9-1-1: Lone Star hid clues of Judd's alcoholism you may have missed – and what's to come for him (and Marjan!)

9-1-1: Lone Star is known for its shocking surprises, but Judd's alcoholism was actually hiding in plain sight all season.

Co-showrunner Rashad Raisani tells Entertainment Weekly the season 5 winter finale storyline was put into motion shortly after actress Sierra McClain announced she was leaving the series ahead of this final season, leaving her character's husband, Judd (Jim Parrack), without his Grace.

"My first talks with Jim Parrack were 'Okay, looks like Judd is going to be a bachelor. What do we think?'" Raisani recalls. "And we started talking about how when Judd met Grace in 'Saving Grace,' the [season 2] episode that was a prequel to their relationship, Judd had major issues with alcohol and major issues with anger. He had a lot of issues and she was his savior in many ways, that was literally the name of the episode. So what happens to him when the center of his world falls out? There has to be a consequence."

Raisani says the Lone Star writers have been "kind of subtly putting clues in throughout the season, getting more and more obvious as we went along."

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"When you go back to episode 1 when Owen comes over to Judd's house, the first thing Judd says is 'Hey, you want a drink?' and it's the middle of the day," he explains. "And later in the season, Tommy comes over to Judd’s place asking for baby monitors to monitor [Pastor Trevor's ex-wife] and Judd has beer bottles all over the background, but nobody really paid attention to them."

It was in episode 7, with TK's 30th birthday party, that Raisani says they got more explicit. "We made a real point to put the camera on Judd and tell the audience 'Look, something’s going on and nobody’s noticing,' which is what addiction often does," he says. "We felt like this was very true to Judd’s character, that this could happen."

Even with the support of Owen (Rob Lowe) — who appears to be altering his plans to move back to New York so he can support his friend — Judd's sobriety journey will not be a quick one, says Raisani.

"To be honest, one of the great performances of this series is what’s coming in episode 10," the co-showrunner teases of what's to come from Parrack. "Like real addiction, it’s not just like “Oh, okay, I'm good.' There’s a lot for him to process. A lot of anger and denial, and even a bit of a death wish that all were there before Grace got there and now are roaring back. That's what he's got to grapple with."

"In addition to that," he continues, "I would be remiss if I didn’t say that right along side that we’re going to tell the biggest and I think best Marjan [played by Natacha Karam] story we’ve ever had. That kind of plays a duet with this darker Judd story."

9-1-1: Lone Star returns for its final three episodes on Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. on Fox.