe weather warning is heard on a car radio part way through "Texas Proud" (1.03), this leads into the plot of "Act of God" (1.04).
  • In "Studs" (1.05), Owen's acquaintance at chemo treatment, lets him know that the medication that they're on can cause the inability to perform in the bedroom. Owen insists that there is nothing wrong with him and everything works fine. The next time he tries to have sex, Owen can't get it up, he insists to his partner that it's never happened to him before.
• Forgotten Anniversary: When Judd comes home and finds Grace dressed up and serving roast on a Monday, he thinks that he's forgotten an important date in "Studs" (1.05).
• Freak Out:
  • TK freaks out a little bit when he attends his dad's chemo for the first time in "Studs" (1.05).
  • Iris freaks out at the hospital when her mother starts talking about her coming home, claiming that she already has a home at Sanctuary Hearts and that Michelle had promised that they were only going for a short drive.
• From Bad to Worse: After a bus flips and hits a fire hydrant in "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), TK attempts to rescue the pinned driver as it begins to fill with water. With none of his usual equipment, TK tries to free the driver's legs, only for a fire to start in the back due to a gas leak. TK tries to use the extinguisher in the bus but it is nearly empty and he is unable to put out the fire, while his back is turned the water is now up to and going over the driver's face. The driver tells TK that he's done everything that he could and that he should leave her to save himself as the bus now fills with smoke. However it does get better, TK performs mouth-to-mouth, continuing to give the driver air while she is under the water and he does this long enough, for the 126 crew to get to the scene, rescuing both him and the driver.
• Given Name Reveal: T.K's full name is revealed to be Tyler Kennedy Strand in "Texas Proud" (1.03).
• Gretzky Has the Ball: In "Studs" (1.05), TK has no idea how bowling works and thinks that a score of 54 is good. Apparently kids bowl in the 60s when they go bowling.
• Group Hug: Mateo initiates one after TK confesses to the team his past drug addiction and overdose and that he wants to continue being a firefighter with the 126 in "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10).
• Help, I'm Stuck!: In "Act of God" (1.04), while driving when a tornado hits, a woman's car ends up stuck upside down in between two buildings, high off the ground with her stuck in it.
• He-Man Woman Hater: In "Studs" (1.05), Michelle and her team attended to one of these after he gets hit in the head with a bottle at a protest he was leading, outside a women's shelter.
• Hero Does Public Service: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), it is revealed that Michelle does volunteer work in her free time to help the homeless people living in a tent city.
• Hollywood Healing: After being shot and falling into a level two coma, TK is released from the hospital the very next day after he wakes up and all he has to show for it is a bandage peeking out of the collar of his shirts.
• Hollywood Science: In "Friends Like These" Mateo gives argon as an example of a "reactive gas" even though as a noble gas argon is one of the least reactive substances in the universe. Its possible the line was misread and he was meant to be giving an example of non-reactive gas instead.
• Hostile Weather: "Act of God" (1.04) is about a tornado going through Austin.
• How We Got Here:
  • After the opening scene in "Act of God" (1.04), where the tornado hits a family's house, the episode starts 12 hours before the tornado hits.
  • After the opening scene in "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), shows TK and Carlos on a date, where they notice cellphones, electric scooters and traffic lights all not working correctly and Michelle's cell phone cutting out while she speaks to her mother at Sanctuary Hearts before getting attacked by the man she pepper sprayed in "Bum Steer" (1.07), the title card shows and then the episode starts 5 minutes before "The Event"
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The height difference between Judd and Grace speaks for itself.
• Human Shield: In "Texas Proud" (1.03), when Marjan's hijab comes off during the silo rescue, Owen and the rest of the 126 form a human wall, shielding her from bystanders that are filming the rescue.
  • Happens again in “The New Hotness” (4.01), when the firefighters have to shield a patient from falling gorilla hail during the first county fair rescue.
• Idiot Ball:
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), after being warned by both Judd and Michelle, Owen thinks it's a good idea to tell Billy, the man is gunning for his captain's position, about his lung cancer and that he's doing chemo while working. Owen tells him all about nearly passing out doing bench presses and sneaking off to throw up. Billy turns around and tells the Deputy Fire Chief of his condition.
  • In "The Big Heat", Owen and Gabriel (Carlos's father) are told by a serial arsonist that he will "take away what's most important to [them]." Despite the fact that they know that the arsonist knows their respective sons are in a relationship, neither of them think to warn Carlos or TK. Owen's first thought is of the firehouse, and while he was right that it would be attacked, he seems to believe that there is nothing further to worry about until several hours later. The result? Carlos and TK's house burns down, while the two are at home, and only very nearly make it out.
