10 Scenes That Made 9-1-1 Fans Quit the Show (& Never Look Back)

9-1-1 is popular because it expertly blends outrageous plots with signature characters. While this procedural is by no means a sitcom, it’s teeming with lighter moments that help to balance the more tragic scenes. As such, a lot of fans and critics agree that this is Ryan Murphy’s best work in decades.

However, the show has a tendency to take things too far and make certain things entirely unbelievable. Not only does this alienate the audience, but it also forces them to detach from the story that the show is trying to express. Thus, there are certain moments that have forced 9-1-1 fans to stop following the show for good.

Maddie’s Trauma Was Too Much to Bear

Season 8, Episode 9, “Sob Stories”

Maddie Han is one of the most beloved characters on 9-1-1, and fans appreciate her role as a working wife and mother. In Season 8, she experienced a grave traumatic event when she was kidnapped by Detective Amber Braeburn. While Jennifer Love Hewitt should be praised for how she handled such an intense storyline, some fans can’t help but think that the show is just using Maddie as a punching bag.

Not only had Maddie been kidnapped before, but she also suffered from a bout of postpartum depression. Thus, it seems that all Maddie does is float from one tragic event to the next, and the show doesn’t give her a second to grieve. So after her second kidnapping, viewers decided that they had had enough of watching Maddie suffer.

Buck and Eddie’s Bond Changes Dramatically

Season 7, Episode 4, “Buck, Bothered, and Bewildered”

Buck and Eddie have always been very close friends and colleagues, but in Season 7 their relationship suffered a major tonal shift. In “Buck, Bothered, and Bewildered”, Buck grows jealous of Eddie’s friendship with Tommy, suggesting that the former has feelings for his best friend. In the final scene, it’s revealed that Buck actually has feelings for Tommy, making the entire shift redundant.

Many fans had speculated that Buck was bisexual way before the reveal in Season 7, but a lot of the audience was surprised to see a spot of romantic tension between him and Eddie. It seemed like the show was teasing a pivotal romance, only to throw it back in the viewers’ faces and pair Buck with an unsuspecting partner. Thus, fans felt cheated by this dynamic and didn’t appreciate how it changed the purpose of the men’s friendship.

Eddie Suffers a Shocking Accident

Season 4, Episode 13, “Suspicion”

At the very end of “Suspicion,” Eddie is shot in the shoulder, leaving Buck frozen in fear and covered in blood. This is one of the most thrilling moments of Season 4 because it expertly places a great character in danger without giving too much information away. Yet, two episodes later, the show skims over his physical trauma and continues to focus on everything else.

After the shooting, Diaz begins to suffer from intense panic attacks, something that is very realistic but predictable. The show doesn’t bother showing Diaz’s physical recovery or his slow transition back into work. As such, a lot of fans can’t help but feel as if they’ve seen the same scenes before in lots of other dramas.

Hen and Karen’s Relationship Reached an Unfortunate Breaking Point

Season 1, Episode 7, “Full Moon (Creepy AF)”

While 9-1-1 is filled with great couples, Hen and Karen stand out for their loving bond and adorable family. Yet, in “Full Moon (Creepy AF)”, fans discover that Hen is sleeping with her ex, putting even more strain on her relationship with Karen. Even though this is pretty early on in the show, fans saw this move as a sign to stop watching.

Although Hen’s cheating scandal added a lot of drama to the show, fans found her infidelity a tad confusing. Hen is a highly educated woman with a prosperous career, so it seems strange that she would want to risk her marriage for a change with her ex, who was recently released from prison. Overall, it seems that 9-1-1 wanted to showcase Hen in a different light, but it ended up harming fans’ perception of her.

Buck’s New Superpower Was Just Too Childish for Fans to Deal With

Season 6, Episode 13, “Mixed Feelings”

Season 6 showed Buck being struck by lightning, creating a well-rounded and deeply emotive arc for the character. However, the show couldn’t help itself and had to give him a silly quirk, such as making him a human calculator. Although fans thought it was funny that Buck could do complex equations in his head after the lightning strike, they didn’t appreciate it when the show made this simple joke a wider part of the plot.

