Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 - 9-1-1 - Season Eight

9-1-1 is the OG of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, & Tim Minear's 9-1-1 franchise. Moving from Fox to ABC; that's not the Aussie ABC, but US. Disney+ finally popped season eight up, earlier this month. I did manage to get a start on the season last year in Japan. So I only had eight or so remaining episodes to catch up on. The series has always been a bit soapy, however this season jumped the shark hardcore.

The lead disaster was around bees! Yes that's right bees! Apparently season nine goes to space. How much longer can the series try to out do itself.

That said, with the Texas bound Lone Star edition wrapping, 9-1-1: Nashville has commenced. And boy it is bad. Lone Star had heart and (in my opinion) better, more likeable characters than the OG series.

That said, Angela Bassett really had some strong performances. And no the crossover episode to the now cancelled Doctor Odyssey, doesn't go into too much depth. Literally she sees the boat, end scene. End episode, crossover completed on the short lived random Joshua Jackson series.

Alongside Bassett, Oliver Stark, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ryan Guzman, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Corinne Massiah, Elijah M. Cooper, & Gavin McHugh all star. Although there was big cast departure towards the tail end of season eight. More on that later. 

Last April 9-1-1, the series was renewed for a ninth season, which premiered last October. Hopefully I don't have to wait till next February to watch it! Bloody Channel Seven with their legacy deal on the OG 9-1-1.

So how does the bee drama unfold at the top of the previous season?

Hen and Karen make progress with regaining their foster license; Hen notices that Chimney and Mara are growing close. Buck and Tommy help Eddie throw a birthday party for Christopher over video call, but Christopher is vacant and eventually leaves to celebrate with new friends, much to Eddie's dismay. Bobby is now a technical advisor for firefighting TV show "Hotshots;" he is undermined by production, but idolised by the lead actor, Brad Torrence. 

A truck carrying 22 million killer bees crashes downtown, threatening the lives of a mother and daughter and, later, the attendees of a perfume party. Buck's initiative allows the 118 to handle both situations efficiently, but he is punished by Gerrard for unruliness. Buck later saves Gerrard from a flying circular saw, but knocks him unconscious in the process. 

Meanwhile, Athena escorts her first fiancé's killer, Dennis Jenkins ("Athena Begins"), to L.A. so he can testify in a trafficking case in exchange for freedom. En route, she detains a fake officer who tries to take Dennis into his own custody; Dennis reveals that someone wants him dead. They board an L.A.-bound plane which, due to the bees obstructing visibility, violently collides with another plane.

The season got dark with Bobby aka Peter Krause passed away in their contagion style emergency at the back end of the season.

With the removal of Bobby Nash, I'll be interested to see how (the current) season nine unfolds. Nine seasons is a big achievement, however it looks set to go even further. Sources say season ten is almost a sure thing.

So how did the final episode of the eighth season wrap?

Before the collapse, the 118 hosts a goodbye lunch for Eddie, where Hen gifts him his 118 turnouts. 

Hen also admits she turned down the offer to become captain and Buck says he put in for a transfer from the 118, feeling it is no longer the same without Bobby. 

At the apartment building site, Athena tries to help Graham and another civilian who has been crushed by the debris. The 118 arrives on scene and quickly becomes overwhelmed after the building suffers another collapse. Eddie, seeing the event on the news, puts on his old turnouts and arrives at the scene to help. Chimney, hearing Athena has been trapped in the building, goes in by himself to help her get out; they learn Graham was impaled, but said nothing because the other civilian, who he previously had been feuding with, needed their help more. This causes Athena to accept what Bobby did for Chimney and the two reconcile after the team saves Graham. 

Back at the firehouse, Chimney tells Eddie he is not living in Texas anymore and tells Buck he's not transferring, making a speech about keeping the importance of Bobby's legacy alive. After the speech, Hen slips up and refers to Chimney as "Cap." Hen and Karen formally adopt Mara, Eddie and Christopher move back to Los Angeles and begin unpacking boxes, Buck starts looking for a new apartment now that Eddie is back, Athena begins work on selling the house, and Maddie gives birth to her son. 

Upon Athena arriving at the hospital, Chimney tells her they named the baby Robert Nash Han, after Bobby.

The season wrapped up nicely. I must admit watching it over two parts (partly in Japan last year, last eight episodes this week) felt disjointed. At least I got to watch the first emergency and later Bobby emergency uninterrupted.

9-1-1 is one of Ryan Murphy's longest running series, will it overtake American Horror Story? Speaking of Ryan Murphy. It's his season, with two 9-1-1's returning soon in the USA (Nashville only here), Love Story starting and The Beauty coming to a horrific conclusion early next month.

So expect more Ryan Murphy through my final half of the Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 series. 

Happy Valentine's Day. 

Officially two more weeks of summer. Unofficially March is still HOT AF, hence my Q1, 2026 blog series title.

See you next week for the Tell Me Lies finale and hopefully a movie or two!