• Ignorant About Fire: The first episode opens with a security guard at a fertilizer plant trying to microwave something while it was still in its foil. After the mess catches fire, he tries to put it out and dumps it in the garbage with piles of flammable materials. The resulting fire eventually causes the fertilizer to explode, killing the entire firefighting squad except for Judd.
• The Illegal: Mateo is a Dreamer, he wasn't born in the USA, his parents brought him over the border when he was two. If Mateo fails to pass his written exam, he won't just wash out, he will be deported.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
  • In "Studs" (1.05), one of the ladies at the strip club gets a platinum tiara impaled through her cheek.
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), a farmer falls under his swather, his legs get impaled by the blades.
• Impeded Communication: The solar flare in "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), causes communication devices, such as radios, tvs and cell phones to not work correctly.
• I Never Said It Was Poison: In "Awakening" (1.09), Zoe tells TK that it's common for people to question their life choice after a Near-Death Experience, TK tells her that he's always wanted to be a firefighter even since he was a kid. Zoe says she never mentioned anything about being a firefighter.
• Innocently Insensitive: In "Act of God" (1.04), Judd, while explaining why he doesn't want to go back to church, accidently insults Grace's faith.
  Judd: So you gotta forgive me if the last thing I wanna do in the world right now is, you know, like, raise my hands up like some sort of singing half-wit and praise His name.
  Grace: That's what you think I am. Some singing half-wit?
  Judd: I didn't mean you.
• In-Series Nickname: After their first rescue goes viral, the media refers to the firefighters as #TheDreamTeam.
• Insistent Terminology: In "Studs" (1.05), one of the ladies in the strip club fight insists that she is wearing a tiara, not a crown.
• Instant Birth: Just Add Labor!: In "Awakening" (1.09), the stress of the accident at the gender reveal party causes the expecting mother to go into labour and have the baby right then and there. Could be justified as this is her fourth child and she knows what she's meant to be feeling.
• Instant Web Hit:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), the Instagram video of Marjan's water rescue has over 6 million likes, it gets 3 million more in one night after Cardi B reposts the video.
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), a video of the new 126 Fire House's very first rescue of a pregnant mother and her baby has already racked up over 2 million views and they are trending as ''#TheDreamTeam.''
  • In "Texas Proud" (1.03), the video of Marjan losing her hijab becomes another viral hit, hitting 6 million views on Instagram within a day.
• Internal Reveal:
  • In "Texas Proud" (1.03), TK explains to Carlos the reasoning for his freak out in "Yee-Haw (1.02)", TK tells him of his previous relationship break down and then his relapse with substances.
  • In "Act of God" (1.04), TK works out on his own that Owen has cancer and confronts Owen as to why he didn't tell him himself.
  • In "Studs" (1.05), TK tells Mateo and Paul about his failed proposal. Later, toward the end of their bowling date, Paul comes out as trans to Josie, which she takes poorly.
  • In "Bum Steer" (1.07), the rest of the 126 find out that Owen has cancer. And in that same episode, Billy tells Judd that running the firefighter qualifying physical endurance course was Owen's idea.
  • In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), TK tells the rest of the 126 about his drug addiction and overdose.
• In the Blood: T.K is a firefighter, just like his dad. As of “Everyone And Their Brother” (2.06), he is now The Medic on Tommy’s team, though they often work with the 126 on calls.
• Irony: In "Awakening" (1.09), a father wanted to know how his son was able to get a toy car stuck up his nose, he tries it and then gets the toy stuck in his nose.
• I Take Offense to That Last One: During a call-out in "Yee-Haw" (1.02), the Racist Grandma that called the fire department is more concerned about being called old, than a racist.
  Hector: She may look like a sweet old lady, but she's an evil racist.
  Ellen: Who you calling old?
  Hector: Really? That's the part that upset you?
  Ellen: I am not a racist.
• It's a Small World, After All: TK can't believe that Carlos is the officer that is going to process him after his arrest in "Texas Proud" (1.03). Carlos retorts that Austin isn’t that big of a city.
• It's Personal: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Billy's hatred of Owen. When the 126 tragedy struck, Billy put his hat into the ring to rebuild the station, however, he was passed over for Owen and was put over to be the captain of the 121 Station.
• I Want Grandkids: In "Awakening" (1.09), Judd's father agrees to wear an alarm at home if his son gives him a grandchild.
• Jerkass: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Mateo's old captain is the one to read him his exam, not believing that Mateo is actually dyslexic and is surprised that someone is actually using the Disability Act card to redo their exam.
