9-1-1: Lone Star

No one can be painted with broad strokes, and to anyone accusing the show of trying to be woke, 9-1-1: Lone Star is enthusiastically nodding and smiling that yes, that is exactly what's happening.

9-1-1: Lone Star isn’t misbegotten: Its bones, coming as they do from its forerunner series “9-1-1,” are solid, and aspects of its conceit are sweet, if at times so utopian as to defy belief.

Primarily a fun/thrilling escape. I was most amused by the way it uses Lowe, an actor who has become iconic both for his handsomeness and his awareness of his own handsomeness. That's taken to an extreme that's comical and hardly unintentional.

Is it great TV? Maybe not, but it’s sure easy to watch, a quick hour to distract you from your problems mostly through sheer adrenaline. It’s hard to believe anyone who likes the original iteration won’t take to this one. Lowe and Tyler are more than charming enough and the supporting cast is strong too, but they’re really just cogs in the grand machine of escapist television.

“Lone Star,” starring Rob Lowe, has more modest ambitions and delivers far less exciting results [than “9-1-1.”]

The presence of Lowe and Tyler helps offset the silliness that goes on around them.