‘It’s a Declaration of War’

As firenadoes continue to rip through 9-1-1: Nashville, an even more explosive force is brewing between Blythe (Jessica Capshaw) and Dixie (LeAnn Rimes).

Blythe has always known that her husband Don (Chris O’Donnell) fathered a child with his ex-girlfriend Dixie during their brief separation, something she was fully prepared to leave in the past. But now that Don and Dixie’s all-grown-up son Blue (Hunter McVey) has reentered his estranged father’s life in a big way, the door to the past has flung violently open, forcing Blythe to get proactive in regards to her husband’s ex.

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“I’m here to tell you to stay away from my husband,” Blythe warns Dixie in the promo below, teasing one of many confrontations to come. “It’s a declaration of war,” showrunner Rashad Raisani tells TVLine. “Blythe is graceful, respectful and appropriate. She’s not a pushover, but she also doesn’t want to have to get in the mud. Dixie is more like, ‘You know what? Bring it. I’ll fight you anywhere.’ She’s not above throwing a punch if she has to.”

One of the appeals of setting the 9-1-1 spinoff in Nashville is that “there’s more of that Dynasty kind of feel,” Raisani explains, describing the events of the series premiere as a “soapy launch” to prepare the audience for more heightened drama to come.

“It’s going to be fun to watch these two very different kinds of women from very different backgrounds, but both in their own ways incredibly powerful, incredibly cunning, and with big hearts,” Raisani adds. “The third episode is called ‘Forces of Nature’ for a reason. It’s very specifically about those two characters.”

But here’s the million-dollar question: Does Blythe have anything to worry about? Does Don still have feelings for Dixie? We’ll get more insight later this season when 9-1-1: Nashville rehashes Don’s origin story, including the origin of his relationship with Dixie.

“Dixie was his first love, and their fingerprints are on each other’s lives, for good and for bad,” Raisani says. “They have so much history and so much chemistry, and as far as Blythe is concerned, it’s inevitable that if she’s around him too much, nothing good can happen. Dixie has a way of creating trouble, especially when it comes to Don, and he has a soft spot for her.”

To her credit, Dixie may be the villain of the show, but she isn’t completely delusional. When she tells stories about working with Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood, she’s telling the truth, albeit with a slightly bitter twist.

“Ryan Murphy pitched the character in one sentence that captured the whole essence of this human being: He said, ‘I think her curse should be that she has been the backup singer to every big hit and never got her day in the sun,’” Raisani says. “Now you understand everything about where this person is going to come from. They’ve never gotten their due, and that’s going to inform everything that they do.”

The three-part 9-1-1: Nashville premiere continues Thursday at 9/8c on ABC. What are your early thoughts on the 9-1-1 spinoff? Which characters and storylines interest you so far? Grade the premiere in our poll below, then drop a comment with your full review.

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