• Jerk Jock: In "A Little Help From My Friends" (2.10), a Rugby team pretends to be friends with a classmate working at an ice cream shop to get freebies. His attempt to fix a broken machine ends in a bloody accident, and the jocks start laughing and recording it on their phones. Marjan cheerfully confronts the group afterwards, revealing that she's posted video of their cruel behavior to her Instagram and its going viral.
• Lethally Stupid:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), a security guard microwaves his food without removing any of the foil. This sets the plastic plate on fire. Rather than putting out the very small fire, he tosses the burning plate into the garbage can which is full of flammable material. He then freezes and stares as the fire starts spreading to other items in the break room. By the time he tries to get help, the fire is out of control. He amazingly survives, but most of Fire House 126 is killed trying to put the fire out.
  • In "Bum Steer" (1.07), the owner of a used car lot is having a huge sale and wants to promote it by bringing in a special guest: a championship rodeo bull. He is warned that taking the bull out of its trailer is a bad idea but he insists that the public must see the bull up close or they are gonna go home disappointed. Rodeo bulls are not known for their calm demeanor and the noise and bustle of the crowded car lot make the bull extremely antsy. Then a red car drives in front of it and the bull goes on a rampage overturning cars and charging at people. Multiple people are gored with life-threatening injuries.
  • A man surrounds his house with a minefield, ignoring the fact that children are prone to ignoring "No Trespassing" signs and that first responders might have to enter your property without asking for permission. Two boys enter the minefield looking for a lost drone, the owner of the minefield gets blown up by one of his mines and then firefighters almost die rescuing the boys.
  • A hospital orderly is not paying attention and ignores multiple warning signs when he wheels a patient into the wrong room. The wrong room turns out to be the MRI room where the super powerful magnet is currently in operation. The orderly is crushed between the machine and the metal gurney, the patient is hurt in the fall, and the patient inside the MRI almost dies when her neck is punctured by a piece of metal.
• "L" Is for "Dyslexia": In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Mateo revealed to be severely dyslexic, this is the reason as to why he keeps failing his written exams.
• Little "No": In "Texas Proud" (1.03), Carlos says this, as he and Owen watch the video of the yoga instructor attempting to hang from her balcony and then falling.
• The Loins Sleep Tonight: Is discussed by another chemo patient in "Studs" (1.05). Letting Owen know that the medication they're on has consequences. Owen assures him that there is nothing wrong with his equipment.
• Making Love in All the Wrong Places: In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), Carlos and T.K. have sex in Carlos' lounge room.
• Man Hug:
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), between Owen and Billy, before Owen gives Billy a tour of the new station.
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), between Owen and Mateo after he passed his written exam.
  • In "Bum Steer" (1.07), between Owen and TK, after Owen reveals that he's still going to be captain of the 126.
  • In "Awakening" (1.09), between TK and Mateo after TK comes to the fire station after being released from the hospital after waking from his coma. Mateo quickly backs off when he avergrates TK's bullet wound, with apologies.
• Man on Fire:
  • One of the guests, during "Awakening" (1.09), at a gender reveal party catches fire due to the reaction of the starched-based pink dust and the open flame of the BBQ he was standing next to.
  • “The Big Heat” (2.12) sees an intentional example with the real arsonist of the arc revealing to Owen and Gabriel that he’d covered himself in aluminum powder beforehand, and setting himself on fire to avoid going to prison.
• Microwave Misuse: In the "Pilot" (1.01), a distracted night security worker puts a burrito into the microwave with the foil still on. This causes the contents to catch fire and become the starting point of the 126 Fire House tragedy.
• Missing Child: In "Act Of God" (1.04), during a tornado, a father is separated from his two children. In the morning, the father is able to dig himself out of the ruins of his house and can't find his children anywhere. He has to be held back by the firefighters so he does not run into danger. He then has to wait while the firefighters insert microphones into the pile of debris and then listen for any signs of life.
• Mission Control: In "Act of God" (1.04), when Owen goes into a collapsed house to rescue two kids, TK tells him where he should be going via a tablet that's connected to Owen's body camera.
• Mistaken for Gay: In "Studs" (1.05), Zoe thinks that Owen is gay after he lets her know the best way to get rid of dark circles under her eyes.
  Owen: So well, um, with your skin tone, I wouldn't bother with concealer. I would go right to the spoons.
  Zoe: Spoons?
  Owen: Yeah, spoons. You know, you put a spoon in the freezer overnight, and in the morning, you rub it here. (points to under his eyes) It reduces the fluid under your eye, and the cold takes away the puffiness. You look supple and fresh.
  Zoe: Does that really work?
  Owen: Proof's in the pudding. Would you believe I'm coming off a 24-hour shift?
  Zoe: You're a doctor?
