‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Officially Finds Its Footing With Ryan Phillippe in Season 2 | Review
The second season of *9-1-1: Nashville* opens with a deliberate attack at a museum, giving the series a suspenseful new crime story alongside its emergency rescues and family drama. Ryan Phillippe joins as Detective Rogue Kelly, whose investigation suggests a serial killer is staging deaths inspired by biblical plagues.
A swarm of murder hornets traps museum guests behind locked security doors; the 113 rescues people using a suction machine, but three die, including the architect being honoured. Clues point to a planned attack, and a later attempt to drown a woman in a blood-filled laundry room suggests the crimes will continue. Meanwhile, Blythe and Dixie attend court-ordered anger management and Blythe tells Don she wants them to sleep in separate rooms while they work on their marriage.
- A museum hornet attack is revealed as a planned crime.
- Three people die, and a biblical-plague-themed killer remains at large.
- Detective Rogue Kelly brings a crime investigation to the series.
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9-1-1: Nashville is part of the 9-1-1 television franchise, which follows emergency crews responding to disasters while also showing their lives outside work. The 113 is the Nashville fire station at the centre of the series, and its crew includes firefighters and paramedics who rescue people and deal with the effects of their calls.
The second season adds Detective Rogue Kelly, played by Ryan Phillippe, to the story. He investigates crimes that appear carefully planned, while the show also follows family tensions among characters such as Blythe and Don.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The darker, more deliberate crime plot gives the series a stronger through-line and lets Ryan Phillippe’s detective broaden the story beyond emergency rescues. The museum attack, plague-inspired clues and marital conflict offer suspense and character tension that may help the show find a clearer identity in its second season.
The case against
The serial-killer storyline may pull the series away from the high-pressure rescue work that drew viewers to it, while its elaborate attacks risk feeling more sensational than emotionally grounded. Adding another investigation alongside the ensemble’s family drama could also make the season feel crowded, especially if the new plot gives less room to develop the existing characters.