If you’re a 9-1-1 fan, there’s no denying the undeniable chemistry between Buck (Evan Buckley) and Eddie Diaz. The two characters have captivated audiences with their bond that’s deeper than just friendship. Their relationship, often hailed as one of the most heartwarming on TV, has brought viewers moments of laughter, tears, and everything in between. In this article, we’ll rank the 15 best Buck & Eddie scenes that had fans glued to their screens, crying, laughing, and even hoping for more.
If there is anything 9-1-1 is good at — and it’s good at a lot — it’s great relationship building. From the unexpected romance of Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) and Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) to the best friendship of Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds) and Howard “Chimney” Han (Kenneth Choi), and many others, 9-1-1 has done an excellent job creating powerful and enjoyable relationships that fans have fallen in love with. One of the things television show fans love to do most is “ship” two characters, whether they’re together or not, and when it comes to 9-1-1, there is no relationship fans enjoy “shipping” more than Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) and Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark).
Evan “Buck” Buckley has been with 9-1-1 since the show’s premiere, though he is now a very different character than he was when the show began. Eddie Diaz joined 9-1-1 in Season 2, Episode 1, “Under Pressure,” and while Buck was initially unsure about Eddie, their relationship has grown into a very close one. Affectionately referred to by fans as “Buddie,” the relationship between Eddie and Buck may have started as colleagues and moved to friendship, but fans are hopeful that one day — perhaps even in Season 8 — the relationship will progress to one of romantic love. In the 100th episode of 9-1-1 — Season 7, Episode 4, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” — Oliver Stark’s Buck discovered he was bisexual and shared his first kiss with a man, another firefighter named Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno, Jr.). Though there was some backlash from the episode, most fans appreciated the character being able to find more of himself and look forward to seeing how it might progress in the upcoming season — with or without Eddie.
Buck Supports Eddie Through His Son’s Departure
Throughout 9-1-1‘s seventh season, Eddie faced some pretty unexpected drama. In Season 7, Episode 7, “Ghost of a Second Chance,” Eddie met a woman named Kim (Devin Kelley), who looked exactly like Eddie’s dead wife — and Christopher’s mother — Shannon Diaz (also played by Devin Kelley). After spending time with her in secret, Eddie finally tells Kim about Shannon in Season 7, Episode 9, “Ashes, Ashes,” expecting to never see her again. Instead, Kim returns to Eddie’s home in Season 7, Episode 10, “All Fall Down,” dressed as Shannon in an attempt to help Eddie gain some closure, a gesture that seemed kind, if not slightly bizarre. Things took a turn for the even worse when Eddie’s son, Christopher (Gavin McHugh), and Eddie’s girlfriend, Marisol (Edy Ganem), caught them in an embrace.
Showrunner Tim Minear reveals the struggles and challenges facing the team in 9-1-1 Season 8.
Despite Eddie’s efforts to resolve things with Christopher, including calling Buck in for reinforcements, Chris called his grandparents in Texas and asked them to come to Los Angeles and get him so that he could spend the summer away from his father. Buck, who had already attempted to get the teenager to come out of his room and talk to Eddie, returned from visiting Bobby Nash at the hospital with Eddie and tried to get Chris to stay, to no avail. The moment Chris leaves with his grandparents is a heartwrenching one, and Buck’s presence appears to be the only thing that gets Eddie through it. It’s a testament to their friendship and how much Buck supports both Eddie and Chris.
14Eddie and Buck Steal the Show at May’s Graduation
Set in 2020 but filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most graduations and their celebrations, Season 3, Episode 18, “What’s Next,” featured the graduation celebration for May Grant (Corrine Massiah), who was a 2020 high school graduate. At the event in 9-1-1‘s season finale, Buck was seen spending a lot of time with both Eddie and Chris, though almost nothing could top the photos Eddie and Buck took in the photo booth.
The final montage of “What’s Next” showed many of the members of the 118 and their LAPD and 9-1-1 dispatch colleagues taking advantage of the photo booth and the props, but Eddie and Buck proved to be the most fun. Season 3 of 9-1-1 was tough for Buck and Eddie both individually and as friends, so it was great for fans to see them having a fun time together as the season wrapped
13Buck and Eddie Go Treasure Hunting
Season 4 of 9-1-1, which was a short season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had a number of really incredible episodes, and Season 4, Episode 12, “Treasure Hunt,” was definitely one of them. After the unexpected death of a local author, the team from the 118 and Athena get called to multiple incidents where treasure hunters get hurt trying to solve clues from a riddle left by the author. The 9-1-1 dispatchers start trying to guess for themselves, and even Bobby Nash gets into it, buying a whiteboard on his way home so that he can lay out all the clues and his theories — much to Athena’s chagrin.
The treasure hunt and its accompanying problems in 9-1-1 ‘s Season 4, Episode 12, “Treasure Hunt,” is inspired by The Secret by Byron Preiss. The Secret , published in 1982, holds the clues to 12 treasure boxes buried throughout the United States and Canada. If someone located one of the treasure boxes, they could exchange it for a precious gem from Preiss — or his estate after his unexpected death in 2005. Since the book was published in 1982, only three of the twelve boxes have been found.
