Jim Parrack Talks Judd Unfunny (Exclusive)

(Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 premiere “Both Sides, Now”).

Judd (Jim Parrack) may simply have no purpose, and Grace (without Sierra McClain returning), like the final season of 9-1-1: Lone Star He starts, but things are about to get worse for him.

Grace is “doing the Lord’s work,” as Judd says in the season five premiere. We learn that Grace couldn’t forget the photos, hanging in the church, of little children from an orphanage that the world forgot. The last time Judd spoke to her, she was on her way to the Solomon Islands with that group, Mercy Ships (which provides medical care to those in need). Meanwhile, Judd is trying to figure out what’s next for himself, having retired to care for his son after his accident; Wyatt (Jackson Pace) now works as a dispatcher. “He’s at sea, literally lost,” Parrack tells TV Insider in our first 9-1-1: Lone Star after the show, First answer. Watch the full video interview above.

Judd is not doing well without Grace, he confirms. “As the season goes on, you start to see some of the, I would say, darker coping mechanisms rear their heads a little bit.” For now, the seeds will already be planted for this. “We wanted there to be some indicators that something was a little wrong, that between Grace leaving and not being a firefighter, there’s kind of a dead zone (for) a guy who’s generally been very motivated, very clear about where what it is, what it is,” he explains.

Owen (Rob Lowe) goes to see Judd about the vacant lieutenant position in the premiere, to get his opinion on the two people seeking to fill it: Paul (Brian Michael Smith) and Marjan (Natacha Karam). Judd had not wanted to take advantage of his friendship with Owen to try to retire, but he would have immediately said that he would return if the captain had asked him to.

“One of the things from Season 1 that we talked about was that Judd was a big, tough firefighter but had a very low opinion of himself. He doesn’t have great self-esteem, he doesn’t take himself into consideration, he doesn’t take good care of himself, he’s somewhat reckless and careless,” says Parrack. “And once he steps down and he’s looking at who’s in 126, he’s going to look up to people, and I think there’s probably some hurt pride involved, (and) he’s not willing to change course.”

So what will it take for that to change? “He’ll probably have to be convinced of his own value in 126. He’ll probably have to realize that he has something to offer there and maybe they do need him and maybe he could help keep people safe there,” Parrack says. . “But other than that, Judd will try to do other things.”

Watch the full post-show video above with Parrack as he talks about Judd’s drinking and who will help him; when we will see him again in the middle of an emergency; whether we should worry about his relationship with Grace; how the series ends and how he found out that this is the last season; and much more.

9-1-1: Lone Starmonday, 8/7c, fox