A new promotional video for 9-1-1 may have first sparked excitement for fans – but that has now turned to trepidation as the video hints at one major change. The hit ABC series follows the firefighters of Firehouse 118 and so, on January 18, the official social media account posted a video of Aisha Hinds, Ryan Guzman, Kenneth Choi and Oliver Stark exclaiming: "Happy one-eighteen day!"
But with Ryan, who stars as Eddie Diaz, and Oliver, who plays Evan 'Buck' Buckley in their normal LAFD fire hats, it was Aisha, who appears in the show as Hen Wilson, who sparked speculation as she wore a fire hat with the word 'Captain' on it.
Bobby Nash (played by Peter Krause) is the captain of the 118, but Hen has often taken on the responsibilities when Bobby is on vacation or out of action. With Hen now wearing the Captain hat, speculation has turned to whether season seven will feature any kind of time jump – and what that means for the fate of Bobby.
We know that the season seven premiere will feature an explosion on the cruise ship, and the working theory is that Bobby and his wife, Sergeant Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) are on the ship as they headed out for a delayed honeymoon – without telling anyone – at the end of season six.
© ABCTeaser videos have also hinted that Athena and Bobby will be on the ship, as a Sergeant badge is seen floating in the water.
Filming returned for the new season earlier in January, and 9-1-1 has traditionally remained chronological with real-world events – for example, the COVID-19 pandemic was a storyline in season four – and due to the extended absence because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it was thought that season seven would therefore pick up almost a year after the events of season six.
If the opening episode does not feature a time jump, it would therefore make sense for why Hen was wearing the Captain hat – because Bobby was still on vacation with Athena. She will then hand back the position to Bobby when he returns.
The hat could, however, also mean that post-episode one of the new season, Bobby is still not back from any potential injuries he faces after the explosion, leaving Hen in charge of the 118.
There is also the possibility of a time jump after the opening episode, with episode one picking up immediately after season six with the honeymoon cruise emergency, before skipping ahead several months for the rest of the season.
We'll find out for sure on March 14 when the new season drops on ABC for the first time after six years on Fox.
Award-winning actress Angela previously told HELLO! that fans can expect the shortened seventh season to be "full throttle".
"It's a shortened season because we had such a crazy year in Hollywood, so we are going to give it to you, we won't be coasting, we are coming full throttle," she said, before admitting this is her "favorite opening" in seven seasons, adding: "It is going to be very wet and wonderful, wet and wild."
