“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” A universal phrase heard across the United States in their search for aid has been taken and turned into a procedural drama for all to love. Created by Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, ABC’s “9-1-1”, formerly on Fox, follows the lives of Los Angeles first responders, focused on its firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers and police officers.
Its main cast includes the talented Angela Bassett as Sergeant Athena Grant, Peter Krause as Captain Bobby Nash, Oliver Stark as Firefighter Evan “Buck” Buckley, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Dispatcher Maddie Buckley, Ryan Guzman as Firefighter Eddie Diaz, Aisha Hinds as Firefighter Paramedic Henrietta “Hen” Wilson and Kenneth Choi as Firefighter Paramedic Howard “Chimney” Han.
Premiering in 2018, the show has won numerous accolades, most notably for Bassett herself, and has been consistently popular with six seasons under its belt. However, nearing the end of its sixth season, Fox opted to not renew its highest rated series and canceled the show. ABC picked up “9-1-1” for its seventh season smoothly after its cancellation, but its production was delayed as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strikes. When the strikes were resolved, the show was able to start filming its latest season in late 2023. On March 14, “9-1-1” premiered its seventh season with an epic three-part premiere.
The one thing I love most about “9-1-1” is the number of absurd scenarios these responders have to face across the semi-fictionalized Los Angeles. There is at least one major disaster that happens per season that have plot arcs covered across multiple episodes, an example of which I believe is the craziest is when there was an enormous tsunami striking the coast of LA, washing half the city in its third season. For its seventh season, ABC decided that “9-1-1” had to pull out all its big guns for an incredible return from their near-death cancellation.
Across its first three episodes, the show picks up where it left off with Athena and Bobby celebrating their long-awaited cruise honeymoon. However, this honeymoon’s cut short with international pirates attacking the ship and causing it to shipwreck, all the while the tropical storm they were trying to avoid turned into a Category Five hurricane. While Athena and Bobby fight for their lives, the rest of their team risk their own as well as their jobs in a crazy rescue mission to get them out of their situation. Switching focus from Athena and Bobby to the rest of the team, we are shown multiple interpersonal conflicts, such as Athena worrying over her marriage with Bobby and wondering if they know how to communicate without their jobs in the way and best friends Buck and Eddie trying to understand Eddie’s son, Chris, as he goes through the motions of puberty like dating multiple girls at once.
The cruise chaos is so unbelievable, it might top the tsunami arc I love so much. I have been keeping up with “9-1-1” updates through X, formerly Twitter, and the interviews the cast have done leading up to the premiere, which shows how much promise this new season carries. I can’t personally wait for the upcoming wedding episode between long-term couple, Maddie and Chimney, an impressive “9-1-1” crossover episode with “The Bachelor,” and their much-anticipated hundredth episode whose plot has been largely kept under wraps.
I don’t know what else to expect from this season, but I do know that I won’t be disappointed if the characterization of the main cast and their relationships with one another continue to grow and develop as they always have, regardless of the crazy situations they get themselves into. I heavily recommend tuning into this show if you love fanatical drama, hot firefighters or the phenomenal Angela Bassett.
