'9-1-1' Showrunner Reveals Why Now Was the Time for [Spoiler] to Die & It's Not Because the Actor Wanted Out

Warning: This post contains spoilers from the latest episode of 9-1-1!

The showrunner for 9-1-1 is opening up about the shocking Thursday night (April 17) episode that saw one of the main characters die.

Tim Minear, who actually co-created the hit, fan-favorite series, spoke about why he decided to kill of a character this season and what led to that decision.

Keep reading to find out more…

He noted that it had to happen at some point, and it just happened to be that now was the time after he had been thinking about killing off a main character for years.

“I would say it was our [collective] decision, but it was my decision because I felt like creatively, if the show became too inert, it would just die of inertia, right? So I felt like it just needed to happen,” Tim told THR. “Otherwise, the next time I turn over a cruise ship, or land a plane on the freeway, or take a city out with a tsunami, you’re just going to be like, ‘Oh, everyone’s going to be fine.’ So it was time for there to be some real tragic fallout from a story.”

“Once I started thinking that somebody had to die, then the choice was, who? And the only choice that I thought made sense was Bobby,” he continued. “It makes sense for his character to have a tragic sacrifice as a conclusion of his entire journey in the show. And also, if there’s a character whose death is going to affect the most characters, who would that be? So, go big or go home.”

“Bobby’s death gives new life to every single character’s story. It changes everything. It’s not a shock moment. It’s not a superficial thing. It is a potentially game-changing thing. Is it a skinny branch I’m crawling out on? Maybe. But I will never be convinced that it wasn’t the right creative move,” Tim said. “So, no, it’s not because Peter [Krause] wanted to leave. I don’t think he wanted to leave. We’re great friends. He’s fantastic on the show. He’s so good that it made [the decision] a terrifying choice on my part, which is why I felt like, ‘OK, well, maybe that’s the right choice. Do the scary thing.’”

The showrunner also teased that Peter will be seen more this season through the final episodes.

“What I would say is that episode 15 is not Peter Krause’s last appearance this season,” he said.

If you missed it, a new 9-1-1 spinoff is in the works, and two actors have been cast so far!