Fox’s “9-1-1” Redefines Procedural Drama

The first thing I noticed is how 911 is essentially three shows in one The procedurals I know best only show a single aspect of public service ie Chicago Fire Chicago PD Law ampamp Order etc but 911 follows an emergency from the moment the call initially comes in to the moment the situationamp8217s been containedamp160 It feels fresh and new to me but this is admittedly a generational observation because my editor recently told me that 911 which like Law ampamp Order draws its storylines from real life feels like an updated hybrid of two shows from the distant past the fictional drama Emergency 197277 a show I had never heard of and the reality show Rescue 911 19891996 which premiered before my first birthdayHereamp8217s a spoilerfilled example of how this hot show worksamp160 911 operator Abby Clark played by Connie Britton who should never not be on TV receives a call from someone claiming they can hear a baby crying in their apartment wall amp160Abby dispatches the local LAFD to check it out amp160A team of firefighters and paramedics led by the levelheaded and experienced Bobby Nash Peter Krause and comprised of charismatic professionals like Howie Kenneth Choi Henrietta Aisha Hinds and Evan amp8220Buckamp8221 Buckley Oliver Stark arrive on the scene and proceed to remove said baby from a waste pipe amp160Meanwhile LAPD officer Athena Grant Angela Bassett makes her way through the complex in an effort to find the mother of the very recently abandoned new born amp160This dynamic is straight up geniusamp160 Krause Stark Hinds and Bassett are pictured at top left to rightFollowing these situations in and out of the main charactersamp8217 lives only reinforces the concept that these people are involved for exactly as long as theyamp8217re needed and more often than not they never find out if that suicidal jumper jumped or if anyone died in that suburban house fire amp160It also allows the viewer a taste of the rift that stereotypically exists between firefighters and police officers amp160Nothing better than two uniforms bumpinamp8217 heads am I rightThe real win here is showing who these people are both at home and on the job which makes sense because Iamp8217d imagine most people behave differently depending on where theyamp8217re at in that moment911 operator Abby lives with her mother who requires roundtheclock care due to her latestage Alzheimeramp8217s amp160She mentions feeling more comfortable dealing with the usually lifethreatening emergencies she deals with at work than she is when sheamp8217s at home taking care of mom and I get that amp160My grandmother passed just over a year ago from Alzheimeramp8217s and I know that as much as one wants to be there for someone they love seeing them in that state can take its toll on even the strongest of us amp160Alzheimeramp8217s is something that at least right now no one can change so it seems to me that Abbyamp8217s ability to affect actual change in the world from her desk every day is a huge deal for herThen we have Athena Grant of the LAPD amp160Sheamp8217s tough takes her job seriously and takes no oneamp8217s shit along the way amp160Sheamp8217s got that amp8220Iamp8217ve seen this a million timesamp8221 kind of vibe that more seasoned officers tend to exude and when faced with situations that actually require a little police work she seems to err on the side of amp8220leave no stone unturnedamp8221 a helpful trait in her line of work amp160At home sheamp8217s got two beautiful kids one in middle school one in high school from the looks of it and a loving husband amp160The problem is her husband doesnamp8217t love her he loves men and the kids arenamp8217t taking the news too well amp160If nothing else the way Abby handles her home life reminds us that sheamp8217s a human being first and sheamp8217s got stuff going on just like everyone elseSpeaking of everyone else the pilot spent the most time with the LAFD crew Captain Bobby Nash has been back in the field for just 18 months after spending some time in recovery because of how he initially chose to cope with the losses one has to take in his line of workamp160 His attempt to prevent a distraught young woman from killing herself certainly put him to the test all over againAlas it seems the bulk of Bobbyamp8217s duties will involve tempering the impulsive wildfire that is Evan amp8220Buckamp8221 Buckley amp160amp8220Buckamp8221 amp8211 which Webster defines as amp8220a male animalamp8221 or amp8220a dashing fellowamp8221 is the perfect name for the selfabsorbed tail chasing inexperienced yet wildly overconfident character Oliver Stark is playing amp160Heamp8217s a likable character for the most part but in the context of an emergency heamp8217s a wildcard at bestThe pilot episode never really lost any momentum probably because it has enough ground to cover that it has to make its points quickly and concisely while keeping the delivery as organic as possible amp160Also pilots are like thatamp160 But the operatorfirefighterpolice officer tripod that 911 is standing on is very strong and if the art here continues to mirror real life there is every reason to believe that the action and emotional power that carried the first episode will continue911 is telecast Wednesday at 9 pm ET on FoxClick on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Fox’s “9-1-1” Redefines Procedural Drama

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Ainsley Andrade

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Fox’s “9-1-1” Redefines Procedural Drama

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