9-1-1: Lone Star’s Judson “Judd” Ryder (Jim Parrack) hasn’t been his best self ever since his wifeGrace Ryder (Sierra McClain)left. As fans know, McClain exited the procedural drama ahead of the fifth and final season, reportedly due to a contract and pay dispute. With that, fans sadly had to bid her character goodbye, including her onscreen husband, Judd, who took up drinking to numb the pain of not having her around.
Explaining why such a vice had to be Judd’s coping mechanism, series bossRashad Raisani toldTV Insider:
“Well, if you go back to before Judd met Grace in the “Saving Grace” episode where we really played on what Judd was like before Grace. He was kind of a mess. He was drinking too much, he was fighting, he had problems. I mean, really, his issues were anger and alcohol. We wanted to play that Grace has been the stabilizing force.”
The lovebirds had their first encounter when Judd, who was at a low point in his life and had thoughts of taking his own life, called a prayer crisis line, which Grace worked for, and she answered. In9-1-1: Lone StarSeason 2, Episode 9, “Saving Grace,” there were flashbacks to the moment they met and how they ultimately fell in love. The episode also saw the duo suffer a car crash, which they survived, but not until after Judd worries Grace wouldn’t wake up. Fortunately, everything turns out fine and even better – Grace’s pregnancy is revealed.
Who Is Judd Without Grace in ‘9-1-1 Lone Star?’
Given McClain’s departure from9-1-1: Lone Star, the team decided to explore what Judd is like without Grace, who was clearly the center of his life. This completely altered Judd’s arc, as showrunner Raisani elaborated:
“To be frank with you, we weren’t going to do this story this year. It wasn’t until Sierra McClain didn’t come back and, therefore, Grace didn’t come back, that that led us to start thinking about, well, who is Judd without Grace? And we can’t hide the fact that she was such a stabilizing force in his life. And even though he has, on the outside, all of these things around him to stay strong for, on the inside, his center is gone. And so we really wanted to play that. And I think if you go back in this season all the way to Episode 1, Owen shows up in the middle of the day, and Judd’s like, “Hey, you want to drink?” And every scene we played at the house, there was always a beer out. This is something that’s been going on all year. And because that’s who he was the minute before he met Grace.”
9-1-1: Lone Starreturns on August 04, 2025, on Fox, with previous episodes currently streaming on Hulu.
9-1-1: Lone Star
A spin-off series of 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star is an action-drama series created for Fox. The series follows Rob Lowe as Owen Strand, a firefighter from New York City who, after having rebuilt a team in the aftermath of September 11th’s attacks, is brought in to form a new one in Austin, Texas.
Watch on Hulu
