9-1-1’s Cowardice Is Why It’ll Never Compete or Realize Its Full Potential

9-1-1 prides itself on having some of the biggest emergencies but each one ends the same, removing stakes from a show that's about them.

The post 9-1-1’s Cowardice Is Why It’ll Never Compete or Realize Its Full Potential appeared first on TV Fanatic.

No show has the market of wild emergencies cornered like 9-1-1.

Every season brings a multi-episode opening emergency that tests the 118 and threatens to claim their lives.

From the magnificent tsunami to the bee-nado of 9-1-1 Season 8, these emergencies are always an experience.

Apart from these mega emergencies, the show also deals with weekly cases. By nature, someone is always at risk.

From regular citizens having the worst day of their lives to unsuspecting people who might become collateral, life and property are always one second away from being destroyed.

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Being a cop, firefighter, or paramedic is an admirable vocation requiring some sacrifice for the greater good.

Hazards are numerous on the field, and the mental consequences follow someone to their home and future.

It’s impressive that no main character in the show has ever died.

Scratch that, it’s not impressive.

9-1-1 Deliberately Avoids Killing Off Characters

I would not pretend to be an expert on death, but seven years is a long time for a show about death and suffering to not deal with death and suffering.

9-1-1 always comes close to dealing the ultimate blow to its characters but has never quite gone through with it.

Every character has had to deal with a major life-threatening situation at one point.

And while these situations have always been exciting and nerve-wracking, they end similarly.

Every event that would claim a life ends up tied nicely as the victim survives even when they undergo some of the worst things a human being can experience.

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9-1-1 is not a sitcom or a superhero show. While suspending disbelief is part of the TV experience, some creative decisions can have a negative effect.

There Are No Real Stakes Anymore

For other shows in the same niche, an arc involving one of your favorite characters would cause concern.

For example, if Grey’s Anatomy teases that someone might die, the chances are fair that they might.

Before writing this article, Maddie was kidnapped by a serial killer.

On another show that is not 9-1-1, it would be a real concern that she could die. But even before watching the episode, I could guess she would end up in a hospital.

I couldn’t have guessed that the serial killer would slice her throat and leave her for dead.

In the real world, most people don’t survive having their throats slit. Yet, she rises with blood gushing from the wound and takes down her captor.

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It would be horrifying if it weren’t comical.

A show that never kills off any character lacks real stakes. It’s like having an episode’s ending spoiled.

Sure, you might enjoy watching it, even knowing how it ends, but the effect is not the same as when you experience it for the first time.

9-1-1 has turned from a high-octane drama with life-threatening situations to a trauma dump with invincible characters.

Invincible Characters Is Not Even the Half Of It

Some more issues make the lack of real stakes in the show the more egregious.

Most of the show’s main cast remains intact, with Connie Britton and Rockmond Dunbar being the only notable names from the early seasons to depart.

Several cast members have left One Chicago in the past few seasons, and while seeing your favorite character of half a decade leave is never fun, there’s an upside.

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New characters join and offer fresh stories to tell, rejuvenating a show that is getting tired and starts rehashing the same storylines.

Character departures might be a smart creative decision because it offers an opportunity for a shocker in the future.

Nothing is as exciting as seeing an old character return to interact with newer characters.

9-1-1 has no impactful characters to bring back.

Even when they want to revisit the past, they make strained connections that seem far-fetched at times.

Given that many recurring guest stars who leave do so either because their characters were villains or the increasing toxicity in the fandom left them no option, the show lacks significant wealth to stage blasts from the past.

Why Doesn’t 9-1-1 Kill Off Any Characters?

This show might be showrunner Tim Minear’s attempt at correcting his past actions in previous shows.

However, there is a point where correction becomes overcorrection and the negative effects stack.

Minear has been asked before why these characters are unkillable, and he told TheWrap:

“I don’t think the characters are unkillable. There have been a few times when they’ve come close to actually dying. I just don’t want to kill any of them. One day when it does happen, it’s going to be a sad day for me.”

However, as the seasons match, the decision negatively affects the show.

It was fun to see everyone survive initially, but the fun ended five seasons ago.

It’s never a pleasure to see your favorite character killed off. And even I’m being hypocritical because I’m glad Maddie survived.

She’s my favorite character; I hope she’s the last woman standing.

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It is even sadder to know that an actor is out of work once a character is gone.

This makes it a real conundrum because, on the one hand, viewers want a show that hits all the right notes, but on the other hand, they don’t want to sacrifice their favorite character for that to happen.

I’m yet to see what happens, but since Eddie recently left LA for Texas, who’s willing to bet he returns before the season ends?

This is the cowardice of 9-1-1, and it’s terrible for it.

Over to you, 9-1-1 Fanatics. Am I being too critical, or is this a real problem?

Chime in in the comments section.

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The post 9-1-1’s Cowardice Is Why It’ll Never Compete or Realize Its Full Potential appeared first on TV Fanatic.