@nicolemichele5 Published March 16, 2026, 8:00 a.m. ET Where to Stream: 9-1-1 Powered by Reelgood More On: 9-1-1 ‘9-1-1’ Boss Tim Minear Teases Season 9’s “Thrilling” Final Episodes (And Beyond): “I’m Excited And Scared” ‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 10 Recap: You’re Giving Me A Heart Attack ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ Star Chris O’Donnell Is Rooting For Blue And Taylor Too: “It’s Great To Have Them Come Together” ‘9-1-1’ Boss Tim Minear On Buck And Eddie’s Road Trip, That ‘Supernatural’ Song, And “Ramifications” Ahead 9-1-1 fans have spoken, and Season 9 of the hit ABC procedural reached new heights with Episode 13, “Mother’s Boy.”
The Misery-inspired installment featured a Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) roadtrip that had Buddie fans howling. But the episode also showed the dynamic 118 duo get into a car crash, Buck get kidnapped, and the two risk their lives to save each other.
Shortly after premiering on March 12, “Mother’s Boy” dethroned Season 3’s “Sink or Swim” as the show’s top-rated episode on IMDb. It’s clear that the people are hungry for more 9-1-1, so DECIDER spoke with creator/showrunner/”Mother’s Boy” writer Tim Minear about what’s in store for Season 9’s final episodes (and beyond).
As noted in our “Mother’s Boy” post-mortem piece, although Buck was rescued, lingering trauma, grief, and potential medical issues will follow him home. “As far as how does he come out of this, not all injuries are visible on the outside, and there will be ramifications to what has happened,” Minear teased. “We actually start to pick that up in the next episode. And it is not over right away…”
When Buck begged to see a doctor during Episode 13, he mentioned that “fever after a car accident can be caused by internal bleeding, bone trauma, or blood clots.” Before he and Eddie drove back home, he also told his sister Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) that he was cleared to travel, as long as he stopped every 90 minutes and walked around to prevent clots. Considering the double mention — plus Buck’s Season 3 history with blood clots and blood thinners — it’s possible that blood-related complications could crop up again down the line. But beyond medical issues, Minear confirmed that Buck’s invisible injuries will include grief over Bobby (Peter Krause).
“The whole thing kind of starts in the previous episode, when Buck realizes — once again — that his real family is the 118, and even Bobby knew that Eddie would be back. All season I’ve been trying to put a spotlight on individual characters and their grief about Bobby. And now it’s time for Buck,” Minear explained. “With the parent/child dynamics of the previous episode, this felt like a way to at least hear Buck say that sometimes he doesn’t know who he is anymore without Bobby around. I think [that’s] the thing that is under Buck’s skin. That’s really at the at the guts of it for him. I think Buck might be the most wounded in some ways, and he hasn’t really shown it yet. I’m excited for what Buck is about to go through.”
Minear shared that Buck and Eddie will emerge from the hellish road trip “closer.” And while he can’t reveal exactly what Buck is going through in upcoming episodes, he did say, “If anyone notices that there’s something going on with Buck, it’s going to be [Eddie].”
“If anyone notices that there’s something going on with Buck, it’s going to be [Eddie].”
Outside of Eddie’s life-or-death experience with Buck, he’s had a rough Season 9 himself. He’s actively avoided dating, feared for Christopher’s (Gavin McHugh) safety, been stalked and attacked by Abigail’s (Fallon Heaslip) father, lost his abuela (Ana Mercedes), and more. Buck made it a point to call Eddie “gloomy” on their road trip, but Minear promised that Guzman’s character will “for sure” have lighter moments ahead.
“I want that for him, because Ryan is really funny. [He and Eddie] both are,” the creator mused. “I really loved it when Eddie did the Risky Business dance, when he had a funny mustache, and even that scene in Episode 12 when he comes in with the mug and says ‘Explain.’ That eyebrow goes up, and he’s hilarious,” he recalled. Something else in Eddie’s future — or rather, someone? Maddie! Fans have longed for the two most important people in Buck’s life to have more scenes together, and after their LAFD charity auction and “Mother’s Boy” phone calls, the two will finally share the screen.
“They will be in scenes together coming up,” Minear said, noting that several scenes between the two in past episodes unfortunately didn’t pan out. “I really wanted a scene in [Episode 912] after Buck says he’s fine about his parents divorce, for Eddie to go to Maddie and be like, ‘You need to talk to your brother. I think something’s wrong.’ There just wasn’t enough room.”
“I’m also excited and scared about what’s going to happen to Athena. I think it’s going to be a really thrilling story.”
Buck and Eddie’s journeys aren’t the only ones the 9-1-1 showrunner is looking forward to sharing, though. “I’m excited for all the characters, actually. I can’t really spoil where we’re going in the last three episodes, but I’m also excited and scared about what’s going to happen to Athena,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a really thrilling story.”
From losing Bobby to losing gravity in space, 9-1-1 Queen Athena Grant-Nash has been through quite enough already, in my opinion! But no matter what Minear has in store, since he recently told TV Fanatic he’s “a little superstitious about having an episode that doesn’t have [her] in it,” we can hopefully breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Minear doesn’t want the show to go on without her.
Five episodes remain in Season 9, and though Minear and team just landed a milestone Season 10 renewal from ABC, the showrunner confirmed he already has ideas in motion. “I’m going to start a story here at the end of this season that’s going to carry over into next season,” he told Decider. “I’m pretty excited about it!”
While you count down the days until 9-1-1 Season 9, Episode 14, be sure to read Decider’s full interview with Minear for more 9-1-1 insights.
New episodes of 9-1-1 Season 9 premiere Thursdays on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
