‘9-1-1’ Season 2 Cast Changes & Spoilers

In January 2018, TV show 9-1-1 premiered, with an amazing cast portraying a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of firefighters, EMTs, and emergency personnel, both on and off the clock. Tragedies were revealed, along with romance and heartbreak. The show now returns with season 2, in a two-night premiere, starting September 23, 2018. In some ways, the show will pick up right where it left off, while it will also deal with new issues, continuing storylines and new, emergency life events. But, before we get into some of the cast changes and spoilers on what to expect, THIS IS YOUR MAJOR SPOILER WARNING. Do NOT continue reading if you do NOT want to know anything about the new season.

Jennifer Love Hewitt Replaces Connie Britton

Photo Credit: Michael Becker ©2018 Fox Broadcasting Co.

At the end of last season, Connie Britton’s character, Abby Clark, left, breaking things off with boyfriend Buck, who made the decision to wait for her, according to The Wrap. Connie Britton was only under contract for a year, but there’s always the chance she’ll come back in guest appearances on the show. But, with her gone, of course, there needs to be another face in the 911 control center, right? Enter, Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Hewitt comes in as Maddie, the sister of Buck, and Maddie is a 911 operator, just as Abby was on the show. One of the executive producers on the show, Tim Minear, told The Wrap that, “With Maddie, you have a character who starts out as a trainee and we get an entry view into the 9-1-1 dispatch world. And so the audience gets to experience that with her a little bit. And it gives you a unique perspective on that role … When we sort of started thinking about Jennifer in that [leading] role, the idea of making her Buck’s sister felt like a wonderful nexus, a personal nexus between that corner of our world and the other corner of our world.”

Minear also said that Hewitt was the perfect choice to play Maddie and that they needed a strong female TV star to add some “color” to the show. Minear said that creator Ryan Murphy actually knew exactly which angle to take when Britton left the show, explaining that, “He’ll know exactly the element that is needed for a show and when you say Connie’s replacement — not really Connie’s replacement right? You can’t replace Connie Britton. But what you need is you need certain elements on the show and we absolutely needed a face in the 9-1-1 call center.”

Angela Bassett’s Character Finds Romance With Another Main Cast Member

Photo Credit: Michael Becker ©2018 Fox Broadcasting Co.

Angela Bassett plays the role of Athena Grant, an LAPD Patrol Sergeant, while Peter Krause plays Bobby Nash, an LAFD Captain. Last season, Grant dealt with the break up of her marriage, finding out that her husband was gay. She also started to wade into the dating pool. Meanwhile, Nash was dealing with demons from the past, losing his wife and children in a fire that he accidentally started.

This season, promo video clips show the two characters getting involved in a romantic relationship. The two keep their romance secret, but the secrecy begins to wear on Nash.

Ryan Guzman Joins the Cast as a New Firefighter

Photo Credit: Michael Becker ©2018 Fox Broadcasting Co.Ryan Guzman on 9-1-1.

Actor Ryan Guzman comes in as new firefighter Eddie Diaz this season. Some may recognize Guzman as Noah Sandborn in The Boy Next Door, opposite Jennifer Lopez. He’s currently expecting a baby with his girlfriend.

When it comes to his character, Eddie, executive producer Tim Minear dished to Entertainment Weekly that, “Ryan’s character comes in the first episode, and there is definitely some tension between him and Buck (Oliver Stark) but it’s mostly on Buck’s part. Ryan’s character has his own issues: He’s a single father with a son with special needs, with cerebral palsy. And he’s an Army veteran who’s left the Army in order to raise his kid.”

It Might Not Be the End for Buck and Abby

Currently, actress Connie Britton is appearing on American Horror Story: Apocalypse and new series Dirty John. Coincidentally, because of her schedule with 9-1-1, co-star Angela Bassett had to skip out on the current season of American Horror Story.

At the end of last season, Abby (played by Britton) left after the death of her mother, but younger boyfriend Buck decided to wait for her. Whether he will wait long, we don’t know, as he ditched his womanizing past to be with her in season 1. We do know, however, that he will at least make the effort to stay faithful while she’s away, at least in the beginning of the new season. And, there is always a chance that Britton could return to the series in the future, which leaves open possibilities for more romance between Buck and Abby.

Minear revealed to The Wrap that, “We went out on a season where Abby left with a promise to return — or an intention to return — and Buck waiting for her. So the first handful of episodes of Season 2 are about, you know, Buck waiting. And what that’s like for a guy like him … Buck’s waiting is the next part of the story.” He then added, “You know, Connie was there for the first year and she helped us get on our feet and off the ground and I would have her back in a second for as much as she’d wanna come back for. But that’s not happening yet.”