9-1-1 Character Not Leaving Show Just Yet Despite Shocking Death (2025)

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‘9-1-1’ Killed Off a Major Character in Intense Season 8 Episode

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for9-1-1’s April 17 episode “Lab Rats.”

Peter Krause's time on 9-1-1 is not over yet.

While the actor's fan-favorite lead character, LAFD captain Robert "Bobby" Nash, was killed off on the current eighth season's April 17 episode, titled "Lab Rats," viewers will see him again soon on the ABC show.

"Well, I will say that Episode 15 is not Peter Krause’s final appearance this season," showrunner Tim Minear toldVariety in an interview published April 17, when asked if the door was open for Krause to come back as a ghost or another form. "It’s not like Bobby dies and then everyone goes on with their day."

The upcoming final three episodes of season eight, he said, will focus on the aftermath of the shocking death of Peter's character, who was introduced in the first season in 2018.

"I’m not saying that the last three episodes are a therapy session, much," Tim added. "There’s still thrilling adventures and high-stakes first-responder action taking us into our finale, but every single episode of the next three, they’re all about Bobby’s death."

The producer also explained his reasons for killing off the actor's character. "I still think people grip their seats and are excited when Athena lands a plane on the freeway or a ship capsizes," he said, referencing Angela Bassett's character,"but after eight years, it just felt like, if we have any hope of creating stories going forward that have actual stakes, then someone's got to die."

So why Bobby? "The first reason is that it made sense," Tim explained. "It didn’t feel arbitrary, because if you track the tragic arc of his character, of where he started, and how he came to LA looking for atonement, it just makes a kind of tragic sense for his character in a way it wouldn’t for another character."

Tim also said he "just didn’t want to go small" with his decision to kill off a character, adding, "Bobby’s death affects every single character’s story in a way that really no other character death would."

Peter himself has also spoken out about his character's death. "I’ve heard that many fans are upset by this loss and they have a right to be. It is a loss," he shared in a statement April 17. "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."

He continued, "First responders risk their lives on the job so that others can see another day. His story arc honors them. We at 9-1-1 salute all the incredible men and women who do these dangerous jobs and strive to keep us safe."

Keep reading for more shocking TV character exits…