The 'Suits' star will play a character whose life is forever changed as a result of the pandemic.
Gina Torres is joining the 9-1-1: Lone Star family.
The Suits star has been cast as a new series regular in season 2 of Fox's Texas-set 9-1-1 spinoff, the network announced Thursday, playing a character who has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Torres will play Paramedic Captain Tommy Vega, who was at the top of her game when she hung up her uniform to raise her twin daughters. Life was pleasant for eight years until COVID-19 changed her life. When her husband's restaurant goes under as a result of the pandemic, Tommy is forced to re-enter the workforce to support her family -- showing the world that no matter how much time has passed, when she puts on the uniform, she's still a boss.
Filming is scheduled to begin on season 2 later this fall in Los Angeles for an early 2021 premiere.
“We are so excited to be expanding our 9-1-1-verse with the addition of Gina Torres,” said showrunner and co-creator Tim Minear. “I've been dying to write for her again ever since Firefly. Gina brings warmth, intelligence and command to everything she does. 2020 is finally looking up.”
With Torres' casting, 9-1-1: Lone Star is the latest major network drama to incorporate the pandemic into the fabric of its series, joining Grey's Anatomy and This Is Us. It wouldn't be surprising if the 9-1-1 flagship series also works in COVID-19 into its upcoming season, as the franchise lives in the same universe.
Days before a national shutdown was ordered in March, ET spoke with Minear about the likelihood of a pandemic being written into 9-1-1: Lone Star.
"You know, it's interesting, because I almost did that for the finale and I'm quite glad I didn't, because I'm sure they would've probably pulled the episodes. Pandemics are tricky because first of all, just based on what the country's going through right now, one doesn't want to turn that into entertainment," Minear said at the time. "But also, it's tricky, because you basically put your stars in these spacesuits and you can't see their faces. It's just not that interesting to look at."
Seems they've figured out a way.
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