Action Is Great, But 9-1-1’s Heart Lives In Its Characters

Yes, 9-1-1 is a procedural, and by the very definition, it is the detailed and realistic treatment of a professional procedure.

There are police procedurals, medical procedurals, legal procedurals, and then there are ones that don’t fit into a cute little box like 9-1-1.

These types of series are typically story-driven, namely cases of the week, and character-driven stories second, but 9-1-1 has never been the typical procedural, and the key to their long-term success has always lain in that convergence of adrenaline, heart-pumping action, and beautifully crafted character stories.

When 9-1-1 Season 1 premiered, the hook for many new viewers was the star-studded lineup, which included Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, and Connie Britton, alongside the action.

Early promotion sold a show that would have daring emergencies, and that’s something the series has excelled at over its first eight seasons.

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9-1-1 has never been afraid to push the envelope and deliver over-the-top action, and one of the keys to its longevity lies in the fact that it has consistently delivered on that front.

From earthquakes to tsunamis to cruise ship disasters and plane mishaps, 9-1-1 has never been afraid of a challenge, and the big, movie-level action pieces are not something you will see anywhere else on television.

Especially broadcast television.

While I firmly believe the action IS a draw, the fact that the series has never been more popular on social media and continues to get renewed season after season (even dodging a cancelation from its original network FOX, after six seasons) has more to do with the audiences love of the characters that inhabit the 9-1-1 world more than anything.

Not every show is lucky enough to craft a cast that works on every fundamental level.

There has never been a weak link or a main character that didn’t flow with the rest of the series, as even those main characters that may not be your absolute favorite are still paramount to the way the show functions.

While some procedurals can handle constant cast turnover and new character slotting in without many beats getting skipped, the same cannot be said for 9-1-1 overall due to how beloved and ingrained the characters are with the audience, although there have been exceptions.

When Connie Britton’s Abby departed in the first season, the show was still finding its footing after a 10-episode run. Considering her role as a dispatcher and Buck being her only real connection to the rest of the extended cast, her departure didn’t disrupt the rhythm.

It also helped that 9-1-1 Season 2 introduced Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Maddie, who was not only Buck’s sister but also quickly formed a bond and later a relationship with Chimney.

Michael Grant was a main character until Rockmond Dunbar’s departure during 9-1-1 Season 5, which also coincided with the scaling back of the Grant children, with less Harry and subsequently less May over the following seasons.

Both exits altered the course of events, but the show was able to move forward with minimal long-term damage.

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The same cannot be said for the most recent cast exit, in the form of Peter Krause, as the death of Bobby Nash during 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 15 has already completely changed the series forever.  

The heart of 9-1-1 is family, whether by blood or found, which has always been at the heart of matters and has always been what 9-1-1 revolves around.

From spouses to partners to best friends to teammates, every main character is connected to the others in some way, and the bonds formed between the characters have made these relationships supremely deep and rich.

You won’t find that on every procedural out there because that’s not necessarily what the shows are meant to do.

Sure, you get some insight into the personal lives of the detectives on Law & Order, or NCIS, but each hour is more likely to revolve around the guest stars coming in to tell the story than the main characters you see every week.

They may get their time to shine now and again, but the cases are the hook.

9-1-1 dips its toes into the more typical version here and there, but for many seasons, they found a way to balance the cases with the character journeys in synchronous harmony, creating hours that featured multiple characters pushed to the forefront alongside cases that coincided with their journeys.

That formula has always been the winning way with 9-1-1. However, lately, especially during specific points in 9-1-1 Season 8, the series has been more focused on the action, particularly the multi-part cliffhanger extravaganza. And the series suffered for it.

Storylines were started and then stopped or completely dropped altogether, creating a detachment at times for the characters we love and want to continue seeing.

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Many characters, such as Hen and Chimney, would go long stretches without engaging stories, or they were given stories that felt like they were thrown together to fill time rather than actively advancing their eight-season-long character arcs.

The characters sometimes felt pushed aside in favor of the cases, which feels unusual to say, given that, again, this show is a procedural. However, we’ve been lured into a sense of security that 9-1-1 has always felt like a bit of an outlier.

It’s jarring when, suddenly, you’re no longer getting the same feelings from a show that you once did.

And the death of Bobby only compounds those feelings of unease.

As I previously mentioned, the show survived and thrived after Abby and Michael left Los Angeles, but both those characters moved away. Bobby Nash has now passed away, a character central to nearly every aspect of the show.

Yes, the wacky emergencies are fun, and seeing Athena Nash and a young boy land a plane on the LA freeway is about as entertaining as it gets. Still, the moments of 9-1-1 that the fans will never forget are the love stories of Hen and Karen and Maddie and Chimney.

It’s in seeing these characters risk their lives for one another, work together, cry together, and let each other see them at their very worst, only to turn up yet again and stand beside them.

That familial tie is what has kept audiences so engrossed and engaged over the years.

The series would do well to remember that as they enter unknown territory for 9-1-1 Season 9, the first after the series underwent such a profound change.

How the show moves forward is anyone’s guess, but it may be as simple as getting back to basics and finding that balance that has always served them so well.

What has drawn you to 9-1-1 over the years?

What do you hope to see in the new season?

Let me know in the comments!

Love this show? I do, too — and I want to keep writing about it.

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