The new show 9-1-1: Nashville isn’t so hot according to locals of Music City, with one calling it a “laugh/cringe challenge.”
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Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear’s latest 9-1-1 franchise expansion, 9-1-1: Nashville, premiered on ABC on Thursday. The show, much like the rest of the franchise, brings together a mix of first responders tackling emergencies while juggling their messy personal lives.
The series introduces Captain Don Hart (Chris O’Donnell), a firehouse chief, and his son, Lt. Ryan Hart (Michael Provost), who both share a passion for firefighting and… bull riding. The Firehouse 113 crew also features Taylor Thompson (Hailey Kilgore), a singer/songwriter (this is Nashville, after all), and Roxie Alba (Juani Feliz), an adrenaline-junkie physician turned paramedic. Handling 911 calls is Cammie Raleigh (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), who, naturally, also has musical ambitions.
Of course, the debut episode is absolutely brimming with catastrophes. Think: an collapsing concert rig (a tornado meeting pyrotechnics), a drunken bachelorette party causing havoc, and a truly over-the-top scene involving a little girl and a kite. (Yes, she sails away while holding the kite, because, sure.)
Just turned on tv to 911 Nashville and there’s a little girl zippin through the sky holding onto a kite. Liiike….what…. pic.twitter.com/FT3NU4vgoZ
— Nettey Farol (@Nettey128) October 10, 2025
While Ryan Murphy (who also created totally grounded gems like American Horror Story and Feud) isn’t exactly known for being subtle, Nashvillians couldn’t quite stomach the most absurd moments in 9-1-1: Nashville’s first episode.
Nashvillians Roast 9-1-1: Nashville
Unsurprisingly, the denizens of r/nashville didn’t hold back, flooding the subreddit with threads dissecting the episode’s wildly implausible moments and its… unique artistic rendering of Music City.
“That flying kite scene was about the dumbest s— I’ve ever seen on television,” one blunt top comment read. “They jumped the shark in the first episode,” one onlooker agreed, with another adding, “The catfish, they jumped the catfish.”
“Easily the worst show I’ve ever seen,” a third onlooker chimed in.
Other TV watchers seemed to struggle with the campy tone of the show. “It felt like I was watching a try not to laugh/cringe challenge,” one Reddit user admitted. “I think you’re supposed to laugh. I think,” another user offered.
That said, at least one thread on r/nashville defended the already infamous kite scene.
“It established the Kimberly Williams-Paisley character as being competent and cool under pressure, able to come up with solutions on the spot,” the user insisted.
“Maybe most of all, it was a ‘weed out’ scene, like that 101 class that lets the people who have no business in that major know that they’re in over their heads,” the user continued. “Basically, if you bailed at this scene, then this show is simply not for you. Better to know now rather than later, eh?”
Another open-minded Nashvillian gave 9-1-1: Nashville a glowing review.
“It. Has. Everything! Rogue roadie, check. Firefighter/calf roper team, father and son, check. Secret son who happens to be a stripper whose persona is a firefighter, check! Singer/songwriter/firefighter, check,” they gushed.
“The terrible, stiff acting is only the cherry on top. I love it!” they added.
Campy hijinks aside, the mundane moments about Nashville on the show make locals really agitated.
“The most absurd part was that it made parking in Nashville look easy,” yet another critic deadpanned.
New 9-1-1: Nashville episode air Thursdays on ABC.