If ABC’s 9-1-1 is known for anything, it’s its epic disasters, bizarre emergencies, and powerful love stories. Whether it’s the quick-fire union of Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) and Athena Grant (Angela Bassett), the long-lasting marriage of Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds) and Karen Wilson (Tracie Thoms), or the tragic relationship between Maddie Buckley (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), who finally got married in Season 7, 9-1-1 builds complex, real relationships that fans love. That’s true for both romantic and platonic relationships, which is part of what makes the show so special.
One of the strongest relationships on the show is that between Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) and Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman). This is a friendship that many fans would love to see develop further, especially now that Buck has come out as bisexual — even if Eddie is still considered straight. Multiple reporters have asked Stark and Guzman about their characters’ personal relationships since the beginning of the season, and even hinted at a romantic relationship between Buck and Eddie. On October 22, 2024, Screen Rant published part of an interview with Oliver Stark, in which Stark shared that he hopes Buck will have more slow-burn relationships. But for some fans, Buck has been in a slow-burn relationship for six years.
TV Fans Love a Good Slow-burn Romance There’s almost nothing viewers love more than a slow-burn romance when it comes to television, both network and streaming. All of the best slow-burn romances have been with characters whose actors have clear chemistry, regardless of what kind of relationship that character might have. Slow burns can develop from friendships or even from two people who can’t stand each other, but they all have a similar tension and anticipation that’s absent in relationships that come together more quickly. These types of relationships give viewers the opportunity to invest in each character before they invest in their relationship, making for a more intense payoff by the end of the show.
Some of the most beloved slow burn relationships on television come from procedural shows like 9-1-1. They’re often partners or co-workers, like Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth on Bones or Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David on NCIS, or even just friends, like Nick and Jess on New Girl. One of the most famous love/hate slow burn relationships is Maddie and David on Moonlighting, although their relationship quickly falls apart, ending the show’s best season. Since then, shows that have a slow burn between their main characters have often worried about the “Moonlight Curse,” although more and more shows have the right production and writing teams to keep the show running whether or not the characters end up together.
Regardless of what kind of relationship the characters have before or after they end up together, slow burn relationships are more likely to lead to the development of fandoms. The “won’t they” dance can encourage fans to say they should or shouldn’t, and fans are often very vocal about which relationships they prefer. Great examples of this are fans who want Law & Order: SVU’s Olivia Benson to be with Elliot Stabler and fans who want Olivia with Rafael Barba, fans who want Grey’s Anatomy’s Meredith Grey to end up with Derek Shepherd, and fans who want Meredith to end up with vet Finn Dandridge; and even fans who wanted Never Have I Ever’s Devi to be with Paxton and fans who wanted Devi to be with Ben. The same thing happened on 9-1-1 with fans who wanted Buck to be with Eddie and fans who wanted Buck to be with Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno, Jr.).
Until Buck and Tommy kissed in Season 7, Episode 4, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered,” Buck had only dated women on 9-1-1. For a character who described himself as a “self-diagnosed sex addict” in Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot,” it’s not necessarily surprising that Buck has had a few relationships, even though he’s become a serial monogamist. First, there’s Abby Clark (Connie Britton), a 9-1-1 operator Buck meets while helping Athena on a call in “Pilot.” Abby and Buck had a mostly phone relationship until Season 1, Episode 5, “Point of Origin,” when Abby’s mother, who had Alzheimer’s, went missing. Their relationship faltered — on their first date, Buck choked on a bread roll at dinner, and Abby had to have an emergency tracheotomy, and many of their dates would be cut short when Abby’s mother needed her — until Season 1, Episode 10, “A Whole New You,” when Abby’s mother died in her sleep, and Abby decided to go on a soul-searching trip. Buck supported her but struggled to let go of the relationship.
