First Look at ‘9-1-1’ Season 9 Reveals How the 118 Honors Bobby Nash

Fans have been wondering how 9-1-1 can continue after the tragic loss of one of its most beloved characters, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause). Even though we still have to wait for the full October 9 episode to properly mourn the character’s departure, it was revealed today how the series will honor Bobby’s memory. The Season 9 first-look image reveals that Station 118 will craft a plaque that pays tribute to Robert W. Nash for “proudly serving the citizens of Los Angeles.” You can check it out further below.

In a recent interview, 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear underscored that Bob will very much be present in the new season because, in the writers’ room, the idea was to craft episodes and moments that make it clear that they “didn’t want to disrespect Bobby’s sacrifice, but to show that his legacy lives on.” Minear further explained why they ended up settling on the use of the plaque:

“It just felt fitting and right. There’s a balance you have to strike. You don’t want to come in and feel like everything is just going to be sad from here on out, but Bobby’s memory should be blessed. And this is a thing that fire departments do in real life. They will name a fire station after a fallen hero. I think the idea that this will always be ‘Bobby’s house’ is kind of beautiful, and not depressing.”

The Death of Bobby Nash Was a Well-Kept Secret

Image via ABC

Even if you are not a fan of 9-1-1, chances are that you might have been impacted by the death of Bobby Nash. The unexpected Season 8 finale shook the series’ fan base to its core, to the point of mobilizing them to put up a billboard in Times Square begging ABC to bring the character back in the new season. As much as fans want to, however, it doesn’t seem likely that it will happen.

In order to keep Bob’s death a secret, the 9-1-1 team created a whole parallel universe in which the character that dies in Season 8 is Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody). Long-time cast member Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) revealed that they went as far as filming Ravi’s death so that not even crew members could be sure of how the season would wrap its run. Pisharody also commented that he had to spend a good while lying through his teeth in order to keep his fake death believable.