  Owen: Firefighter.
  Zoe: So, wow. You're perfect. Well Why don't they make straight ones like you?
  Owen: Um.
• Mistaken for Suicidal:
  • In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), the office worker is thought to be this, everyone changes their minds when numerous other workers begin to try and fatally harm themselves as well.
  • In "Texas Proud" (1.03), a yoga instructor that falls onto the top of a car, is first believed to be a jumper, instead she was doing a stunt for YouTube, trying to show that she was strong enough to hang off her balcony by her legs. She wasn't.
• Multinational Team: The firefighter team consists of four Caucasians, one African American, one Latino, and one Muslim.
• Murder by Suicide: In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), the delivery guy from the first call-out killed at least one of the office workers, by having them throw themselves out a window due to the mercury poisoning.
• My God, You Are Serious!: The team assume Owen is going on about aliens to calm down a conspiracy buff...only to realize he really believes it.
  Owen: Who do you think built the pyramids?
  Mateo:...The Egyptians.
  Owen: [laughing in disbelief] Okay.
• Named After Somebody Famous: Tim named his pet cat Buster because he was a fan of Buster Keaton.
• Near-Death Experience:
  • In "Monster Inside" (1.08), TK is shot through the chest by a scared kid and ends up in a coma, with the team not knowing if he'll wake up.
  • In "Awakening" (1.09), a father nearly dies when he falls head first into a very narrow hole while spelunking with his son. How he falls puts pressure onto his chest and he nearly stops breathing. The 126 are able to rescue him with the help of the man's son.
  • In “Thin Ice” (3.02), TK gets another one from falling into a frozen lake to pull out a child, and then developing near-fatal hypothermia that puts him in a coma again until “Push” (3.04).
  • In “Abandoned” (4.04), Carlos is forcefully injected with a full vial of morphine after subduing a serial killer, by said killer’s elderly mother. Fortunately, TK and Gabriel arrive in time to perform CPR, and call for backup respectively.
• Nepotism: Judd believes that this is the case with TK, while working under his father.
• Never Tell Me the Odds!: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), Owen tells Judd this, after Judd asks what are the odds of him passing the CPAT test.
• Next Thing They Knew: In "Studs" (1.05), Zoe mistakes Owen for being gay, he proves her wrong and they end up having sex, well at least attempt to Owen ends up suffering from The Loins Sleep Tonight.
• Nose Shove:
  • The 126 respond to a call involving a child shoving a toy car up his nose, in "Awakening" (1.09).
    • They are then called back again to the same house because the child's father wanted to know how his child got the toy car in his nose and the dad got it stuck as well.
• Nothing Personal: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Billy tells Owen that telling the Deputy Fire Chief about his cancer was nothing personal, just an opportunity arose and he took it.
• Offscreen Breakup: In the “Pilot” (1.01), we don't actually see the moment T.K and his boyfriend Alex break up.
  • Two months after their house fire in “The Big Heat” (2.12), we don’t see how TK and Carlos separate from each other, and neither particularly want to talk about it when asked by Nancy and Marjan. It’s zigzagged later in “Push” (3.04), where TK reveals to an imagined version of Gwen the real reason: when Carlos purchased a new loft they both wanted out-of-pocket without telling him and knowing that TK wasn’t financially stable enough to contribute, TK was so shocked by this that he “blew up” and walked away, leaving Carlos heartbroken. At the end of the episode, we still don’t see them talk through and come to terms with this situation, but Carlos successfully surprises TK the second time and the two happily move into the loft.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), when Owen shows little to no concern that "his baby", the expensive espresso machine he got shipped from Italy - according to Marjan, has stopped working, the whole team knows that something isn't right and are concerned.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), Judd has this reaction when he hears that there is a large quantity of explosive fertilizer stored at the site of the fire Fire House 126 is trying to put out. The warning is too late.
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), this is the team's reaction when the pregnant mother they have just saved, asks about her child and not the one in her belly. She had her 10 month old in the back seat.
  • In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), Mateo has this reaction when Owen walks in and his espresso machine is not working.
• The One Guy: Tim Rosewater, is this for EMS 126. Until his death in "2500°" (2.02).
• Oops! I Forgot I Was Married: In "The New Hotness" (4.01), Carlos reveals to TK that he is still technically married to his best friend after they were both at a low point in their lives. The issue? Said best friend is Iris Blake.
• Parental Abandonment: TK claims in "Awakening" (1.09) that when he was 7, Owen left their family after the 9/11 tragedy and became entirely focused on his firehouse family instead.
• Parent-Child Team: Owen and T.K. work together as a father/son firefighter duo. After the events of “Everyone and their Brother” (2.06), the duo is broken up when TK switches jobs to become a paramedic on Tommy’s team.
