Hollywood legend defends TV show from backlash after fans ‘vow to boycott’

A Hollywood star has defended a hit police drama that sparked uproar among viewers over a controversial storyline.

Some have even threatened to boycott ABC’s 9-1-1 after it unexpectedly killed main character Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) after seven years.

On Instagram, Angela Bassett, who plays Bobby’s wife, Athena Grant-Nash, appeared to address the criticism and admitted the shock death was ‘hard.’

The Black Panther star wrote: ‘I know this is hard for all of you. It’s hard for us, too. Peter’s Bobby Nash will be missed, but his character will never be forgotten. He is forever a part of our family.

‘We should all give Peter a lot of love as he expands beyond “the 118” and into all adventures that await him. Love you, my friend. Athena will never be the same.’

Angela, 66, also praised Peter, 59, for being ‘kind, funny, compassionate, talented’ and for becoming a ‘dear’ friend.

Angela said Bobby’s shock death was ‘hard’ for everyone (Picture: Fox) Fans of the show were devastated to learn about the co-lead’s fate (Picture: Fox TV)

In the April 17 episode, ‘Lab Rats’, LA Fire Captain Bobby sacrifices his own life to save some of the members of his crew.

After sharing a final moment with his wife, LAPD Sergeant Athena, Bobby dies from a deadly virus that he and his other firefighters had been trying to contain. 

Discussing the reason for Bobby’s death, the show’s executive producer/showrunner Tim Menear said he felt it was ‘time’.

He told Deadline: ‘Going into Season 9, I have all these perilous situations that I put the characters into, and I think maybe the writers but also the audience starts to get a little complacent because it’s like, well, we all know it’s going to all work out fine in the end.’

LA Fire Captain Bobby Nash, played by Peter Krause, sacrifices his own life to save some of the members of his crew (Picture: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock)

However, taking to social media, it appears fans of the show were less than happy with Bobby’s outcome. 

Writing on X, @meebtina said: ‘People are not mad about Bobby’s death because “they aren’t used to real procedural shows.” 

Comment nowHow do you feel about Bobby’s death on 9-1-1?Comment Now

‘It’s because the 911 writers decided all of a sudden that the looney toon logic doesn’t apply to Bobby anymore. We watch this show because we know they don’t die, that’s the comfort.’

@pecuIiarblue added: ‘Part of the whimsy of 9-1-1 is that they survive the unsurvivable so what’s even the point now.’

@Thae_land also wrote: ‘You cannot make a man die for 14 minutes and come back with no lasting effects just to kill him off a year later, like there’s no way.’

It’s the first time a lead has been killed in its eight seasons (Picture: JackZeman/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock) Angela Bassett, pictured, revealed her shock after learning about his death (Picture: FOX/Sky Witness/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock)

Echoing that statement, @s1mplybor3d said: ‘This is the show that everyone is immortal now you killed the fantasy land and i can’t be apart of it anymore.’

@buddieism also said: ‘It’s mindblowing to me that tim somehow didn’t realise or just didn’t care that the main appeal of 911 is the found family dynamic being put in risky situations WITHOUT the shock value deaths that other procedurals go for… and that’s just been shattered to pieces so now what.’

Others took a stand and said they would be boycotting 9-1-1, including @laurischattin, who declared: ‘Everyone I know is dropping 9-1-1 forever.’

The character’s shock death comes as the show was renewed for a ninth season.

9-1-1 co-lead Angela previously revealed her shock after learning about Bobby’s fate.

She originally thought that another firefighter was going to die in the lab.

Angela told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘It was incredulous to me that it was Bobby, so it was just very surprising.’

9-1-1 airs on ABC in the US and is available to stream on Disney Plus in the UK.

A version of this article was first published on April 18.

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