A week ago, I wrote an article talking about the upcoming release of the fifth season of “911: LoneStar.” This news excited me, as well as fans around the world. Since then, the internet has blown up over the news regarding the end of the popular television show.
A show with diverse and inclusive elements, its fans — and myself — recently found out that it is coming to an end. Deadline writes, “‘Lone Star’ has ranked as a Top 10 drama among adults 18-49 in each broadcast season it has aired.” This is not shocking considering the amount of drama, suspense and action that features throughout the show.
As the title of this article suggests, the love between officer Carlos Reyes (Rafael Silva) and partner, former firefighter and now paramedic Tyler-Kennedy “T.K.” Strand (Ronen Rubinstein), the most popular couple in the show, are also central to its fanbase. So much so that fans even refer to the show’s airtime as their (Carlos and T.K.) "dedicated day of the week."
The two meet in the first season, and we see their relationship grow throughout the next four. They are there for each other through tragedies, arguments, family life and even break-ups, but they stay with each other through it all. There also are multiple scenes in which one of them gets injured on the job and is in the hospital with the other one there to sit by their side through it all. Out writes, “Throughout the entire series, these two super hot first responders have helped make the show the success that it is and have given us one of the most fulfilling gay romances in a network show.”
T.K. and Carlos are among the more popular same-sex couples on television, and they have been given the nickname “Tarlos,” which is a combination of their names. Online fans have also given them a dedicated day known as "#TarlosTuesday." Every Tuesday, the two lovers’ fans’ post pictures or clips of T.K. and Carlos all over social media, adding the famous hashtag in the caption. Rubinstein said in an interview with Glaad, “This has been a long road for these two, and I know, personally speaking as one of the biggest ‘Tarlos’ fans out there, I’m just so happy and kind of emotional every time I think about it.” Silva agreed, commenting, “We have gotten to know them and fallen in with them individually and as a couple.”
T.K. and Carlos are 100 percent my favorite characters in the show overall. I always get excited to see where their relationship is headed next. Both have a super caring side, while also being extremely protective of each other. I find that I connect to these characters because I care about the people around me the way T.K. and Carlos do for each other and their families.
One of the best things about their relationship and how it is depicted is that they hail from different backgrounds. Carlos comes from a Latin American family while T.K. comes from a white American family. Together, they learn each other’s traditions and what they like and dislike.
Needless to say, I am not super happy about how they are canceling the show. It has given me a lot of happiness and has been my binge-watch show if I just needed a break from studying.
As I mentioned before, the final season of “911: LoneStar” is set to release on Sep. 23.
