Angela Bassett has been making the interview rounds and revealed a surprising tidbit about the events of filming the major character death scene for Peter Krause’s Bobby Nash on 911. Plus, is there still a chance fans can see Bobby back on screen for season 9?
Prior to the official confirmation that Peter Krause was leaving 911 after eight seasons on the show, the possibility of his exit had been leaked to fans after the funeral scene was filmed live. As it turned out, when they were filming the episode, they tried to keep it a secret from the cast for as long as possible who was actually dying.
Actor Anirudh Pisharody, who plays firefighter Ravi Panikkar, had revealed in an interview that while he knew he was staying, everyone else thought his character was the one leaving. At first, it seemed like it was just in the script. But Bassett revealed they did, in fact, film a death scene for Ravi to keep Bobby’s demise a secret.
It was a stunning revelation, since Bobby’s death was a poorly kept secret from fans and even now, plenty of people are still holding onto hope that this isn’t the end of Captain Bobby Nash. While Bassett was mum on whether he could come back, she did reveal that her character, Athena Grant, would likely do everything she can to focus on work rather than her grief.
Bassett told Us Weekly it wouldn’t be a long grieving process; however, she described Athena as attempting to avoid standing still and “distracting herself” with work. Of course, knowing the show, her attempts could lead to another moment of heartache for her character, but that remains to be seen.
As for whether there is still hope for Bobby’s return, she said in an interview with Today, “I have to keep his memory alive in some way. I’m making no promises. I’m wondering just like you, just like the fans.”
Krause had said in an interview with Good Morning America the day after episode 15 of season 8 aired that he was finished, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still see Bobby in flashbacks or as a ghost. Whether or not Bobby returns somehow, his death was devastating for not just the characters on 911, but the fans who love him.
Hopefully, Athena doesn’t bottle things up too much, and we see her mourn Bobby while still being a cop and mother to her two kids, May and Harry. Now that Corinne Massiah and Elijah M. Cooper are series regulars, we hope to see more of what happens with May and Harry as they continue to move toward young adulthood.
911 will return to ABC on Thursday, October 9 at 8/7c. You can catch up with the previous episodes on Hulu.