Thursdays just don’t hit the same without a fresh episode of ABC’s hit first responder drama, 9-1-1. Am I right?
It’s been a little over a month since Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear, and Brad Falchuck’s beloved series aired its midseason finale, “Wannabes,” and fans are impatiently waiting to reunite with Bobby (Peter Krause), Athena (Angela Bassett), Hen (Aisha Hinds), Karen (Tracie Thoms), Chimney (Kenneth Choi), Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Buck (Oliver Stark), Eddie (Ryan Guzman), and *fingers crossed* Christopher (Gavin McHugh).
Will Eddie move to Texas? How will Buck deal with his long-running abandonment issues? Will Bobby and Athena find their perfect home? And, crucially, will pregnant Maddie get kidnapped by a serial killer?! We need answers to these burning questions and more ASAP!
So when does 9-1-1 return with new episodes? How can you watch 9-1-1 live or stream episodes online while you wait? And what does showrunner Tim Minear have in store for the second half of 9-1-1 Season 8? (Spoiler alert: He plans to “blow it all the hell apart.”)
Here’s what to know about 9-1-1‘s return date, time, streaming info, and future Season 8 storylines — including some compelling teases from Minear.
Sadly, no. A new episode of 9-1-1 won’t be airing on Thursday, December 26.
New year, new 9-1-1 episodes. After its midseason finale aired on November 21, 9-1-1 went on hiatus for several months. The series won’t return with new episodes until 2025, so mark your calendars for Season 8, Episode 9’s premiere on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
If you’re wondering what’s on in 9-1-1‘s place this Thursday, December 26, ABC’s schedule shows a rerun of the High Potential pilot airing at 8:00 p.m. ET, so if you haven’t gotten into Kaitlin Olson’s new series yet, now’s the perfect time!
Wondering what to expect when 9-1-1 returns in March? The preview trailer that aired at the end of 9-1-1‘s midseason finale teased some sort of high-stakes hostage situation with a serial killer potentially kidnapping pregnant Maddie?! During a recent interview on I’ve Never Said This Before With Tommy DiDario, Jennifer Love Hewitt described Maddie’s upcoming Season 8 arc as, “The craziest thing I’ve ever done on 9-1-1. The audience is not ready. I was not ready.” Hewitt even said she lost her voice after filming and had no idea the “wild” and “fun” storyline was coming.
As for how long the chaotic arc will last, Minear told Decider, “[Maddie’s] pregnancy story will factor in not insignificantly in the first two episodes when we come back.” As for what else we can expect from the second half of Season 8, the showrunner said, “The Bobby and Athena building a new house story, we’ll hit that pretty hard in Episode 11.” He also called Episode 10 “thrilling” and said by the end of it “everybody’s life is changed.” Hmm…
Naturally, Season 8 will also further explore Eddie and Christopher’s estrangement, the toll it’s taking on Eddie, and his midseason finale plan to move to Texas. Minear confirmed that Eddie’s life will still be “in flux,” and though it’s hard to imagine one of 9-1-1‘s core character relocating long-term, the showrunner assured Decider that “Eddie is dead serious about doing whatever he has to do to repair that relationship, so if that means moving to Texas, maybe that’s what he has to do.”
Naturally, Eddie’s BFF Buck doesn’t want him to leave — especially not so soon after his breakup with Tommy. (The boy is still stress-baking! Give his heart a break!) Minear said fans can expect a major spiral from Buck and that he’s “going to be spinning like a top by the time we come back” and we’ll see him “dealing with his abandonment issues.”
“[He’s] not wanting to be a bad friend, and not wanting to be selfish. There’s just no way he’s not going to spiral about this,” Minear continued. “He’s going to have to find something to latch onto to keep from completely spinning out of control. And he will find that. He will find that when we come back. And we’ll see about that and how long that lasts — these relationships don’t tend to last all that long.” Interesting…
If you want to catch up on 9-1-1 while you wait for new episodes? You’ll need to be a Hulu subscriber in order to watch existing seasons and new episodes of 9-1-1 the day after they air on ABC. The good news is you’ll have access to the episode with any version of the streaming service. The streamer’s least expensive ad-supported plan costs $7.99 a month (or $79.99 a year), while its ad-free option is $17.99 a month. If you choose to add Live TV to your plan you can select an ad-supported Hulu + Live TV now with Disney+ and ESPN+ bundle for $76.99 a month or go ad-free for $89.99 a month.
Want to watch 9-1-1 live when it returns? If you have a cable subscription that includes ABC, you can watch 9-1-1 live by setting your TV to the proper channel at 8:00 p.m. ET. You can also use your cable username and password to watch live ABC episodes live on ABC.com or with the ABC app. And if your cable package includes a DVR, you can always record live episodes for later viewing.
No cable? No worries! There are several other live viewing options, such as live TV skinny bundles, which give you access to networks without cable. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and fuboTV, all come with ABC.