• Parental Marriage Veto: In the "Pilot" (1.01), Owen doesn't think T.K. should propose to his boyfriend, as they aren't even living together yet. But he tells T.K. that if he decides to go through with it, he's happy for him.
• Percussive Maintenance: In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), Mateo attempts to fix the fire house's expensive espresso machine this way after it stops working.
• Playing Nice for Now: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), Michelle promises Carlos that she'll play nice with the detective that is working her sister's case, even though Michelle says that she has been doing a good job for the past 3 years and she's mean to her.
• Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo: In the "Pilot" (1.01), Michelle and her crew are called out to the end results of a prank involving this.
• Poker: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Judd holds a friendly game of Texas Hold 'em with other firefighters from around town.
• Political Overcorrectness: This seems to be Billy Tyson's issue with Owen as he claims Owen's attempts to make a "diverse" station house are just weakening it, not considering that Owen really is picking folks off their abilities and not only "checking off boxes."
• Poor Communication Kills:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), Fire House 126 was sent out to put out an out-of-control fire and were not warned that the facility housed a large quantity of explosive fertilizer. In addition, Judd was the only one in radio contact with dispatch so the warning was relayed to him first. He is too far away from the team to warn them in time and Judd ends up as the Sole Survivor.
  • This is lampshaded when various people warn Owen about keeping his cancer secret from family and friends. The longer he avoids telling them, the worse the situation will be when they find out on their own.
  • Just as Owen and Catherine's relationship is clicking in “Riddle of the Sphinx” (3.13), Catherine says her ex-husband Patrick will be stopping by who's "the spitting image" of Owen. Patrick comes by...a man in his 70s who's balding and a dull attitude. This causes Owen to mistakenly think that Catherine prefers older men, and later a raging argument on her "daddy issues". At which point, in comes Patrick, a handsome man who not only looks like Owen but shares the same interests. Turns out the Patrick Owen met earlier was Patrick Senior, his father. Owen tries to backtrack but it's too late and this misunderstanding (and his own insecurities) causes Catherine to storm out and later break up with him (although she has a tiny bit of blame for never mentioning her ex was Patrick Jr.).
• Quicksand Sucks: A variation occurs in "Texas Proud" (1.03) with a corn silo. Corn stored in a silo can develop air pockets that can collapse and suck in a person standing on top of the corn. The victim then starts sinking. Rescue is difficult because the corn exerts a lot of pressure on the victim's body and if you try to pull the person straight out, you could literally rip him/her in half.
• Racist Grandma: A call-out in "Yee-Haw" (1.02) is from an elderly woman, who calls the fire department on her neighbors who were using a BBQ pit that was spreading smoke into her yard. The neighbors, who turn out to be Hispanic, come out and the father of the family informs the 126 team that the woman is a racist who once called the cops on him during his daughter's birthday party just because they were waving around a baseball bat at a pinata. When Owen is about to make a citizen arrest on her for making a nuisance 9-1-1 call, the woman fakes having a heart attack. But when Marjan tries to give her CPR, the woman refuses because Marjan is Muslim (and presumably because she's a woman as well). She looks to Owen to do it, but he declines since he isn't CPR certified. She then asks T.K. to do it, but changes her mind when T.K. admits that he's gay. She then turns to Judd, but he declines as well (probably standing with his team in solidarity). To try and prove that she's not racist, the woman asks Paul, an African-American, to perform CPR on her. But when Paul admits that he's transgender, the woman finally gives up and tells Owen to arrest her.
  T.K: Cap, we can't take her to jail if she's having a heart attack.
  Owen: I know. Marjan, take her BP.
  Marjan: On it, Cap.
  Owen: Maybe give her some mouth-to-mouth.
  Ellen: No! Not her.
  Marjan: So maybe you're not having a heart attack?
  Ellen: I am. I definitely am! Can't you do it?
  Owen: Not certified.
  Ellen: Oh. How about him? [points to TK]
  TK: Sure, ma'am, but just so you know, I am a homosexual.
  Ellen: Oh.
  Judd: [Ellen points to Judd] No.
  Ellen: He can do it. [Ellen points to Paul] I told you I am not a racist! You're not a homosexual, are you?
  Paul: Oh, no, ma'am. But I am trans, though.
  Ellen: [Ellen puts her hands up] Take me to jail.
• Real Men Cook: The men in the 126 are shown cooking meals at least once.
  • Carlos makes a midnight fish dinner for TK in “Yee-Haw” (1.02).
  • In "Act of God" (1.04), Paul cooks dinner for the 126 crew. He complains that the crew is the hardest bunch of people to cook for.
