Please, ‘9-1-1’ Can’t Focus All of Season 9 on Mourning Bobby

Over the course of its nearly eight seasons leading up to the two part arc titled “9-1-1: Contagion,” 9-1-1 had very carefully and intentionally crafted a lighter and sillier tone than most procedurals, similar in style to classics like Royal Pains, White Collar, and Psych. 9-1-1 certainly had some heavier and more emotional episodes before that point, but it had an unwritten rule that a main character would never be killed off, and that no matter what, the show would always return to its beloved and often comedic stasis.

Since the death of Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) during Part 2 of “9-1-1: Contagion,” 9-1-1 has been in uncharted territory as its characters navigate this monumental loss. The final three episodes of 9-1-1 Season 8 focused primarily on everybody’s grief in the wake of Bobby’s death, as well as their struggle to carry on with their lives and jobs in spite of their pain. 9-1-1 should never forget about Bobby, but going into Season 9, it’s not sustainable for the show to keep up with the tone of the last three episodes of Season 8. 9-1-1 needs to continue to show the impact of Bobby’s loss on those who loved him, but the series also needs a new emotional throughline outside of this loss.

In Season 9, ‘9-1-1’ Needs To Move Past Bobby Nash’s Death Without Forgetting About Him

Image via ABC

A major main character death is new for 9-1-1, and the show struggled to adjust to this change in the final three episodes of Season 8. It was realistic to have several episodes dedicated to grieving the loss of a character who was essentially the heart of the show, but to continue to focus on this loss would break the premise of 9-1-1. 9-1-1 is a show that balances a comedic tone with both more emotional moments and weekly emergencies, and the structural shift in last season’s “The Last Alarm” was a jarring and unsuccessful departure. Moving into Season 9, 9-1-1 should follow the lead of other network shows that have had to deal with major main character deaths, such as Grey’s Anatomy and Jane the Virgin, by moving things forward with a time jump.

A time jump would give 9-1-1 the opportunity to return to a new normal, in which the 118 has adapted to having Chimney (Kenneth Choi) as their captain, and everyone is starting to deal with personal issues that have nothing to do with their grief. Bobby’s loss will undoubtedly play a role in everyone’s arcs this season, especially Athena’s (Angela Bassett) and Buck’s (Oliver Stark), but the show should still let everyone have their own storylines again. It can explore how Athena navigates having May (Corinne Massiah) and Harry (Elijah M. Cooper) around again, especially if May returns to dispatch. It can also pick back up with the storylines that it was exploring before Bobby’s death, like Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Chimney welcoming their second child, and Buck trying to figure out what exactly it is that he feels for Eddie (Ryan Guzman).

‘9-1-1’ Needs a New Tone for Season 9 That Combines Pre and Post “Contagion”

Before the death of Bobby Nash, it was easy to know what to expect from 9-1-1, and that was precisely the unexpected. The show had a number of wild and over-the-top emergencies, which saw the first responders breaking into a vault to save those exposed to a deadly neurotoxin, and tending to people who’d been affected by a tornado made up of millions of bees. Now, though, it’s clear that 9-1-1 will continue with emergencies (like the already-teased Season 9 premiere’s meteor shower), but the show still needs to figure out what its tone will look like after Bobby’s death. 9-1-1 will never be the silly and cozy procedural that it once was, but that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost for the show. Season 9 has the opportunity to show how 9-1-1 will move forward after this loss, in a way that honors the show that it once was, without just trying to ignore Bobby’s death.

After “The Last Alarm,” Season 8 of 9-1-1 jumped the gun a little by throwing the first responders into some seriously intense emergencies right away. Because of this, the show didn’t get to address the problem of how the characters would continue with their lives after this loss. 9-1-1 is so beloved because it gives attention to the characters’ lives and relationships outside of work as well, and it needs to continue to do that once the characters have had some time to properly grieve the loss of Bobby. 9-1-1 should never try to erase or retcon the impact that Bobby’s life and death had on his loved ones, but the show needs to return to a version of its old structure instead of getting lost in the void of Bobby’s absence.