While 9-1-1 Season 8 had some great moments, there was still a lot left on the table that we’d like to see more exploration of in 9-1-1 Season 9 when it returns this fall. There’s not much we know about the next season of 9-1-1, but this season left plenty of dangling threads that could point to where 9-1-1 Season 9 could be headed.
Grieving Bobby
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
Bobby’s (Peter Krause) loss was a shocking development, but one that promised an interesting shake-up for the show. The final three episodes of 9-1-1 Season 8 tried to cover everyone’s grief in the wake of losing their captain, but the end result felt rushed.
In just three episodes, it’s hard to quantify Bobby’s impact on the 118 and the character himself. It would be great to see that grief carried over into 9-1-1 Season 9. There are still so many milestones to go through in a Bobby-less world. Whoever becomes captain will have big shoes to fill. Athena (Angela Bassett) will be living somewhere else, which isn’t the home she and Bobby had been building together. What will that be like for her? How does she move on from losing another significant other? Bobby’s legacy lives on in Baby Han — what’s that dynamic between Athena and Hans, who named their baby after her late husband?
While hallucinations of dead loved ones can quickly turn into cheap parlor tricks, bringing Peter Krause back for Bobby to haunt the narrative occasionally would keep the grief for Bobby front and center.
Give Hen and Karen a break
Hen (Aisha Hinds) and Karen (Tracie Thoms) have been through the ringer with their family. From foster and adoption woes to almost losing Denny in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 5, the two haven’t had a carefree storyline in a long time. Or at least one that didn’t involve almost losing their kids. The drama is all good, but repetitive drama can get tiring fast.
Hen and Karen deserve a break in 9-1-1 Season 9. Send them on vacation, or have them chase down another thief together. Bring back their fun storylines! But also, Hen turned down the captain position for her family — how does that decision play out between Hen and Karen? There’s so much more with them to explore beyond the drama about losing their kids.
Buck in queer spaces
One of the best parts of 9-1-1 Season 8 was seeing Buck (Oliver Stark) in a queer relationship after coming out as bisexual in 9-1-1 Season 7. But beyond a questionable speech from Josh in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 6, Buck doesn’t talk to other LGBTQ characters.
9-1-1 Season 9 has an excellent opportunity to put Buck in more queer spaces and talking to other queer characters. He’s not had one conversation with Hen about being a part of the queer community, which is a huge missed opportunity. Hen has been a lesbian on this show since the pilot episode; seeing some queer solidarity and community between characters would be a huge win.
Whether we see him at queer bars, clubs, or groups, seeing Buck immerse himself in the queer community beyond who he’s dating would be another significant step in exploring Buck’s identity in 9-1-1 Season 9.
Watching him with Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) all season has been great, but Buck never really talked about his sexuality except during the coming-out arcs in 9-1-1 Season 7. And he has yet to say he’s bisexual despite other characters all stating their sexuality (one of those being straight!). Bisexual representation is still very few and far between on television, so hearing Buck explicitly state his sexuality on screen would go a long way in honoring that representation.
Continue Buck and Tommy’s will-they-won’t they
The Buck and Tommy relationship has been a rollercoaster of great moments but unsatisfying screen time. They broke up quickly, only six episodes into 9-1-1 Season 8, and then began a will-they-won’t-they get back together in the back half of the season. They’re left on a hopeful but open-ended note in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 15.
9-1-1 Season 9 has the potential to dive even deeper into the Buck and Tommy relationship. This will be the third season in which Buck might have the same love interest, longer than any of his other significant others. Doubling down on this relationship would be something truly different when it comes to Buck’s character. Putting him in an established long-term relationship in 9-1-1 Season 9 would open up new opportunities we’ve yet to see him encounter, such as what it’s like to date another first responder, or what it looks like to work through communication issues that often lead to his breakups.
Paging Tommy Kinard
Tommy has repeatedly proved that he’s just a phone call away any time the 118 needs help, even if that means stealing a helicopter, twice. And while these big moments are exhilarating, there’s a lot to Tommy that would be interesting to explore in 9-1-1 Season 9.
