9-1-1 is finally giving Bobby (Peter Krause) and Athena (Angela Bassett) a new house after burning down theirs in the Season 7 finale. But how that played out was originally supposed to be very different. You know when you’re watching a show and a character just clicks? That’s exactly what happened with Malcolm-Jamal Warner in 9-1-1. Known for his iconic roles in the past, Warner joined the hit procedural drama and left fans buzzing. But the real twist? His storyline didn’t unfold the way it was originally planned — and that changed everything. In this deep dive, we’re unpacking how Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s role evolved, why it resonated with fans, and what it means for the future of the show.
“I remember when Tim [Minear, showrunner] first talked to me about the character, initially I was the one that burned down the house,” Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who had an arc in Season 7 as Amir, a nurse who was burned and lost his wife in the fire that Bobby was inadvertently responsible for and that killed his family back in Minnesota, tells TV Insider. He loved that idea.
“I was thinking I was coming in, I was going to be the villain,” he explains. “I get to come in, there’s this evil streak, I get to be like the mad villain. And after we did the first episode, Tim was like, ‘I don’t know if I really want you to burn down the house. I think we established someone with such a great moral compass that it’s kind of hard to believe that he would burn the house down.’ And I’m like, ‘Tim, I’ve been doing all of this work to go from the guy with the moral compass to find an organic reason to burn the house down. What are you talking about? I’ve been preparing for this.’ Ultimately, he said, ‘Yeah, but if I want to bring you back next season, I can’t have you dead or rotting in jail. But we will make the audience think that you burned the house down.’ So I was like, ‘Okay, that’s, that’s a good compromise.’”
So with that in mind, we had to ask if we could see him return to 9-1-1. “I would love to go back,” he says, adding with a laugh, “Just not deal with another fire, give me anything else but another fire. Tim and I joked about coming back having married an excellent plastic surgeon so I wouldn’t have to sit through two and a half hours of makeup again.”
“I really loved working with Peter. We had such a good time together because we spent most of our time together. We had just a great camaraderie off camera, but our on-camera work was so much fun. I’ve always been a fan of him since Six Feet Under, so being able to spend time with him and to go toe to toe with this guy who I’ve been watching for years was really fun,” he shares. “And Angela, I think that was our fourth time working together. So I knew Angela before the world knew Angela, so it’s always great being able to reunite with her.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s journey on 9-1-1 is the kind of Hollywood story we love — unexpected, emotional, and powerful. What started as a small role evolved into something unforgettable. Thanks to raw talent, fan love, and flexible storytelling, Warner turned a few lines of script into a deeply human, widely celebrated character. And if the show’s history is any hint… he’s just getting started.
