When a series has been on for as long as 9-1-1, which just completed its eighth season, it can be expected that the show has the need to mix things up to keep things fresh and exciting. For the most part, 9-1-1's biggest problems as a series were inconsistent storylines or potentially repetitive emergencies. However, that all changed in "Lab Rats," when Bobby Nash was killed because of a creative choice. Bobby's death was devastating, as the show received significant backlash from longtime fans who had grown comfortable with no emergency being dangerous enough to kill a member of the 118, Athena, or Maddie, no matter how scary it was. However, not only is killing Bobby a massive loss to the series, but it is also significant for each character, who now has to figure out what their lives look like without Bobby's constant presence.
Although 9-1-1 has a strong ensemble cast, Bobby was one of the show's biggest anchors and grounding characters. His background and character arc, surrounded by mental health and recovery, were one of the biggest elements of the series and helped influence how he interacted with his team and made decisions. Bobby's chosen family with the 118 resulted in a father-son dynamic with Buck, and Bobby's relationship with Athena was one of the most integral parts of the show. 9-1-1 relied on Bobby's relationships as focal points. Previous seasons had shown that when Bobby was not at the firehouse, the rest of the 118 tended to rally around him and fall apart in his absence. In those moments, Bobby was suspended or transferred, so what will become of the 118 in Bobby's death?
After Bobby's death, season eight still relies heavily on his ghost. Athena must determine a final resting place for Bobby and confront her own grief at his absence. She is confronted with it directly in the season finale when Graham makes a similar self-sacrificial choice, choosing to help his neighbor get treatment rather than reveal his own substantial injuries. Meanwhile, Eddie is inspired to help Buck and Ravi by thinking about the type of stunt that Buck would pull if Bobby were still alive. Athena's eventual decision to sell the dream house that she and Bobby built together somewhat feels like a conclusion for that chapter in Athena's life as well. Only not that long previously, she said that she would not leave, given the memories she has with Bobby and her children on the same land.
For characters such as Athena and Buck, Bobby's death is a nightmare scenario come true. Athena had already lost her first fiancé to death years ago, and to lose Bobby also is a devastating reality for Athena to face. Meanwhile, Buck, who had seen Bobby's death as a main aspect of his nightmare coma dream, is now forced to live in a world where that has become a reality. The chosen family relationships of the 118 will never be the same again, and 9-1-1 now has to spend season nine figuring out what the new dynamics of the series are without Bobby.
Bobby Nash was a man who started out the series counting the days and lives saved until he could die. In his final episodes, Bobby was looking forward to building his future with Athena in the new home they built together. He was happy, sober, and choosing every day to move forward with his life and become evidence of how someone could grow to see value in their own life when they had struggled with that in the past. Bobby was a flawed person, just like anyone else, but that only made him more relatable and interesting. Losing him is like losing the heart of the series. No longer will there be the fun family moments that Bobby shares with Athena, May, and Harry that lighten up the disasters. Bobby's death could predict a potential tonal shift in 9-1-1 as the series has to pivot in the light of Bobby's absence.
Throughout his time on the series, Peter Krause developed a strong leading character in Bobby Nash, who helped ground the series in its largest emergencies and most unrealistic moments. The rest of the ensemble cast will need to step up to fill the hole that Bobby has left behind, as the final three episodes of season eight are not necessarily enough to determine what the series looks like without him. Had Peter Krause wanted to leave the series, then maybe killing the character off would have been a more justified option if Angela Bassett had remained on the show. But, as a creative choice by the writing team, Bobby died an unnecessary death, which ultimately hurt the series and the audience's view of the show.