9-1-1 Season 9: Everything We Know About the ABC Drama’s Fall Return

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, over and over. Why. Would. We. Watch. It. Without. Bobby. What is the point? What is the payoff? Fans and general viewers alike tuned in for a interesting emergency show, with deep, inclusive core storylines, that preserved drama while ensuring the core cast always made it home. They’ve struggled in life, this is meant to be their payoff. Their peace. By killing off Bobby, the show can NEVER have that peace again simply by virtue of the fact that every single core character is now at risk. No longer can we enjoy the dramatic, emotional ‘NDE’s, knowing the characters will somehow make it out and learn from it. No longer can we hope two characters with chemistry get together, because they may well be killed off for “realism”. I may as well turn on Chicago Fire.

Beyond the simple risk of the situation for viewers, the world is essentially on fire. The show broke the viewership’s trust at potentially the worst point in human history to lose a loyal fanbase. LA is suffering, networks are cinching purse strings, people—many of the demographics who view 9-1-1 the most, by the way: the elderly, the queer community, people of color—are distracted fighting for their lives against governmental powers who hate them. They don’t have TIME to be stressed about a TV show that was meant to be a safe space.

I started watching the show during an incredibly painful moment in my life because I had done prior research and knew it to be a show that did not kill off characters. My money, my time for a story that was safe, warm, dramatic, inclusive, and exciting. I bought Hulu without ads just to watch 9-1-1! Which I can’t do anymore! With that level of disrespect to the viewership, who would want to watch Season 9? Who would want to watch the (very, very white) spin-off? Every episode during and after the episode where Bobby died was choppy, and poorly written. Most ended in montages showing characters acting EXTREMELY out of character. Fantastic actors in clearly exceptionally poor creative working conditions, receiving scripts so late, so often, the cast wrap party featured a drink called “Script TBD”.
The show, Ryan Murphy and Tim, broke a innate contract of trust with their viewership. My Gen X parents know who Tim Minear is, now, and hate him—they genuinely don’t even know the actors names. That’s a problem, and it’s a problem ABC needs to fix. I won’t be tuning in to Season 9 barring a miraculous resurrection, but I’ll follow the cast to the ends of their careers. I’m genuinely sorry for them, and for the entire crew.