Angela Bassett Reveals the Character Initially Meant To Die In Shocking ‘9-1-1’ Episode

Over its eight-season run, there have been a lot of twists and turns on the fan-favorite ABC series 9-1-1. But, nothing could have prepared audiences for the immense shock that came with last week’s installment when longtime leading character, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause), met his demise. In a nail-biting two-episode segment, the team went up against their biggest challenge yet, after a lab fire released a contagion into the immediate environment. With his breathing apparatus compromised, Bobby aided in the rescue of his fellow team members before succumbing to the virus.

But, Bobby’s death wasn’t always in the cards. Recently speaking with Deadline, series star and Krause’s on-screen wife, Angela Bassett, revealed that a different 9-1-1 character’s fate was hanging in the balance before the creative team settled on Bobby.

“That may have been just a misdirect, but initially it was Ravi, the probie; well, he is not a probie anymore.”

Played by Anirudh Pisharody, Ravi first appeared back in Season 4 as a “probie” — a probationary firefighter — before eventually becoming a full-fledged member of Station 118. Killing off any character in a show as beloved as 9-1-1 would have riled up the fandom, but showrunner Tim Minear and the rest of the team were clearly going for a painful gut punch when they chose Bobby as the one to go.

Angela Bassett Had No Idea That Season 8 Would Be Peter Krause’s Last

On average, a typical 9-1-1 season contains 18 episodes. Bassett revealed that, oftentimes, things are down to the wire, with scripts coming in sometimes just the day before cameras begin rolling. In her words, Bassett had “Not an inkling, not a word, not birdies, nothing,” that Bobby’s death was on the horizon.

“This is near the end of the season. Sometimes near the end of the season, we’re in this race against time to get our scripts, you’re really getting it in real time. It’s like get it today, and we’re going to start filming it tomorrow. So it was really a jaw-dropping moment when I read the script and saw that. Well, initially it was a different character, the whole bio lab. I mean, it could be anyone, it could be Chimney, it could be him, it could be Ravi.”

There was even a point when the Black Panther franchise star thought that her character’s life could be on the line, adding,

“I remember Tim called. He said, someone’s going to pass away. I said, Is it me? Self-preservation, you know. I went through the list, you start with yourself, but I was very surprised that it was my husband.”

Catch up on the previous episodes of 9-1-1 before mourning the loss of Krause’s Bobby Nash with the rest of the 118 during this Thursday’s episode.