Bobby’s death on 9-1-1 came out of nowhere — but why was the decision to kill off Peter Krause‘s character so controversial?
9-1-1, which premiered in 2018, introduced Us to the professional and personal lives of Los Angeles first responders. Krause was one of the major players in the role of Bobby, a.k.a. the LAFD station captain — and Angela Bassett’s onscreen husband.
After eight seasons of making fans feel comfortable, with the main characters surviving everything from beenados to a cruise ship disaster, 9-1-1 pulled the rug out from under Us with Bobby’s death from a rare virus in season 8.
“I had been toying with the idea for a couple of seasons, actually, maybe even longer, feeling like at some point I’m going to have to do this,” showrunner Tim Minear told Deadline of killing off a major character in an interview published in April. “And then once I came up with this idea for the lab leak episode, that’s when it solidified for me that it was time to do it, it felt like a real opportunity to give somebody an epic Wrath of Khan–like death.”
The cast of 9-1-1 are just as devastated about that major character’s death as fans are. The second half of the ABC series’ two-part 9-1-1: Contagion event on Thursday, April 17, ended with the shocking death of the 118’s leader, Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause). While trapped in a lab with a dangerous virus, Bobby […]
He continued, “When it came down to deciding who should that be, I wanted it to be a character that affected all the characters’ stories in a very specific and yet different ways. There was only one man for the job, and it was Bobby.”
Minear acknowledged that losing Bobby — and Krause — was a “wrenching decision.”
“I adore Peter, and he’s so great on the show, really the backbone of the show in so many ways, which is why it was both a terrifying decision but also, creatively, I just knew that it would be so meaningful and have such repercussions and give me so much story for the show,” he said. “Once I had made that choice, suddenly the world of the show seems so much more real to me, just feeling the grief of the characters and feeling just how that nuclear bomb going off in the center of that universe affected everything. Suddenly, everything just felt weirdly more alive to me.”
Minear was right to be concerned, because in the days after Bobby’s onscreen death, the internet made its displeasure very clear. Keep scrolling as Us explains why Bobby’s death blindsided the audience — and what it means for the series’ future:
The Key Players
Disney/Christopher Willard
Krause has been on the show since its first season alongside costars Bassett, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi and Oliver Stark.
The Gist
Peter Krause. Disney/Christopher Willard
During a two-part “Contagion” event in April, viewers were worried about Chimney’s (Choi) health after he contracted a rare and deadly virus following a massive lab explosion. Buck (Stark) and Athena (Bassett) tracked down the only antidote dose — but it turned out that Bobby’s suit was compromised, which caused him to contract the virus as well. It was too late to save Bobby’s life, so he only had time to say goodbye to Buck and Athena before succumbing to his illness.
The shocking death came weeks after set photos showing the cast filming a funeral went viral. While some fans theorized that Bobby would be killed off, other viewers pointed out that the past eight seasons have put characters into many ridiculous situations, only to always save them at the very last second.
9-1-1 wasn’t the only show that killed off a major character in 2025 — and many of those fictional deaths still have fans upset. The ABC drama threw Us for a loop when an April episode ended with Peter Krause‘s Bobby being secretly infected with a rare and fatal virus. As viewers coped with the […]
Why It’s a Big Deal
Disney/Christopher Willard
Bobby’s death cost the show a fan-favorite character — and shook up the series going forward. It made viewers question how 9-1-1 could go on without Krause’s character leading everyone else week to week. The biggest concern though? Athena’s state of mind after losing her second husband.
Bassett specifically has discussed the importance of Athena and Bobby’s relationship.
“I don’t even know what the show would be like without them together,” she told People in March. “It’s hard to imagine.”
What People Are Saying
Disney/Anne Marie Fox
Krause released a statement after the episode, saying, “I’ve heard that many fans are upset by this loss and they have a right to be. It is a loss. That said, it was more than a bold creative choice on a bold show. Bobby Nash was written in sacrifice and he was built for this.”
He continued, “First responders risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day. His story arc honors them. We at 9-1-1 salute all the incredible men and women who do these dangerous jobs and strive to keep us safe.”
Krause elaborated on how he was mourning his time on the show — and onscreen marriage with Bassett — during an interview with Good Morning America.
“I won’t have a relationship like that again on TV. It’s been a fantastic eight years. I’m going to miss her a lot,” he added. “He was willing to sacrifice himself so that others could see another day. And I will miss everybody dearly. This was my workplace, for eight years, eight seasons. And I am really going to miss everybody: Angela and the fire team and the crew.”
Bassett, meanwhile, shocked Us when she revealed she didn’t know about Bobby’s death until she got the episode’s script.
“I remember Tim called. He said, ‘Someone’s going to pass away,’” she told Deadline. “I said, ‘Is it me?’ Self-preservation, you know. I went through the list, you start with yourself, but I was very surprised that it was my husband.”
What We’re Saying
Disney/Christopher Willard
9-1-1 is just one of several shows to upset fans recently by killing off crucial characters, from Netflix’s Outer Banks killing off Rudy Pankow‘s JJ Maybank and Yellowjackets‘ numerous onscreen deaths to a shocking demise on The Last of Us.
It remains to be seen how 9-1-1 will adjust to Bobby’s absence, but Us is already wondering whether there’s a plan to set Athena up with Joshua Jackson’s Max on Doctor Odyssey, as both shows are in the Ryan Murphy TV universe.
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What’s Next
Disney/Mike Taing
Minear told Variety that Bobby’s death episode “is not Peter Krause’s final appearance this season.” It was also confirmed that the decision to kill Bobby was not due to Krause looking to leave the show.
“I still think people grip their seats and are excited when Athena lands a plane on the freeway or a ship capsizes — but after eight years, it just felt like, if we have any hope of creating stories going forward that have actual stakes, then someone’s got to die,” he explained about why it “made sense” for that to be Bobby. “If you track the tragic arc of his character, of where he started, and how he came to L.A. looking for atonement, it just makes a kind of tragic sense for his character in a way it wouldn’t for another character.”
Minear concluded: “But also, I just didn’t want to go small. Not that any of the characters are small, but Bobby’s death affects every single character’s story in a way that really no other character death would.”
As for Bobby’s replacement? “I’m not solving that problem right away for the rest of this season,” the executive producer told TV Insider. “There is an interim captain there who is not going to be the captain going forward, but the last three episodes are not about who’s in Bobby’s chair. The last three episodes are about that chair is empty.”
