Nashville Is Interesting, But 9-1-1 Actually Abandoned Its Best Possible Spinoff 3 Years Ago

Hen struggled to keep up with med school while being a full-time EMT, but 9-1-1 could have helped Hen achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. Better yet, 9-1-1 wouldn’t have had to abandon Hen if it created a spinoff focused on her new career, similar to how Grey’s Anatomy launched an in-universe offshoot following Station 19’s firefighters.

Hen could have attended to 9-1-1’s most gruesome injuries, setting up easy and frequent crossovers. More importantly, however, Hen’s med school storyline would have felt necessary, and her departure from the 118 would have felt earned. Instead, the plot feels like an insignificant blip in the grand scheme of things. Granted, 9-1-1 gave Hen a compelling reason to stay.

Why 9-1-1 Abandoned Hen's Medical Dreams (Can The Show Still Revisit The Plot?)

The 118 Was Too Special To Her

The found family in 9-1-1 has always been at the center of touching ending scenes, team dinners, and motivational pep talks. When Hen’s wife and son are involved in a near-fatal lab explosion in 9-1-1 season 6, episode 6, everything is put into perspective for the prospective doctor, who decides family is more important than med school.

Sadly, the same explanation is used to write Hen off as a candidate for captaincy in 9-1-1 season 8, leaving the character in a state of total stagnation. Hen gave up her dream to stay with the 118, but she now seems too scared of losing her family to take any risk, even if the change would benefit them.