Why Did Edelstein leave 9-1-1 and what happened to her character Gwyn? Newsweek has everything you need to know.
Why Did Lisa Edelstein Leave ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ and Will She Return?
9-1-1: Lone Star fans had to say an emotional goodbye to the beloved Gwyn in Season 3, Episode 8 of 9-1-1: Lone Star, titled “In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency.”
In the previous episode, “Red vs. Blue,” Gwyn’s son T.K. (Ronen Rubinstein) received a phone call, breaking the news his mother had died, and in the most recent episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star, audiences learned what happened.
Gwyn was accidentally killed by a young delivery driver Liam who was out on his bicycle. Gwyn died at the scene, after hitting her head on the ground.
The most recent episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star opened with Liam’s panicked 911 call and the emotional scenes of him comforting Gwyn’s son, Jonah.
Episode 8 also dealt with the upsetting aftermath of Gwyn’s passing, especially for ex-husband Owen and her son TK who missed Gwyn’s funeral after their plane almost crashed and T.K. struggled with addiction as a result.
Exactly why Edelstein left 9-1-1: Lone Star has not been revealed, but Owen actor and executive producer Rob Lowe and co-creator Tim Minear explained to Entertainment Weekly it was largely down to her character’s storyline and the fact that Edelstein was not a series regular.
When the House alum joined the cast of 9-1-1: Lone Star in January 2021, she signed on in a recurring capacity for Season 2 and as a guest in Season 3, meaning her time on the show always risked being limited.
Additionally, her character Gwyn, lived in New York, miles away from Austin, Texas, where the show takes place. So, perhaps made more sense to lose her character than one of the key central characters to 9-1-1: Lone Star.
Lowe explained: “We felt like this was the best resolve of her character’s arc. You know she lives in New York, she has a significant other in New York, she’s [just had] his baby. Those are stories that certainly wouldn’t fit in the 9-1-1: Lone Star, Texas universe. She lives a separate life there. So it had kind of run its course. The question was, “what’s the most fulfilling, dramatic, juicy thing, way to service that story?” And you know, there’s nothing more dramatic than an unexpected death, as opposed to her just being on the phone every sixth episode or something like that.”
Minear added: “I don’t want to crap on the poetry of what we did by talking about physical realities of production, but Lisa Edelstein is a guest star on [Lone Star]. She doesn’t play a first responder on the show. And what often happens in our universe is when you have a character that is not on the front lines of being a first responder, they end up moving to Haiti.
“There’s nothing for them to do, and so they can service the stories, but I can’t necessarily count on them to be there whenever I want them for an episode. They have to be available. I have to be able to afford them for an episode. I just don’t want people just spinning their wheels on screen. I want to give them something to play. I want to give them something to do. And it was time for me to explore T.K.’s sobriety, and this just felt like the right way to do it. It’s just full of emotion.”
Edelstein had known for a while Gwyn was going to be killed off, so it did not come as too much of a surprise to her, she told TVLine.
As for Gwyn’s legacy on 9-1-1: Lone Star, Edelstein shared she hoped Gwyn would be remembered as an “amazing mother” and “super sexy ex-wife.”
She reflected to TVLine: “As an amazing mother, of course! Also, like a super sexy ex-wife who’s remarkably young for her age and in incredible shape, who’s smarter than any woman they’ve ever seen and more charming than they thought possible. Yeah. That sounds like the perfect way for Gwyn to be remembered.”
Will Lisa Edelstein Return to ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’?
Despite her character being killed off, there is a possibility Edelstein could return to 9-1-1: Lone Star in the future.
The series is no stranger to dream sequences, especially where comas are concerned, so it is possible Edelstein’s Gwyn could re-appear in a character’s fantasy or dream further down the line.
However, let’s hope Gwyn does not appear as a result of one of her loved ones, like TK or Owen, being in a coma.
Edelstein teased to TV Line the door may still be open for Gwyn to return.
She shared: “I mean, the producers refused to give me the traditional ‘It’s a series wrap for Lisa’ send-off, so one never knows! Fantasy Gwyn gets the best lighting on the show, anyway, so I’m fine with showing up in a few dream sequences here and there.”
Lowe teased to Entertainment Weekly Edelstein could return as early as the season finale.
He said: “We’re cooking up something super special for our season finale. And when Tim Minear [co-creator] is ready to tell everybody about it, I’m sure everybody will know. But if we go with his brilliant idea, I think Lisa would probably play a part in it.”
9-1-1: Lone Star airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
