9-1-1’s Future Hinges On ABC Avoiding A Post-Bobby Nash Mistake

9-1-1 will be returning to ABC for its landmark tenth season this fall, but the series has to navigate its way around a serious mistake it’s made in the post-Bobby Nash era to continue moving forward. Although 9-1-1 has already had to revamp itself throughout its run, from hopping networks to losing one of its core cast members, the series is coming up on a huge milestone with its next season beginning in October. The ABC procedural has established itself through a series of disasters that range from tsunamis to bee tornadoes, but it’s time to forge a new path.

While 9-1-1 has always relied on a level of spectacle to carry it through, the show has never been built solely around the disasters its first responders find themselves working through. Instead, the show’s core group of characters has been its way to move from disaster to disaster, their dynamics playing into the series’ larger themes. When 9-1-1 chose to kill off its main character, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) after eight seasons of growth, many felt like it was the start of a larger retool for the series. Whether that meant fewer disasters or bigger character arcs, something was changing.

Unfortunately, throughout 9-1-1 season 9, the way that spectacle played into the series bogged its stories down. With arcs like Athena (Angela Bassett) and Hen (Aisha Hinds) heading to space and Buck’s (Oliver Stark) kidnapping, the series made some critical mistakes that 9-1-1 season 10 can’t afford to keep repeating.

9-1-1’s Biggest Post-Bobby Mistake Became Its Use Of Spectacle

Spectacle has always been part of 9-1-1’s formula, and the show shouldn’t make a hard and fast rule to cut it out entirely, but the amount of spectacle that’s become a part of their story in the wake of Bobby’s death is causing some massive issues. While spectacle is one of the most defining characteristics of 9-1-1, the way it’s been used over the course of the last season has all but pulled the show’s foundation up by its roots. In focusing on Athena more consistently in the wake of tragedy, 9-1-1 has bowled through major disasters for the 118.

After Bobby’s death from the contagion, which was a use of spectacle in itself, 9-1-1 season 9 chose to move ahead with some of the outlandish, over-the-top storylines it’s ever had. Throughout season 9, the series saw someone swallowed by a whale, others sent into space, and countless other disasters that felt disconnected from the larger story. Sometimes, the disasters created circumstances for the storylines to forge ahead, but for the most part, they were simply for flash and awe. In earlier seasons, the spectacle generally existed in service of the characters.

9-1-1 season 3’s tsunami, for example, worked because it deepened relationships and revealed new layers of the characters viewers already knew and understood. The large-scale emergency was memorable in itself, but on top of that, the emotional fallout for the characters was just as important. 9-1-1 season 9’s disasters felt like they were there to generate buzz for the series, not to further the emotional inner lives of the characters.

9-1-1 Season 10’s Path Forward Comes With A More Grounded Approach

ABC (via MovieStillsDb)

Although 9-1-1 season 10 will likely come with a fair bit more spectacle, the show’s best path forward lies in acknowledging what’s worked in the past and moving toward a different formula. Rather than erasing the element of spectacle or scaling things back, 9-1-1 season 10 would be best to take what’s been working and try to incorporate elements of past seasons for a refreshed approach. Bringing in more character-driven elements to the disaster stories on the series while keeping their use of spectacle heightened would work well for 9-1-1, and re-establish a sense of trust with their loyal viewers.

While Bobby’s death hit the show hard and made it clear that there was something missing from the 118, 9-1-1 hasn’t fallen off since its big swing. 9-1-1 season 9 may have felt like a reset for the show, especially with Athena becoming more of the focal point and her kids, May (Corinne Massiah) and Harry (Elijah M. Cooper), stepping into the series with larger roles, but the upcoming tenth season should feel like a push forward. In resetting last year and making some mistakes, 9-1-1 season 10 has the opportunity to look ahead with a fresh sense of identity.

Release Date

January 3, 2018

Showrunner

Tim Minear

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  Angela Bassett

  Athena Grant

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  Peter Krause

  Robert ‘Bobby’ Nash