The shocking death in “9-1-1” paid off ratings-wise, boosting the ABC procedural to reach over 8 million viewers in the first week since its debut.
“9-1-1” Season 8, Episode 15, which saw the demise of Peter Krause’s Bobby Nash, brought in 8.45 million total viewers and a 1.74 rating in the key broadcast demo of adults 18-49 across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and other digital platforms, according to Nielsen live-plus-seven-day viewing.
With the twist, which generated plenty of discussion from fans on social media, the April 17 episode saw a slight 2% uptick in total viewers from the previous week, which scored 8.43 million viewers, as well as a 11% increase in ratings, with the previous episode scoring a 1.57 rating. The 1.74 rating for the April 17 episode ranks as the highest rating “9-1-1” has brought in in the key demo in five months since Nov. 7, 2024.
On ABC alone, the episode reached 5.64 million total viewers — up 48% from the initial live-plus-same-day viewership of 3.81 million — and scored a rating of 0.56 — up 56% from the episode’s initial live-plus-same-day rating of 0.36.
On streaming, the episode marks the biggest streaming audience “9-1-1” has seen since the season premiere in September, according to seven-day viewing data across Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
The latest episode of “9-1-1” marks the first time a major character has been killed off on the first responder drama. Series creator Tim Minear previously told TheWrap the decision to kill off Bobby was a creative decision to up the stakes ahead of its confirmed Season 9 return.
“Bobby is the most impactful character to kill … it made sense on every level,” Minear said. “[The show] needed a major character death for the audience to feel that there were real stakes in any of these cases … Next season, when our characters are in a precarious situation, you might be gripping the arms of your chair a little bit tighter.”
Episode 16, airing this week, will follow as the first responders come together to mourn their fallen hero. Season 8 will wrap up its run with Episode 18 on May 15.
“9-1-1” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
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