’9-1-1’s Oliver Stark Teases a “More Grounded Worldly Buck” in Season 9

By the time fans catch back up with the characters from the beloved ABC procedural, 9-1-1, a lot of things will have changed. With a few months in between the Season 8 finale and the Season 9 premiere, quite a chunk of time will have passed since the 118 (and fans) were forced to say goodbye to Peter Krause’s Captain Bobby Nash. And, with that kind of space, we’re bound to see some of the characters in completely different places than where the May 15 episode, “Seismic Shifts,” left them. One of the names behind those personalities who have made the show such a success, Oliver Stark, recently told TV Insider that he expected audiences to spot some pretty noticeable changes in his character, Buck, in the upcoming chapter.

The death of Bobby hit the entire team with a wave of different emotions, and it was made all the more difficult for Buck, who considered the Captain a father figure. Teasing what the loss of his mentor, friend, and leader would mean to the young firefighter as he continued to walk through life, Stark said:

“For me, the main thing is that the kind of gravitas of losing Bobby is used as a catalyst to mature Buck. I think the growth has been there over the seasons, but I think this is a real opportunity to take him into his next iteration, whatever that ends up being. But I think a more grounded worldly Buck can come out of this. I don’t know what that will look like, but I think character-wise, I think that’s the next step.”

Could Another Big Step Forward for Buck Be on the Way?

If you’re friends with a 9-1-1 fan, you’ve likely heard about two things from the eighth season: The shocking death of Bobby and the term “Buddie”. The latter refers to the ever-hopeful romantic relationship between Stark’s Buck and his co-worker and best friend, Eddie (Ryan Guzman). The pair have been incredibly close pals for years, with the eighth season seeming like it would be the time that they finally took things to the next level. Buck previously came out as bisexual on the series, and, while we’ve only known Eddie to be in romantic relationships with women, audiences could easily see him falling for his best friend. Although we didn’t get there in the last set of episodes, there’s always Season 9, with Stark remaining completely open to the idea of giving fans what they want.