The ninth season of On Cinema at the Cinema began airing March 6, 2017.

Tim Heidecker starts the season still recovering from severe burns sustained in the VFA Fire. He debuts a new concept called Six Bag Cinemas, a combination of cinemagoing and fine dining. The entirety of the season takes place in the Six Bags facility, featuring adjustable leather recliners and an upscale dining menu, with Mark Proksch serving as waiter. Gregg Turkington continues to screen movies at the Victorville Film Center (VFC), although he runs into some licensing trouble.

Tim's physical condition deteriorates, necessitating a skin graft to repair his burns. For a donor, he nominates several acquaintances, including Mark, Axiom, and Manuel Giusti, ultimately voluntelling Manuel. Adding to the misery, Tim reconnects with Dr. San, who has developed a special blend for a new vape system, dubbed the TCH Vape System. Now heading a new EDM band, DKR, Tim announces the upcoming Electric Sun Desert Music Festival, where the vape system will be distributed to the attendees.

The season descends into chaos and disaster, starting with the VFC, which is destroyed in a fire, along with all but one of Gregg's tapes. Later on, the Electric Sun Desert Music Festival ends in tragedy when over 150 attendees collapse from the toxic effects of Dr. San's vapes. Twenty ultimately perish, and come to be known as the Electric Sun 20. Tim and Dr. San are arrested and jailed. Initially, Dr. San is the primary target of the investigation and the wrath of the victims' families, and Tim is conditionally released. But after Dr. San takes his own life in his cell, the prosecution and families set their sights squarely on Tim.