Even after seven seasons, 9-1-1 remains one of the 25 biggest shows on network television. “It’s been amazing to be reminded of the cultural impact that a show like this can have,” actor Oliver Stark, who plays Evan “Buck” Buckley, told Decider about the show’s popularity. “We have such a good time making it that it almost feels like this little project I go and make with my friends. You forget how many eyes are actually on it at the end of the day… It’s been a really beautiful reminder of the work that we’re doing.”
9-1-1, which follows the first responders who are “thrust into the most frightening, shocking, and heart-stopping situations,” is coming back to ABC in the fall for more bus-launching and some-guy-wearing-a-Santa-hat-getting-sucked-into-a-plane nuttiness from creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear. Here’s everything we know about season 8, including plot details.
Plot
9-1-1 season 7 ended on a cliffhanger. After Captain Bobby Nash (played by Six Feet Under‘s Peter Krause) expresses his intention to retire from the 118, he suffers a heart attack soon after. There’s also a house fire, because this show loves drama. Anyway, when Bobby recovers and expects to return to his post like nothing happened, he and the rest of the crew are surprised to see former captain Vincent Gerrard (Brian Thompson), who announces that he’ll be taking over as captain. Will Bobby get his job back from this sexist bully?
“It was a bit of a storytelling leap,” Krause told Decider. “I’m not sure exactly what [showrunner Tim Minear] has planned. But I’m sure it’s not going to be an immediately easy road for Bobby to regain the captainship of the 118. I have faith that he will. But I’m not sure I’m not sure exactly what he’s got got in store.” As for Bobby’s relationship with his wife Athena (Angela Bassett), he teased to Entertainment Weekly, “I certainly really enjoy all the work I get to do with Angela. I did pitch to [Minear] that maybe they’d go for another honeymoon in this time. Maybe it’s an RV trip. What could go wrong?” A lot!
Beyond Bobby’s world (the only 1990s show to not get a reboot… yet), Ryan Guzman gave a hint about what’s in store for his character, Eddie Diaz, after his son caught him sleeping with someone who looked like his dead mom, as one does. “That leaves Eddie in new territory, which can be scary on both spectrums of life,” he told Decider. “Is he going to go back into the craziness of beating his walls and going nuts and losing himself? Or is he going to choose something that we’ve never seen in these past seven seasons? My hope is the latter, obviously. But if the first one comes, that’ll be interesting as an actor.”
Cast
Season 8 of 9-1-1 is expected to feature most of the same cast as season 7, including Peter Krause as Bobby Nash, Angela Bassett as Athena Grant-Nash, Oliver Stark as Evan “Buck” Buckley, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Buckley, Kenneth Choi as Howard “Chimney” Han, Ryan Guzman as Eddie Díaz, Aisha Hinds as Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, and Corinne Massiah as May Grant. “We all get along, we all work hard, and [we’re] all very appreciative of others and what they bring to the table,” Bassett told People about her co-stars. “So it’s a great, great working environment, and that’s a good thing. It’s long hours, so it helps that we can crack each other up during the downtime.”
Release Date
Every season of 9-1-1 has premiered in January or September, with the exception of season 7 (March). But ABC has wisely slotted season 8 for a fall 2024 return. Specifically, Thursday, September 26, at 8 p.m. EST ahead of Doctor Odyssey (a medical procedural starring Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson set aboard a luxury cruise ship) and season 387 of Grey’s Anatomy.
Trailer
In the immortal words of Gob Bluth: bees?!