‘9-1-1’: Tim Minear Admits He Has ‘Tons of Regret’ Over Killing Off Bobby

It’s been less than a year since 9-1-1 fans bid farewell to Peter Krause‘s Captain Bobby Nash, and cocreator Tim Minear already questions whether killing him off was the right choice.

The latter half of 9-1-1 Season 8 saw the 118 crew respond to a call at a laboratory, where several members were exposed to a deadly virus. After providing an infected Chimney (Kenneth Choi) with the only antidote, Bobby heroically sacrificed himself by trapping himself in the lab, allowing the virus to die with him. The season wrapped up with the characters bidding farewell to Bobby, as well as his wife, Athena (Angela Bassett), forgiving Chimney after blaming him for Bobby’s death.

Following Bobby’s death last year, Minear told TV Insider that the decision was made to showcase the “life and death situations” first responders face in real life. Minear stood by his reasoning in an interview with The Washington Post published on Wednesday, January 7, but also expressed some regret over the decision to axe one of the show’s leads.

“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,” he shared, adding that there was a financial aspect to it as well. “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.”

Disney/Christopher Willard

Minear went on to note, “I have tons of regret about it. I still think it was the right move. But it’s been really wrenching for me.”

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Bobby’s death has continued to linger over the show’s current ninth season, which premiered in October 2025. For one, the 118 firehouse was renamed in his memory. His sacrifice also inspired his stepson, Harry (Elijah M. Cooper), to join the fire academy. Not to mention, Chimney has officially succeeded Bobby as the station’s leader after serving as interim captain at the beginning of the season.

The show’s Season 9 midseason premiere on Thursday, January 8, saw Chimney mention Bobby while reprimanding Hen (Aisha Hinds) after her mysterious illness caused her to collapse at the scene of a structure fire.

“I can’t have someone on the team who puts her life and the lives of her coworkers and the public at risk. I don’t believe you would’ve done this if Bobby were still in the captain’s chair,” he told her. Though Hen denied it, Chimney retorted, “You don’t trust me, Hen, and I need to be able to trust you, and right now, I can’t. If this were anyone else, I’d have to let them go.”

Hen stated that she shouldn’t be treated “any different,” leading Chimney to let her go from the 118. Fans will have to tune in to see whether Hen will earn her place back at the fire station, or whether her time at the 118 has officially come to an end.

9-1-1, Thursdays, 8/7c, ABC

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