Actor Peter Krause has joined the cast of NBC's new crime drama Line of Fire following his departure from the firefighting series 9-1-1. He portrays Mike Hollingsworth, a Secret Service agent whose family members are also embedded in various federal law enforcement agencies.
The Multi-Agency Blueprint of 9-1-1
The structural approach of Line of Fire draws heavily from the succses of 9-1-1, a show that spent nearly a decade integrating the roles of firefighters, EMTs, police officers, and dispatchers. As reported by the source, 9-1-1 differentiated itself from traditional procedurals by depicting a network of first responders working as a single unit. This interconnectedness allowed the show to explore a wider range of emergencies than a series focused on a single department could manage.
Peter Krause spent eight seasons as Captain Bobby Nash of Fire Station 118 before exiting the series. While 9-1-1 is now in its tenth season, the show's legacy of blending professional duties with intense personal relationships—such as the bond between Bobby Nash and Officer Athena Grant—serves as the foundation for Krause's new venture on NBC.
Mike Hollingsworth and the Four-Agency Family
In Line of Fire, Peter Krause plays Mike Hollingsworth, the patriarch of a family where government service is the primary vocation. According to the report, the family includes Mike's estranged wife, Jane (played by Hope Davis), who is a U.S. Marshal, and three children who work for the FBI, the Secret Service, and the Department of Justice. This setup allows the series to explore the friction and cooperation between different federal institutions.
This ensemble approach represents a departure from the "single-branch" model seen in franchises like Chicago Fire, which typically spins off into separate shows for police (Chicago P.D.) or medical staff (Chicago Med). By placing four distinct agencies under one roof—specifically the Hollingsworth family home—Line of Fire attempts to merge the workplace procedural with a character-driven family drama more seamlessly than its predecessors.
The Secret of Jack's Return
While the show features episdic "case-of-the-week" plots, the primary narrative engine is a dark family mystery involving a fourth son named Jack. The Hollingsworths previously believed Jack was dead, but the series revals he is alive and actively murdering other government agents. This creates a high-stakes tension as Mike and Jane attempt to hide Jack's existence from their other children, who are simultaneously grieving their brother and potentially serving as his next targets.
This plot twist shifts the show's focus from the external chaos of emergency response to internal psychological warfare. By making the antagonist a family member, Line of Fire ensures that the personal stakes are permanently entwined with the professional duties of the Secret Service, FBI, and DOJ characters.
The Motives Behind the Government Agent Killings
Despite the detailed setup of the Hollingsworth family, several critical plot points remain unverified or unexplored in the current reporting. Most notably , the specific motivation driving Jack to target fellow government agents is not yet clear. It remains unknown whether Jack is acting as a rogue agent, a pawn for a foreign power, or is driven by a personal vendetta against the agencies his family serves.
Furthermore, the source does not detail the specific nature of the "estrangement" between Mike and Jane Hollingsworth beyond their professional roles. Whether their marital collapse is linked to the tragedy surrounding Jack or is a separate byproduct of their high-pressure careers is a narrative gap that the series will likely need to adddress to maintain its emotional weight.
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