New 911 Season 8 Set Photos Reveal [Spoilers]' Return After Series Exit

911 set photos provided an exciting Season 8 update as they unveiled the major comeback of a longtime cast member following his brief exit.

One of the major storylines of 911 Season 8 revolved around saying goodbye to 911 fan-favorite character Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) after he moved to Texas to spend more time with his son, Christopher.  

While Eddie's exit was quite shocking, 911 showrunner Tim Minear softened the blow by confirming that fans will still get to see Eddie and Christopher's storyline on-screen in Season 8. 

However, Eddie's story was sidelined in the 911 Season 8's two-part contagion event, which ended with the tragic death of Peter Krause's Bobby Nash. 

In a photo captured from the set of 911 Season 8, Ryan Guzman's Eddie Díaz was spotted wearing Firehouse 118's turnout gear, indicating that he will return to Los Angeles and become part of his original team once again. 

Eddie's return to 911 Season 8 is significant because of his strong chemistry with the core members of Firehouse 118. Eddie becoming a major part of the team could also mean that a potential romantic storyline with his best friend, Buck, could finally be explored.

Fans have been clamoring for Buck and Eddie to be together romantically, and his return means that more scenes of them will be showcased, potentially leading to something more.  

Ryan Guzman's comeback as Eddie Diaz comes after the tragic death of Bobby Nash (read more about why Peter Krause had to leave 911), and his return is unsurprising considering that he is close to Nash and the rest of the core team. 

In fact, 911 set photos showing Bobby Nash's funeral have already spoiled Eddie's appearance in the powerful tribute to the fallen captain alongside other key characters like Angela Bassett's Athena Grant, former Firehouse 118 Captain Vincent Gerrard, and probationary firefighter Ravi Panikkar. Based on the promos, the photos appear to come from 911 Season 8, Episode 16. 

As for the reason behind Eddie's exit, Ryan Guzman previously explained why he left as a series regular in 911 Season 8, noting that his character's prime motivation for his exit is to  "[salvage] the relationship between him and his son [Christopher]," 

"But as far as Eddie goes, Eddie has got one thing on his mind and one thing only, and that’s salvaging the relationship between him and his son. And then stepping back into the role of being a father and not allowing his parents to do too much of that for him."

Eddie's Return to Firehouse 118 Makes Sense - Here's Why 

Eddie Diaz's return as a full-time firefighter at Firehouse 118 in Los Angeles means a lot of things for 911 Season 8. 

For some, this could hint that he could be leaving Christopher behind in Texas to be with his close friends in Los Angeles during their time of mourning. However, with Christopher being Eddie's driving force in everything, his comeback as a full-time firefighter could hint at one thing: Christopher is okay with Eddie moving back to Los Angeles after seeing his financial struggles in Texas.

911 Season 8, Episode 13 already revealed that Eddie has yet to find a high-paying job in Texas due to a hiring freeze in the main firehouse close to Christopher, and he even resorted to becoming an Uber driver to make ends meet. 

After Christopher found out about Eddie's ride-hailing career, the pair could talk about where things stand in their relationship, and learning about Bobby Nash's death could make them realize that moving back to Los Angeles makes sense for both of them (considering that they already have close friends in the area).