Months after his divisive death, ABC starts to make amends for killing Bobby in 9-1-1. Ryan Murphy’s first-responder procedural continues to thrive since Fox cancelled it, resulting in its move. For a few years now,

9-1-1 has been gradually growing its audience on ABC. Right now, however, it’s facing its biggest challenge in years.

9-1-1 Is Going Back To Its Silly Cases After Attempting Realism With Bobby’s Death

When Bobby died, there was confusion mixed with anger in terms of the reasoning behind it. Admittedly, some are still convinced that Bobby’s death is a ruse, and that Krause will eventually return in a major plot twist. Sadly, the chances of that happening are very little to none.

Showrunner Tim Minear attempted to justify killing off the face of 9-1-1 on the heels of the major shocker, saying that they wanted to inject realism into their storytelling. This makes sense for procedurals that lean on the dangers of the job. While

9-1-1 has had multiple near-death experiences, it has never been known for realism.

As 9-1-1 returns for season 9, however, it seems like it is finally walking back in its attempt to make the show more grounded. In the premiere, the 118 responds to an emergency that involves a billionaire being swallowed by a whale. As part of his attempt to reward the first-responders, Hen and Athena get to go on a space expedition.

Granted that these are inspired by real-life events, but they are still inherently silly. The idea of sending a paramedic and police officer to space and relying on their teammates to save the whole expedition is outrageous. At this point, they’re treating these characters more like superheroes than grounded characters — and that is actually great.

Why 9-1-1 Works Best When Its More Playful

Killing Bobby is one thing, but using realism as the reason for it when the show has never been rooted in it is another. The backlash from that tragedy made sense, but it also highlighted just how beloved Krause’s character was in the franchise. At this point, it would be difficult to undo Bobby’s death, but

9-1-1going back to its roots will be one of the best things that ABC can do to make amends.

Beyond 1 character, 9-1-1‘s appeal has been the way it approaches the first responder procedural genre

. NBC has the One Chicago block and CBS has Fire Country. As great as thoses shows are, however, their tones are more or less the same — intense and oftentimes dark.

9-1-1 allows people to sit back and indulge in the genre without being racked by anxiety every week that someone might die.

Enjoy ScreenRant’s primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check “Network TV” in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.