  Paul: Man, it is halal, gluten-free, nitrate-free, because y'all are the hardest bunch of people to cook for.
  • Owen is better-known for preparing smoothies and believing in ultra-healthy diets (to the point that he bans processed foods in his household), and is shown making turmeric milk in “The ATX Files” (3.06).
  • TK is shown making Beef Wellington and a salad for him and Carlos at the end of “Swipe Left” (4.12).
• Relationship Upgrade: In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), TK and Carlos are boyfriends. After “A Bright and Cloudless Morning” (3.18), they plan to get married; and they officially become husbands in “In Sickness and in Health” (4.18).
• Required Spinoff Crossover: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), Pepper (Erin Karpluk), a character from episode "Christmas Spirit" (3.10) of 9-1-1, has moved to Austin after being released from jail, and completing a court-mandated training on anger management as a result of her previous actions.
• Rescue Romance: In "Studs" (1.05), Paul helps Josie after a fight at a strip club, they strike a flirty texting relationship and end up going on a date. They only have one date, after Paul reveals that he's trans.
• Revenge: The man that Michelle pepper sprayed in the face in "Bum Steer" (1.07), surprises Michelle in "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), in her van and smashes her head into the steering wheel, knocking her out. He then steals her van.
• Reverse Psychology: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), during the poker game, Owen is able to make it look like he's faking having a good hand. Allowing him to get Billy to go all in and then lose the hand.
• Romantic Wingman: In "Studs" (1.05), TK is this to Paul, hyping him up and helping to convince Paul to go on a date with Josie.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Tim points out that it's against protocol to do a person to person blood transfusion, but Michelle says if they follow protocol their patient won't make it.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), the delivery guy who poisoned a bunch of office workers with mercury tries to run away once Marjan mentions the mercury-laced food. He doesn't get very far.
  • In "Act of God" (1.04), when the tornados hit, a man gets scared and locks himself in his parents gun safe, leaving his girlfriend behind.
  • In "Bum Steer" (1.07), after getting pepper sprayed in the face by Michelle, the man attempts to rob her van bolts for it.
• Secret-Keeper: Judd is this for Owen, as he is the only one that Owen has told about the cancer. T.K. works it out in "Act Of God" (1.04).
• Self-Defenseless: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), Michelle sprays a man that was trying to break into her volunteer van, in the face with pepper spray. The man is able to run away without much trouble.
• Self-Harm: In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), the mercury-laced food causes many of the office workers to inflict injuries to themselves, one woman hits her head against a window with enough force to smash the glass, another man stabs himself in the chest with office equipment.
• Sexiness Score: In "Texas Proud", Carlos confesses to Michelle he is insecure about asking out T.K. even after they hooked up because "he's a ten [out of ten]".
• Sexless Marriage: In "Studs" (1.05), Grace reveals that Judd and her haven't had sex since the 126 tragedy, which was 4 months ago.
• Shirtless Scene:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), the new 126 members, minus Paul and Marjan, are shirtless in the locker room.
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), T.K. is seen working out shirtless.
  • In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), TK and Carlos are both shirtless as they make out.
  • In "Studs" (1.05), the opening scene is at male strip club, all five strippers get down to their underwear, before a fight breaks out between two ladies watching the show.
• Shock Party: The gender reveal party, in "Awakening" (1.09), doesn't just involve the 126 crew turning up, but the stress of an accident happening ends up causing the mother to go into labour. While the couple were told that they were expecting a girl, the mother gives birth to a son, making that the 4th boy.
• Shout-Out:
  • In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), the situation with the office workers going insane and trying to harm themselves reminds the team of Bird Box.
  • In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), when Owen has a nightmare about losing his hair, Marjan refers to him as Lex and tells him Superman just left.
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), when on a call out involving a blood covered dog, Marjan name drops Cujo.
  • In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Paul says they're doing the Lassie thing, when the dog runs off and wants the team to follow him.
  • In "Bum Steer" (1.07), Judd misinterprets Owen quoting Indiana Jones when he says to never tell him the odds, Owen corrects him saying that it was actually Han Solo.
  • There's one to the mothership series in "Awakening" (1.09). Judd mentions hearing about a firefighter in Los Angeles who got impaled through the head with rebar and was back to work in a matter of weeks.
• Shrine to the Fallen: There's a wall with the pictures of the fallen members of the original 126 team in the rebuilt 126 fire house.
• Slow-Motion Fall: TK does this in "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), after Owen pulls him out of the flooding/burning bus.
• Slut-Shaming: After the video of Marjan losing her hijab goes viral "Texas Proud" (1.3), she is told by another member of the mosque that she needs to find a new place to worship because she is too proud.
