‘9-1-1’ Reaches Intense Ratings High With Shocking Death Episode

9-1-1 viewers might be recovering from the show's biggest development since the series premiere after Bobby (Peter Krause) died during a rescue gone wrong. And while that was a tough pill to swallow, there is something good to come out of it.

The death and the viral conversation it started on social media helped boost the episode's viewership, thus boosting the show's ratings, at least for the episode "Lab Rats." The episode was watched by 8.45 million total viewers across and a 1.74 key broadcast demo rating in seven days, according to TV tracker Nielsen. These numbers were tallied across Disney-owned platforms such as Hulu, ABC, Disney+, and more. The key demo rating from the episode marks a five-month high for the show, with the last episode in close contest having aired on November 7, 2024.

The death, which came as a huge shock to some, started a viral trend on social media as viewers tried to communicate what Bobby's death meant to other TV fandoms. It pushed the episode's viewership by 2% over the previous week's episode and an 11% ratings increase. Streaming accounted for much of the viewership figures, with live-plus-same-day delivering 3.81 million viewers and a 0.56 key demo rating. ABC alone brought in 5.64 million viewers, while others came from other platforms. "Lab Rats" was the most-streamed episode since the Season 8 premiere.

Bobby's Death Reverberates in the Next '9-1-1' Episode

After that development, the show went on a two-week hiatus, but new episodes resume this Thursday, May 1. "Following the tragic events at the lab, the 118 must come together to lay their fallen hero to rest. Meanwhile, despite her own grief, Athena (Angela Bassett) re-investigates the death of a child to help a grieving mother," reads the official logline for 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 16, "The Last Alarm." In the final three episodes of the season, "Everyone’s going to be just a little off their equilibrium," showrunner Tim Minear told TV Insider.

Everyone tries to move on differently. Buck (Oliver Stark), who shared some of Bobby's last words, tries to soldier on solo. Chim (Kenneth Choi), whom Bobby saved in the lab, blames himself for the loss while Athena tries to compensate for what she feels was her failure with another case. "You’re going to see Athena try to achieve a miracle that she didn’t get with Bobby," said the showrunner.