When it comes to television, shows like “American Horror Story” and “Glee” have demonstrated that Ryan Murphy and his colleagues have the magic touch. As such, it is not a surprise that their Fox procedural “9-1-1” has become a massive hit. Season after season, “9-1-1” has continuously proven that shows about first responders need not be typical. The series features unique (sometimes outlandish) cases, interesting relationship dynamics, and compelling yet often flawed characters. There is even a bit of quirky humor and campy fun –- after all, this is a Ryan Murphy show.
So much has happened on “9-1-1” that it is easy to forget where it all began. Things look quite different back in Season 1 when Buck is a newbie, Bobby is a mystery, and Athena is married to Michael. While we love where the entertaining and imaginative place “9-1-1” ends up, we want to look back at that original season, which provides the foundation from which the show was able to blossom. Here are some things that you may have forgotten happened in Season 1 of “9-1-1.”
Buck and Abby start a love connection over the phone
Connie Britton is a fantastic actress, but she has been gone from “9-1-1” for so long that it is easy to forget she was even on the show. She was, after all, only around for Season 1. Still, Britton’s Abby Clark made her debut in the first episode, and she was an integral part of the show’s early success. Not only was Abby a great dispatcher, but she also allowed us to see a softer side of Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark), who started off the show as kind of a jerk.
Buck and Abby started their flirtation on the phone, beginning in the second episode, “Let Go,” but they did not actually meet until “Point of Origin,” the fifth episode of Season 1. They started dating in the following episode, and it feels like things moved at warp speed after that. Their phone friendship certainly helped their in-person love affair move quicker, and perhaps the way they met is what allows them to overcome their considerable age difference so quickly, considering that Britton is nearly 25 years older than Stark. Though short-lived, the romance between Abby and Buck is a highlight of Season 1. Had Buck not had this experience, he likely would not have been emotionally ready for his current relationship with Taylor.
Michael comes out as gay
Michael Grant (Rockmond Dunbar) and his doctor fiancé David (La Monde Byrd) were abruptly written off the show in Season 5, reportedly due to Dunbar’s unwillingness to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates, per Deadline. Micheal leaves the show after a deadly explosion almost claims David’s life, prompting the two to travel to Haiti, where they help with hurricane relief. Though Michael clearly loves David, it seems quite out of character for the devoted father, whose son was recently abducted by a psycho killer. The ease with which the show deals with Michael’s sexuality makes it easy to forget that the character struggles with his sexual identity in Season 1.
When we first meet Michael, he is married to Athena (Angela Bassett), and the two are going to couples therapy to try to maintain a marriage without sex. In the first episode of the show, Michael reveals his homosexuality to his two children, May and Harry. “I want to tell them,” Michael tells Athena at the kitchen table after the kids ask about whether their parents are getting divorced. Athena says she is not ready, but Michael makes the disclosure anyway. The kids – particularly May –- do not take the news well, though they have been shown as nothing but supportive in recent years.
May attempts suicide
It is really cool to see May Grant (Corinne Massiah) excel as a “9-1-1” dispatcher, not only because she seems to have found her calling but also because of how hard her path there has been. May is accepted to the University of Southern California but decides to take a gap year to work as a dispatcher after high school. Her mother, Athena, is not all for it at first, and we think her hesitations are valid, given May’s past issues.
In Season 1, May attempts suicide by overdosing on pills she finds at home –- something she does because of bullying she is experiencing at school. It is a devastating storyline and a wake-up call for Athena, a control freak who realizes she does not have command of the situation. Of course, Athena attempts to regain control by completely going off the rails in the next episode, utilizing her position as a patrol sergeant to take revenge on May’s bully. “My baby was in the hospital because of you. She nearly died. What do you have to say to that?” she angrily whispers in the girl’s ear before arresting her for the drugs in her bag.
