ABC's 911 is known for throwing its fans through a loop. Since the beginning of its run (back in its Fox days), the procedural series has tackled some of the most outlandish storylines you'll see in all of television and that's what makes it among the most memorable shows right now. For better or worse, 911 (and any show set in that shared universe) is known for taking big swings.
Its most recent, however, hasn't landed in the way that the creative team hoped. Oh sure, it landed on an emotional sense, as the show broke the internet on the night that the respective episode aired and the fact that it was capable of re-entering mainstream conversations on a moment's notice is a testament to its appeal eight seasons in. But the creative decision in that particular episode has impacted the show in such a way that it has - understandably - left fans feeling outraged, upset, and contemplating whether they want to continue watching the show.
Before we go on, you should know that there are some major SPOILERS from 911 season 8 going forward.
911 fans consider switching off after beloved character death
If you've been keeping up with 911 in recent weeks, you probably heard about the show's controversial decision to kill off Captain Bobby Nash in an unexpected two-part "event" episode. Heck, if you weren't keeping up with the show at the time, you probably still heard about it as the fallout of that creative choice resonated far beyond the 911 fandom, reaching all corners of the internet and generating discussions about what risks are worth taking on television (and, just as importantly, which ones aren't).
Peter Krause's departure from the show after eight seasons is a very big deal. Bobby was arguably the main character of the show; he was the fire captain of the 118 and the husband of the other main character: Sergeant Athena Grant (Angela Bassett). He was the glue that held the show together, the center of its core family of firefighters and first responders and, quite possibly, everyone's favorite character (I mean, who didn't love Bobby, right?!). So for the show to not only kill him off so suddenly, but for it to be a creative choice - and not the actor's decision - is really quite baffling.
Yes, this was reportedly a creative decision from showrunner Tim Minear but the fans refuse to believe that there was anything creative about it. In fact, they were holding out hope that it was all a rouse and that Bobby would somehow come back to life in the episode devoted to his funeral. Honestly, this show has done some crazy things in the past so this would be marginally believable in the 911 universe. But that didn't happen, and thus fans' hopes and dreams of seeing Bobby Nash back on the show have been shattered.
It can't be understated how angry fans are about this. Bobby was such a beloved character and of course that would result in a lot of emotions from the core audience, but the reaction here goes well beyond that. There was upset over the way that he was killed off after the series made fans think the 118's captain might die in the previous season finale. There was upset over the fact that his funeral only had a few moments of screentime in an episode that was supposed to be devoted to his send-off. And then there is the fact that they killed such a beloved character in the middle of a season to add a sense of realism to a show - and season - that also features Beenados.
One angry viewer took to social media to call the whole situation "a disservice to the character, the fans, and the actor", adding that what the show was died along with Bobby. Another called the whole situation "disrespectful", saying that they felt sorry for Peter Krause who genuinely enjoyed playing the character and "felt deeply connected to him". And this fan pointed out that the relationship between Bobby and Athena was the heart and soul of the show and that both of them deserved better than this.
A lot of fans have also threatened to stop watching 911. Prior to the funeral confirming that Bobby was indeed dead, one social media user said that "I'm not kidding when I say that If they kill Bobby Nash, I'll stop watching. Bobby is the heart of the show...". Another has predicted that the ratings will "plummet" after this decision, claiming that the death of Bobby has "sabotaged the success of the show". One more says that last week's episode is "the last new episode" as far as they are concerned as they are "not watching it from now on".
It's clear that the decision to kill off Bobby was questionable at best. While all shows need to take risks at some point in time, this one seems particularly unnecessary given how truly beloved Bobby was to the show. Change can be a good thing, of course, but if you take the most beloved part of a show away from it - the heart and soul in many people's eyes - doesn't that risk it becoming more generic and more cyclical? For a show to have stakes, audiences need to care about what happens, and while the rest of the characters in 911 are indeed beloved, its clear from the audience response that removing Bobby Nash from the equation may well have removed the heart from it too. And without heart, there are no stakes.