‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Season 2 Premiere Tribute Explained: The Chad Lowe Connection

ABC

9-1-1: NASHVILLE - “Going Rogue” - The 113 responds to a museum overrun by murder hornets, while newcomer Det. Rogue Kelly investigates a series of ominous crimes of biblical proportions. Blythe and Dixie face the consequences of their brawl, and Don pays a price too. THURSDAY, OCT. 15 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Jake Giles Netter) RYAN PHILLIPPE, DENITRA ISLER

At the end of the “9-1-1: Nashville” Season 2 premiere, the show paid tribute to Fiona Lowe. It was a moving tribute card at the end of the hour, reading “In Loving Memory” and “Fiona Lowe” with a photo of the 13-year-old.

The card was expected, with Lowe’s passing happening on Sept. 29, 2026. The daughter of Chad Lowe and niece of Rob Lowe, there are some direct connections to “9-1-1: Nashville.”

Chad Lowe Is an Executive Producer on ‘9-1-1: Nashville’

Tributes like these are usually connected personally to someone in the cast or crew. In this case, Chad Lowe is an executive producer on the “9-1-1” spinoff, and he also appeared in the first of the franchise’s spinoffs, “9-1-1: Lone Star,” where he played the brother, Robert, of Rob Lowe’s character, Owen Strand.

He is also a director on the series. Not only did he direct six episodes of the Austin-based spinoff, but he also directed the Season 2 premiere of “9-1-1: Nashville.” It was fitting for the tribute to happen at the end of that episode, and something that captured a lot of fans’ hearts.

The “9-1-1: Nashville” Season 2 premiere picked up with an attack of Biblical proportions. At first, it was murder hornets, and then a basement filled with blood. At both scenes, a Biblical passage was included, and newcomer Detective Rogue Kelly (played by Ryan Phillippe) just knows that he has a serial perp on his hands. Now he needs to get to the bottom of it, and he’s not alone, as Captain Don Hart of the 113 wants to figure out what’s going on.

Lowe is known for acting, but he has recently moved more behind the camera to direct and executive produce, and he recently admitted that it’s what he loves most. He shared with the Still Here Hollywood podcast that when he found directing, he found what he was really meant to do.

Explaining the Tribute to Fiona Lowe

Fiona was the 13-year-old daughter of Chad Lowe, who sadly passed away at the end of September by suicide. It is a tragic loss, and Lowe is focused on remembering her as the loving and creative girl that she was.

Lowe has often posted about his family on social media. He and his wife, Kim Painter, share three daughters, Mabel, Nixie, and the late Fiona. It was only last November when he shared a beautiful note about Fiona turning 13, commenting on her love for dancing and using the nickname FiBear.

The loss has been devastating for the entire family. After the announcement, Lowe encouraged those struggling with mental health to reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

In 2025, the family was devastated by the California wildfires that took their home. In a post a month later, returning to the destruction, he focused on how well the girls were handling the loss. He was in awe of their “resilience” and “spirit” as they looked at the ground their home once stood.