‘9-1-1’ Creator Says Buck’s Big Romantic Moment Has Been in the Works ‘A Long Time’

Note: The following story contains spoilers from “9-1-1” Season 7, Episode 4.

Buck’s big romantic moment in “9-1-1” Season 7 may have been shocking to the firefighter, but for Oliver Stark — the actor behind the fan-favorite character — that wasn’t the case.

“We’ve been headed here for a long time, consciously or not. The threads have been there for some seasons now,” Stark told TheWrap.

The actor noted that he “immediately” loved the idea when series co-creator, showrunner and executive producer Tim Minear called and pitched a plot involving Buck slowly realizing he has a crush on former firefighter and current LAFD Air Operations pilot Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.).

“I have been thinking about this story for a long time,” Minear told TheWrap. “I was kind of bored with the hamster wheel of the relationships [Buck] had been in. His story needed a slap. It needed some something fresh. This felt like it could be important to some people, and it felt like it was right for the character.”

Choosing Tommy as Buck’s new love interest came down to timing and Ferrigno’s charisma. Originally, Lucy was supposed to pilot the helicopter used to rescue Bobby (Peter Krause) and Athena (Angela Bassett) from the cruise ship disaster from the three-part premiere. But because of her role in Fox’s “Rescue: HI-Surf,” Arielle Kebbel was unavailable for the scene. That left Tommy.

“I remembered how much charisma Lou had in the scenes he didn’t have to play an a-shole,” Minear said. Tommy first appeared in “Hen Begins.” During these flashback episodes, Tommy fails to stand up for Chimney (Kenneth Choi) when he’s facing racial discrimination, a moral failing he later learns from.

Minear thought that Buck and Tommy would have good chemistry. Also, because Tommy already exists in this universe, that allowed him to establish a new love interest without having to invent and introduce an entirely new character.

The EP described Tommy as “Buck 3.0.” “Tommy’s a little bit older. He knows more of who he is than he did when he was at the 118. In fact, you will hear a little bit of that in the next episode,” he teased.

True to the episode’s title, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” shows off a rarely seen side of the character. Instead of the suave heartthrob he typically is, Buck stumbles over his words around Tommy and acts like a fumbling teenager.

“I’ve always had in my head that I wanted a partner for Buck to be someone where it wasn’t easy,” Stark said. “He doesn’t know what these feelings of jealousy might be. He just feels something and it’s unsettling and it’s new.”

There’s another reason why this romance is remarkable. Typically, when a presumably straight film or TV character starts to have romantic feelings for someone of their same sex, that story is accompanied by overplayed scenes of self-doubt and denial. “9-1-1” doesn’t take that route. Buck’s panic never seems to come from the fact his latest crush is on a man. Rather, it’s the intensity of these feelings that makes Buck falter.

“It’s 2024,” Minear explained. “I didn’t want to make it the bravest episode of 1983. That didn’t interest me. But I also want to be honest about it.”

Minear noted that next week’s episode, “You Don’t Know Me,” will be devoid of “soul-searching tropes” or Buck “questioning his masculinity.” Instead, the showrunner tried to take a fresher angle for this particular story.

“It’s more Buck thinking, ‘Well, I’m such a progressive ally. Why am I having trouble being honest with the people around me?’ He’s questioning himself. He feels like a fraud. But it’s got nothing to do with sex shame or something like that,” Minear said. “He opens up conversations and interactions with the people in his life. That’s what I like about this. He’s not siloed off into some love interest story with a character who has nothing to do with the main characters.”

Minear noted that Tommy is currently an important romantic partner for Buck, largely because “it’s sort of the entry-level relationship.” Yet at the same time, he noted that he doesn’t think “anybody’s making wedding plans.”

“It really is a first fling for Buck right now. What that might amount to, only time can tell. But what I’m interested in is not something that’s fraught. I’m interested in something that’s tender and positive,” Minear said.

As exciting as a queer Buck may be to fans, there’s also the question of Eddie (Ryan Guzman), the character a subsection of fans have wanted Buck to date for a while now.

“It’s difficult, right? When I say that there have been signs of this coming throughout the years, obviously some of those moments have involved Eddie,” Stark said. “Does that mean I think Buck is in love with or has a crush on Eddie? Not necessarily. We’ll see him start to question things about himself as we go on.”

Minear noted that there are no plans for a Buck and Eddie romance “right now,” but the creator also didn’t completely discredit the relationship.

“I don’t really plan out endgame so much. I let the story organically take me where it wants to go. Also, there are real-world considerations. I don’t do this in a vacuum,” Minear said.

The showrunner repeated a sentiment he’s shared with before: Fans should explore the things they want to see in his show through fan fiction. “I think some people took that as an insult. That’s not what I’m saying,” Minear said. “What I’m saying is you don’t have network notes. You don’t have studio notes. You don’t have to deal with actual flesh and blood actors. You don’t have ratings to consider. You can do whatever you want to do… I encourage that.”

There is one last reason why “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” is a big deal. The episodes marks the 100th installment for “9-1-1,” which is typically the threshold for a series to enter syndication. When asked how it felt to cross this milestone, Minear admitted that it “doesn’t feel as monumental to me because I’ve got my nose to the grindstone.”

That being said, he is excited to cross over this threshold with ABC. “I don’t want to diss my relationship with Fox. They were great. But ABC has just performed above and beyond in terms of marketing the show and treating it in a way that it’s made everybody excited,” Minear said. “The new partnership, it’s like meeting Tommy in a helicopter.”

“9-1-1” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Episodes are available to stream the day after premiere on Hulu.

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