• So Proud of You: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Owen tells Mateo that he's proud of him after Mateo passes his written exam.
• Social Media Before Reason:
  • One of the cases in "Texas Proud" (1.03) is a yoga instructor who tries to hang off her balcony with her legs for a YouTube video. When the team responds, the first thing she asks for is her phone.
  • In "Bum Steer" (1.07), while the rodeo bull goes on his rampage, a lot of bystanders are seen still hanging around and filming the event. Not caring for their own safety.
• Soft Glass: Averted in "Yee-Haw" (1.02), it takes a lot of effort for the office worker to break the window with her head, when the 126 arrive and find her fallen body, Judd mentions that the windows are all tempered to withstand hurricanes.
• Solar Flare Disaster: What causes the widespread electrical failures and subsequent emergencies throughout Austin during "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10).
• Sole Survivor:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), Owen is this to his Manhattan Fire House on 9/11.
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), Judd is this to the original 126 Fire House after a rescue call ends in tragedy.
• Spinoff: Is one to 9-1-1.
• Space Station: In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), Grace intercepts a call from an astronaut on the International Space Station.
• Story Arc:
  • Owen is dealing with the discovery that he has lung cancer, and how that's going to affect his life, job and relationship with his son.
  • Michelle's ongoing mission to find out what happened to her missing sister.
  • Owen stumbles onto an investigation of a serial arsonist, which puts him at temporary odds with both Billy and the Texas Rangers.
• Stuff Blowing Up: In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), a plane caught in unpowered power lines, explodes after an electrical surge.
• Sudden Lack of Signal:
  • In "Act of God" (1.04), Owen's GPS signal cuts out when the house he's in collapses on top of him and the kids he's rescuing.
  • In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), due to a solar flare, cellphones all around Austin stop working properly.
• Surprise Car Crash: In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), due to the traffic lights all being green at the same time, a garbage truck t-bones a bus, causing it to flip.
• Surprisingly Sudden Death: The first part of Season 4's two part finale, "Best of Men", ends with everyone bonding and/or starting to recover, giving a general Hope Spot. Then Gabriel Reyes is shot point blank in the chest while prepping to be Carlos' best man for his and T.K.'s wedding. The second part of the finale, "In Sickness and in Health", would focus on the aftermath as Carlos tries to discover who killed his father and why.
• Tampering with Food and Drink:
  • In the "Pilot" (1.01), Michelle and her crew are called out to deal with the end results of a prank between cousins that could have been fatal without Michelle's quick thinking.
  • In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), a delivery worker laces the food he brings to an office with mercury.
• Tempting Fate: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), while playing golf, it starts to rain, Owen attempts to move his conversation with Billy indoors, Billy asks him if he's afraid of a little weather. Billy ends up getting struck by lightning.
• That's an Order!: Judd tells TK this, word for word in "Texas Proud" (1.03), as he goes to take off his safety harness, to try and save Marjan from the corn silo. TK disobeys and ends up sucked under with Marjan.
• There Are No Therapists: Averted. Judd is seeing a therapist, with Grace, to help deal with his PTSD from the original 126 tragedy, during "Yee-Haw" (1.02).
  • It’s also averted with Tommy after her husband Charles’ sudden death.
  • The same is said for Owen after the events of “Impulse Control” (3.14), leading to him remembering the childhood trauma that fed into his anger management issues.
• Time Skip: 6 months have passed between the 126 Fire House tragedy and Owen and TK moving to Austin.
• Time-Delayed Death: In "Act of God" (1.04), a father refuses to seek medical attention when he crawls out from under his collapsed house, instead he is too worried about his kids that are still trapped inside. It turns out that he sustained major internal injuries. So while his kids are rescued, safe and sound, he ends up dying due to the internal bleeding.
• Those Two Guys: Tim and Nancy of the EMS.
• Timmy in a Well: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), the 126 is called in to assist with a dog that has cornered two young girls on the roof of a car. The dog is trying to get someone to follow him, as his owner has fallen and gotten stuck under the blades of his swather. Owen notices that the dog is covered in blood, before the dog runs off and wants the team to follow him.
• Title Drop: At the very end of "Yee-Haw' (1.02), Owen puts on a cowboy hat exclaims "Yee-Haw" while looking at himself in a mirror.
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • In "Texas Proud" (1.03), a yoga instructor with a web show tries to show off to her viewers by hanging upside down from her balcony using only her leg muscles to keep her from falling. Turns out her leg muscles were not that strong. She survives the multi-story fall, but her body is horribly mangled.