Bobby’s death established Tommy as an integrated part of the history of the 118. He was a pallbearer at Bobby’s funeral, and flashbacks hint at the two’s potentially deeper connection. Plus, Tommy is an original member of the 118 and has a history with Hen and Chimney. While his relationship with Buck has been lovely to see unfold on screen, Tommy is relevant in other aspects of the show. Showcasing his relationships with the other characters in 9-1-1 Season 9 would offer a deeper understanding of his character and open up new story opportunities with the other characters.
Exploring new dynamics
The death of Bobby shakes up the cast, offering new dynamics not often seen in the show. For the first time, Chimney (Kenneth Choi) and Athena have a significant storyline together, and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) interacts with Hen and Karen at their house. Karen and Athena also have a great moment together, allowing Karen some more screen time, which is always welcome and required.
9-1-1 likes to stick to its well-tested formula, which is good. But exploring new dynamics in 9-1-1 Season 9 would bring the show much-needed freshness.
It wasn’t just Bobby’s death that ushered in a new era of dynamic duos. Eddie’s departure for Texas in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 10 left Buck without his best friend, but also opened up an opportunity to bring in Ravi. Since then, Buck and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody) have been partners who put out fires together and get drunk together, even if Ravi pawned Buck off to Tommy that one time. Their partnership has been a welcome new feature recently, and we’d love to see it continue in 9-1-1 Season 9.
Invest in Ravi Panikkar
Speaking of Ravi, it’s high time 9-1-1 doubles down on this character. His presence in the show since 9-1-1 Season 4 is always a good time, but he’s usually just around to be an occasional 118 A shift member when someone’s unavailable.
But 9-1-1 Season 9 could change that. There’s so much to explore with Ravi; the first opportunity would be giving him a “Begins” episode. He’s previously mentioned as surviving childhood cancer and being a landlord. During the contagion episodes, he spoke to Hen about knowing when to call his loved ones in dire situations, meaning he has people to call. Let’s meet them!
Captain Han
9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 18 hinted at Chimney’s potential rise to captaincy after Hen turned it down. This would be an interesting turn of events, considering Chimney hasn’t been great in the role in the past, but perhaps that’s why it makes sense for him to fill that role. Regardless, it would give Chimney a storyline in 9-1-1 Season 9 outside his relationship with Maddie, where he’s been stuck for a while.
And even though Hen turned down the role, maybe there’s tension there too. Hen always made a great temporary captain whenever one was needed. What does her relationship with Chimney look like as they move into these new dynamics?
Bring back the “Begins” episodes
One of the coolest aspects of 9-1-1 was how it told the stories of how the characters got to where they are now, dubbed the “Begins” episodes. This was most effectively used in 9-1-1 Season 2, in which the three “Begins” episodes — “Hen Begins,” “Chimney Begins,” and “Bobby Begins Again” — interwove with each other cohesively to tell the story of how much the 118 changed over the years due to each of their influence. But the other main characters also got their “Begins” episodes, even if they were stand-alone features.
9-1-1 Season 9 should bring these episodes back, but by investing in the show’s secondary characters. Ravi, Karen, and Tommy would be perfect candidates for a “Begins” episode. Ideally, all three of them would get one, and they could replicate the magic of 9-1-1 Season 2‘s trilogy of “Begins” episodes. This one is a long shot, for sure. But the “Begins” episodes always allowed a deeper understanding of our main characters; it’s about time these other characters got their chance for deeper exploration.
9-1-1 Season 8 had questionable consistency and follow-through, but there are plenty of threads left open that we’re excited to see potentially explored in 9-1-1 Season 9. With Bobby gone, 9-1-1 is in brand new territory, and we can’t wait to see how the show creatively handles this post-Bobby world.
9-1-1 is streaming now on Hulu. Season 9 will premiere this fall.
