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Season 9 of 9-1-1 will see the 118 trying to move forward after losing their captain, Bobby Nash (Peter Krause). But alongside the grief, the new season may also explore whether Buck (Oliver Stark) is finally ready to find real love.
Buck’s romantic history has been anything but steady. He started with dispatcher Abby (Connie Britton) in Season 1, but their relationship ended off-screen after she left. Since then, he’s had a string of short romances that never lasted. His 100th episode arc revealed he’s bisexual when he kissed his fellow firefighter and former 118 member Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.). The two dated into Season 8 before breaking up and later hooking up again, but even that didn’t stick.
Their split was especially complicated because Tommy suggested that Buck’s best friend, Eddie (Ryan Guzman), was “the competition.” While Buck told his sister Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) he wasn’t in love with Eddie, Stark has explained that Buck was being truthful in that moment, even if it wasn’t something he had ever really considered before.
9-1-1 season 9: Could Buck finally find lasting love after Bobby’s death?
Heading into Season 9, both Stark and Aisha Hinds (Hen) have reflected on Buck’s love life. Hinds said she’d love to see him grounded in a relationship, one that brings out the best version of himself, the way Abby once did, but with the freedom and self-acceptance he found through Tommy. Stark echoed this, pointing out that both Abby and Tommy were pivotal to Buck’s growth, helping him discover different sides of himself and move closer to authenticity.
The Season 8 finale also set Buck up for change in other ways. He moved into a new home after subletting Eddie’s house when Eddie returned from Texas. That new chapter could be the perfect moment for him to settle down romantically as well.
The big question now is whether Season 9 will show Buck dating around, testing the waters, or finally finding someone he can build a lasting future with — whether it’s someone from his past, a friend, or someone entirely new.