In Season 6, Episode 13, “Mixed Feelings,” Buck uses his new cognitive talents to win a low-stakes poker game. Although this may seem like a minor point, it proves that the show sometimes doesn’t know when to let a joke die. Fans felt that Buck’s superpower should have been a slight gag and nothing more.

Smooth-Talking Buck Becomes a Cringe-Worthy Mess

Season 7, Episode 5, “You Don’t Know Me”

Buck was introduced in Season 1 as a charming love boat who could sweep just about any woman off of her feet. But when he started dating the equally handsome Tommy Kinard in Season 7, a lot of fans noticed that Buck retreated into his shell and didn’t seem like his usual self. During their first date in “You Don’t Know Me”, Buck is anxiously looking around the room and practically cannot sit still.

While it’s understandable that he would be nervous on a first date, it doesn’t match up with what fans saw in the previous episode. Buck was more than comfortable snogging Tommy’s face off in the middle of the firehouse, but felt too anxious to sit opposite him at a dinner table. This was a tipping point for a lot of fans because they just couldn’t fathom how a writer like Ryan Murphy could fumble a Queer storyline so badly.

Buck Makes a Bold Decision That Doesn’t Make Sense to the Audience

Season 6, Episode 7, “Cursed”

9-1-1 used Hen and Karen to display the difficulties of building a family, and the show handled these issues with a high level of grace and respect. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Buck’s journey into parenthood. In “Final Approach,” the audience learn that Buck has agreed to be a sperm donor for his friend Connor and his wife Kameron.

Though this could have been an exceptional storyline, especially for a leading man like Buck, it didn’t really mean anything because fans weren’t familiar with Connor and Cameron. Sure, they had popped up a few times throughout the show’s history, but they didn’t really seem like they were very close to Buck. Again, a lot of fans believe that the show just shoved this storyline into Season 6 for the sake of it.

Athena’s Abilities Reach New Heights

Season 8, Episode 3, “Final Approach”

While 9-1-1 doesn’t really have a protagonist in a conventional sense, it does place Athena Grant in the spotlight a lot. In the earlier seasons, the show zoomed in on her struggles as a mother and as a firefighter, making her a powerful and relatable character. But, in recent years, the show has transformed Grant from a determined worker to a superhuman.

In “Final Approach,” Athena lands a commercial plane with the help of a little boy who plays flight simulators on his tablet. While this episode was remarkably thrilling, it’s totally ludicrous and gives off the impression that Grant can do just about anything. Although the vast majority of audiences adore Athena, this episode just feels like the show is trying to place her on an unbelievably high pedestal.

The Season 8 Premiere Isolated a Lot of Fans

Season 8, Episode 1, “Buzzkill”

Fans were so excited for 9-1-1 to return for Season 8, but after the first episode aired, a lot of viewers decided that it would be the last episode they would ever watch. “Buzzkill” features something that fans aptly call a “Bee-nado,” meaning a swarm of bees attacks LA. Aside from the obscure premise, this episode features some awful special effects, especially when compared to modern standards.

It’s obvious that 9-1-1 is meant to be a light-hearted alternative to other more intense firefighter dramas. However, episodes like “Buzzkill” just make the show look lazy and force the audience to wonder whether 9-1-1 has finally run out of ideas. So, it seems that this episode tipped the scales for a lot of viewers, and they couldn’t justify watching the show anymore.

Fans Didn’t Appreciate the High-Stakes Crossover

Season 8, Episode 11, “Holy Mother of God”

Surprisingly, a lot of fans weren’t impressed by the most recent 9-1-1 and Doctor Odyssey crossover. In “Holy Mother of God,” Athena is called onto the ship to chase an alleged bank robber. While the plot was reasonably light and both shows balanced each other out quite well, audiences were quick to comment that they had heard this story before.

Back in Season 7, Athena and Bobby decide to enjoy a nice relaxing break on a cruise, only for it to end in another disaster. As such, fans suspect that Ryan Murphy is keen to make Doctor Odyssey the jewel in his crown and leave his other shows to suffer. Thus, for a lot of people, the crossover just felt like a shameless plug for both shows.