ABC’s hit procedural 9-1-1 is set to return to the 2026 TV schedule for its historic tenth season on October 15. As exciting as the milestone is, the latest season has recently been plagued by on-set stunt injuries, including original cast member Oliver Stark breaking his ankle. It’s always sad when someone gets hurt on set, but having one of the leads injured certainly adds some challenges to storytelling. As a fan, I can’t help but wonder how Stark’s injury will affect the story going forward.
according to deadlineBritish actor who plays darling 9-1-1 Character Evan “Buck” Buckley broke his ankle in August, just a month after shooting began on the tenth season. Stark has since returned to work, but it is unclear how much time he spent away from the set healing while production continued. Regardless, it’s safe to assume that injuries are going to have some impact on the Bucks’ arc this season.
Stark’s injury could be written into his character arc for the season
Although reports state that Starc took some time off the sets to recover from his ankle injury, this is all an allegation as there has been no comment from his camp. Then again, it’s possible that he continued on and the writing team decided to write his injury into the show.
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After all, it’s completely believable for Stark Buck to suffer injuries while performing his firefighter duties. In fact, Buck’s leg was crushed when a fire truck fell on him in the season 2 finale. The effects of the injury were seen in Season 3, with Buck being forced to take a step back from his job to recover.
Depending on which leg Stark has injured, the writers may choose to repeat the Season 2 storyline by having his leg suddenly turn on after years of it being fine. Or perhaps Buck suffered a new injury while chasing after his foster son Theo, whom he took guardianship of in the Season 9 finale.
Stark’s character will be absent or in the background for some episodes.
If reports are true that Stark took some time away from the set, then it’s safe to assume that Buck’s character will be seeing less time on screen for a while. 9-1-1 Tenth season. Given the procedural’s role, it’s not unheard of for characters to be absent or take a back seat for a few episodes each season. However, Buck has become an integral part of the series, particularly in relation to relationship with fellow firefighter Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman), and I don’t see that stopping any time soon. Especially now that her future also depends on taking care of her newly adopted son.
Still, the show may choose to spend some more time developing stories for characters like May (Corinne Masia) and Harry Grant (Elijah M. Cooper), who were promoted to series regulars last season.
Starc’s injury is likely to have the biggest impact. 9-1-1 Story, the more important story here is the danger that arises when working in a show with a high number of stunts. Hopefully this serves as a reminder of how important safety is on set to prevent injuries and even fatal accidents.
The first nine seasons of 9-1-1 Are streaming on Hulu with active subscription. Season 10 premieres on ABC on October 15 and will be available to stream the following day.