Bobby Nash's time on ABC's 911 appears to be over, and fans are eager to find out why that decision was made.
Peter Krause has been a central part of 911's cast since Season 1 as Robert "Bobby" Nash, the longtime Captain of Station 118 in Los Angeles. Known for his dark history and his unmatched passion for helping those in need, Bobby has been a staple of the show alongside actors like Angela Bassett and Kenneth Choi.
Season 8 put Bobby through the wringer, starting off the season being replaced as Captain before working his way back to Station 118 alongside his team and family. However, with new dangers and threats coming all year, it appears he could only continue fighting for so long.
Does Bobby Die on 911?
Warning - the rest of this article contains major spoilers for 911 Season 8, Episode 15.
Season 8, Episode 15 of ABC's 911 (titled "Lab Rats") marked the end of star Peter Krause's tenure as Station 118 Fire Captain Bobby Nash.
In this episode, Kenneth Choi's Howard "Chimney" Han fought for his own life after being infected by a deadly virus. He and the rest of the 118 firefighters had gotten trapped in a bio lab, which then caught on fire as the threat of the virus leaking out became more real as well.
Tragically, Bobby caught the same virus, and the team was only able to find one vial of a vaccine that would cure both of them from the virus. In an act of noble self-sacrifice, he made sure Chimney got the cure as he accepted his own fate.
Speaking to his wife, LAPD sergeant Athena Grant-Nash (Angela Bassett), Bobby delivered an emotional speech expressing his love for her as he coughed up blood. Then, after kneeling down to pray, his body gave out from the infection, leading to his death.
The episode concluded with the rest of the Los Angeles first responders in tears, mourning the death of the show's leading male character. This comes shortly after leaked set photos hinted at Bobby dying in the new 911 episode, although fans hoped the scene was only a dream sequence
Why Did They Kill Off Bobby on 911?
Killing off one of a show's two biggest characters is no easy decision for anybody involved, leading fans and viewers to question why this happened to Bobby in 911.
Speaking with TV Line, 911 showrunner Tim Minear confirmed it to be "entirely a creative decision on [his] part," taking responsibility for killing off Bobby. He felt that "if the stakes are never real...the show could die," wanting to ensure there were consequences of some kind for somebody so vital to the story:
"No, this was entirely a creative decision on my part, really. I've been thinking about it for a while. I kind of hinted at it in the 'Hot Shots' episode when Brad Torrance is saying that [his character] isn't going wake up from his coma, and he had that fan going, 'You can't kill him off! He’s what holds the [firehouse] together!' I was really thinking seriously about it when we wrote that scene. Look, am I crawling out on a skinny branch? Maybe. On the other hand, if the stakes are never real, if there's really no chance that any of this peril in which these characters find themselves amounts to anything, I think the show could die."
Bobby's death was the way Minear delivered stakes on the level that he wanted, with the fire captain being only the second main character to ever exit the show (see more on Connie Britton's 911 exit here).
Why Is Peter Krause's Captain Nash Leaving 911 Show?
Peter Krause offered a statement addressing his exit from 911 following Bobby Nash's untimely death in Season 8.
While noting how fans "have a right" to be upset, he spoke on how Bobby "was written in sacrifice and he was built for this." The story arc - and ultimate departure - for his character is meant to honor real-world first responders who "risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day" while thanking the show's cast and crew.
"...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. First responders risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day. His story arc honors them. We at 911 salute all the incredible men and women who do these dangerous jobs and strive to keep us safe."
"I had to convince everybody about this," Minear told Variety in the same report, having to pitch the idea "at the highest levels" to get it approved. This will be the next step, one last emergency in 911 Season 8 (after a lengthy hiatus) as the rest of the team figures out how to push forward without one of their leaders.
Further in that interview, Minear made it unmistakably clear that Bobby was not killed off for budgetary reasons so that ABC could save money on salaries. The decision was made purely for the narrative to push the show forward in a meaningful direction.
Minear took responsibility again for the decision with The Hollywood Reporter, feeling that the time had come for "some real tragic fallout from a story" to be included:
"I would say it was our [collective] decision, but it was my decision because I felt like creatively, if the show became too inert, it would just die of inertia, right? So I felt like it just needed to happen. Otherwise, the next time I turn over a cruise ship, or land a plane on the freeway, or take a city out with a tsunami, you’re just going to be like, 'Oh, everyone’s going to be fine.' So it was time for there to be some real tragic fallout from a story."
Once he came to the decision to kill somebody off, he felt Bobby was the only choice that made sense. The idea of Bobby having "a tragic sacrifice as a conclusion of his entire journey" felt right while also noting how his death, more than anyone else, would affect the rest of the characters the most.
The thought of Bobby being killed off had stuck with him for a long time and came back to him this year, as he wanted to give other characters a chance to shine in their own stories.
While telling The Wrap that Bobby's death is set in stone with no chance of him being brought back to life, Minear teased Krause's return later in the season.
He explained that this episode "is not Peter's last appearance" in Season 8 before further touching on his death being something that makes the audience "feel that there were real stakes" in the story:
"Episode 15 is not Peter’s last appearance this season. [The show] needed a major character death for the audience to feel that there were real stakes in any of these cases … Next season, when our characters are in a precarious situation, you might be gripping the arms of your chair a little bit tighter."
