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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019 and is now one of the leading contributors of the TV News team. Having written over 3000 news stories in that time , with his work cited in Buzzfeed and TV Insider, he's always bemoaning that there's too many shows and not enough time. You can contact him at: [email protected].
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9-1-1 co-creator Tim Minear finally reveals a big factor that went into the decision to write off Bobby Nash. It was a decision that fundamentally altered the long-running procedural drama, which hadn't killed off a main character during its entire eight-season run. That changed with the decision to kill off Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) towards the end of season 8.
ABC (via MoviesStillsDb)Bobby sacrifices himself in an effort to save Howard Han (Kenneth Choi), who is a member of his 118 family. Minear, who co-created the procedural with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, has maintained that Krause's character was killed off as a way of making sure the show's high-stakes emergencies a true sense of danger. But in new and candid remarks, Minear is reflecting on the fact that there's more to the story.
In an interview with The Washington Post ahead of the return of 9-1-1 season 9 on ABC on Thursday, January 8 at 8 PM ET, Minear reflected on Bobby's death. Minear, who serves as showrunner, admits that the shocking storytelling turn was partly driven by financial considerations. In the quote below, the co-creator went into his thought process regarding killing off Bobby off and reveals that he harbors some regret over it while maintaining it was the right call:
“I really felt creatively the show needed something to kind of shake it up, and the reason Bobby died was because, if I was going to do this, I wanted it to be a character that would affect all the characters’ stories. There was a more practical consideration, too — money. “You’ll see this across the board on network shows, where they start culling the cast and culling the production and trying to make things more affordable so you can keep making the show.”
“I have tons of regret about it. I still think it was the right move. But it’s been really wrenching for me.”
Minear is right in underlining how network dramas have in recent years relied on utilizing less cast members as a way of saving on costs. Shows like Grey's Anatomy and FBI have reduced the number of episodes that series regulars appear in as a way to keep their ensembles around. But it is new insight from Minear, who has stressed the creative impact of Bobby's sacrifice.
That has not gone over well with viewers. Since the 9-1-1 season 8 ending, with Howard stepping up as the new 118 captain, audiences have complained that the once light procedural has become entangled mired in grief. It suggests there might have been a path, potentially, to reduce the number of episodes that Krause appears in or to exit him in a way that still allows for occasional guest spots.
Either option would also have the impact of shining a spotlight on the remaining 9-1-1 cast. Angela Bassett, as they have been, but also a more consistent focus on Jennifer Love Hewitt, Aisha Hinds, Oliver Stark, Ryan Guzman, and Choi. Minear might hopefully be asked about why it would have been impossible to keep Bobby alive and whether, in his regret, he'd indulge those crazy Bobby theories.
9-1-1 season 9 airs Thursdays at 8 PM ET on ABC
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
English (US) ·