  • In "Act of God" (1.04), when the tornado hits,a man locks himself in the safest place he can think of: his father's large gun safe. He quickly discovers the obvious problems: the safe is airtight, it opens from the outside and he does not know the combination.
  • In "Act of God" (1.04), when the tornado hits, instead of staying safe in the bathroom with his kids, a father goes back out to his lounge room to rescue the family cat. While trying to reach the cat from under the couch, the tornado hits their house, blowing out the windows and taking off the roof.
  • In "Awakening" (1.09), a man was curious to how his son stuck a car up a nose . . . only to get it stuck up his nose himself.
• Training Montage: In "Bum Steer" (1.07), Owen, working with TK, trains to run the firefighter qualifying physical endurance course. Owen ends up collapsing right at the end, unable to complete the training under the time limit.
• Trauma-Induced Amnesia: After waking up from his coma, TK reveals that he doesn't remember getting shot and has to ask Owen what happened.
• Training Montage: In "Friends Like These" (1.06), Mateo is seen in numerous scenes with headphones in, listening to the audio files of his team member reciting relevant textbook for his written exam.
• Trans Relationship Troubles: In "Studs" (1.05), Paul is worried about going on a date with Josie, due to the fact that she doesn't know that he's trans and he's afraid of how she'll react. The date goes well and Josie really likes Paul, but after Paul reveals that he's trans, Josie admits unfortunately that him being trans is something that she can't get past. She is quite apologetic about how she reacted the night before when Paul told her the truth.
• Two Guys and a Girl: When hiring/recruiting new talent for the new 126 Fire House, Owen hires two guys, Paul and Mateo, and one girl, Marjan.
• Tyrant Takes the Helm: Billy becomes the new deputy chief and his first order of business is shutting down the 126.
• Vomit Discretion Shot:
  • Owen throws up after drinking too much, in "Texas Proud" (1.03), but it's not shown.
  • In "Act of God" (1.04), after Owen has his chemo treatment, he ends up throwing up back at the firehouse, but it's not shown.
• Vomit Indiscretion Shot:
  • In the “Pilot” (1.01), after TK is successfully revived from his heartbreak-induced overdose, we see him vomiting on the floor of his apartment just before he’s able to sit up.
• Wanted a Son Instead: The family of the gender reveal party, in "Awakening" (1.09), already have three boys and the parents were looking forward to finally having a little girl, just like the pink cloud said. Turns out the gender revealed at the party was wrong and they get another boy, with the mother bursting into tears at the news.
• Wall Bang: In "Yee-Haw" (1.02), one of the poisoned office workers bangs her head against a large window. She is able to smash through it and fall to her death.
• Wedding Finale: The last ten minutes of “In Sickness and in Health” (4.18) see TK and Carlos getting married with their families and friends looking on.
• Wham Shot:
  • "Bum Steer" (1.07), ends with Michelle crying as the truck that Iris was last seen in is pulled out from where it crashed.
  • "Monster Inside" (1.08), ends with the reveal that Iris is alive and at Sanctuary Hearts, the very place Michelle volunteers at.
  • "The Big Heat" (2.12), Tommy finds her husband Charles dead in the recliner in the living room, moments after arriving home after successfully saving TK and Carlos from a deliberately set fire at their home.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: In "Austin, We Have A Problem" (1.10), the man that attacked Michelle and stole her van, isn't mentioned again and we don't find out what happened to the van.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: In "Monster Inside" (1.08), Judd makes it clear that he is not the biggest fan of snakes at all.
• Worthy Opponent: In "Bum Steer" (1x07), Billy wants to put Owen out of the 126 fire house to "save" it. He even smirks that as soon as Owen quits, he'll fire the entire station personnel. When he's hit by a lightning bolt, Billy is saved by Owen which proves he's fit for duty. Coming to see Billy in the hospital, Owen doesn't gloat but instead offers Billy to keep at work as he likes someone who's willing to challenge him. Realizing he owes Owen his life, Billy accepts the offer, now clearly respecting Owen more.
• You Are in Command Now: Judd is temporarily in charge of the 126 in "Awakening" (1.09), while Owen stays with TK at the hospital while he's in his coma.
  • Happens again in 2.10 when Owen has to rest after undergoing his last surgery.
• You Need to Get Laid: In "Studs" (1.05), Grace's friend Colleen, insists that 4 months without sex is too long and that Grace and Judd need to fix that aspect of their relationship.
• You Won't Feel a Thing!: In "Awakening" (1.09), Paul promises a young boy that he won't be in any pain when he pulls a toy car out from his nose. Turns out that removing an object that is wedged in hard from one's nose does hurt and the boy calls out Paul for lying to him. The team teases Paul for lying to a child.

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