Though Buck initially partners with Taylor Kelly (Megan West), he eventually brings Eddie in on the search. Buck and Eddie work together to try and glean information from the events on their shift and from probie Ravi Panikkar (Anirudh Pisharody), who works on a different shift. They nearly give up, but then Taylor remembers a clue that leads them to the location of the treasure, though they manage to arrive at the same time as the rest of the 118. The episode is fun for all the characters and gives audiences a chance to see Eddie and Buck use the partnership they’ve built in a whole new way.
12Eddie Tries to Cheer Up Buck
After Buck quits his job in what can only be described as an adult tantrum when Bobby tells him that he’s no longer cleared to work in Season 3, Episode 1, “Kids Today,” and spends the rest of the week in bed, Eddie takes it upon himself to get Buck out of bed and out of the house. Eddie needs someone to watch Christopher, who has cerebral palsy, while he’s at work, and who better than his best friend, who has nothing else to do?
9-1-1 is a riveting drama series that fans can’t get enough of, and thankfully, there are many similar shows that fans can dive into.
Later, Buck takes Christopher to the Santa Monica Pier, putting both of them in unexpected danger when a tsunami arrives, but it is the moment when Eddie leaves Chris with Buck that tends to resonate most with viewers. “Take him out, have some fun, maybe you’ll learn something,” Eddie says. “He never feels sorry for himself.” It’s the first of many reminders for Buck that being temporarily out of a job isn’t actually as bad as he’s making it seem.
11Buck and Eddie Get Dosed on LSD
Season 2, Episode 6, “Dosed,” is an interesting combination of tough moments and hilarious ones for the 9-1-1 characters. After the 118 saves traffic reporter Taylor Kelly when her helicopter goes down, Taylor follows the 118 around for a few days to put together a story on them for the news. While she’s there, the 118 responds to a call at an exotic pet store where a man is choking on crickets from an eating contest. The owner, wanting to thank the 118 for all the work they do, sends over brownies that everyone except Chimney gets to eat.
While on a call at a beauty pageant, Athena realizes that Hen, Eddie, and Buck are high and incapable of doing their jobs. The exchanges between Eddie and Buck at the pageant are hilarious, and help offset the feeling viewers get when they watch Bobby — a recovering alcoholic and drug addict — experience his high back at the firehouse. Chimney is the only sober one, which leads him to believe it was the brownies, though it takes a comment from the exotic pet store owner in Taylor Kelly’s new report to finally confirm it.
10Buck Finds Solace at Eddie’s House
Buck, still recovering from the lightning strike in Season 6, Episode 10, “In a Flash,” spends most of his day during Season 6, Episode 12, “Recovery,” dealing with visitors sent over by his sister, Maddie Buckley (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Though Maddie is trying to help, ultimately all the visitors end up tiring Buck out, and he escapes his apartment to go to the only other place he feels like he can relax — Eddie’s house.
“This is Eddie’s house, I’m not really a guest,” Buck tells Maddie in Season 3, Episode 11, “Seize the Day,” when most of the 118 are gathered at Eddie’s house celebrating their chosen family.
Though Buck initially tells Eddie that he can’t ask him how he’s doing and then abruptly falls asleep on the couch, eventually the two friends are able to have a frank conversation about what they’ve both experienced. Both of them have had near-death experiences, and they’re able to talk about what it’s like to recover and move forward. It’s an important moment in their relationship and in Buck’s healing from the lightning strike.
9Buck Shows Up When Eddie Needs Him
Throughout 9-1-1‘s fifth Season, both Eddie and his son Christopher are struggling, and Eddie even leaves the 118 for a while, beginning in Season 5, Episode 10, “Wrapped in Red.” After Bobby tells Eddie that he’s not ready to come back to work, Eddie spends more time in therapy, which ultimately leads him to call one of the people he was previously in the army with in Season 5, Episode 13, “Fear-o-Phobia,” only to learn the devastating news that sends him into an unexpected rage. Chris hears him through the closed bedroom door and, terrified, calls Buck.
Maddie Buckley and Howard “Chimney” Han are two of 9-1-1’s best characters, and their romance has yielded several iconic moments.
Buck arrives at the Diaz home to find Eddie huddled in his bedroom, which he destroyed with both his fists and a baseball bat after learning that everyone he was previously in the army with — everyone he saved, earning him a silver star — is now deceased. Buck jumps into action for both Eddie and Chris, putting Chris to bed and reassuring him that everything will be fine, and talking with Eddie once he has started to calm down. Buck even calls in Bobby for additional help in Season 5, Episode 14, “Dumb Luck,” showing that Buck can both be there for Eddie and knows when Eddie needs someone else.
8Buck Comes Out to Eddie
After kissing Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno, Jr.) for the first time in Season 7, Episode 4, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered,” Buck and Tommy went on their first date at an Italian restaurant in Season 7, Episode 5, “You Don’t Know Me.” Things seemed to be going well, at least until they were surprised by the appearance of Eddie and his girlfriend, Marisol. Buck panics and pretends that he and Tommy are just there as friends, leading Tommy to cancel the rest of their date because he doesn’t think Buck is ready.
After a conversation with his sister, Maddie, Buck finally decides to tell Eddie the truth over a beer while Eddie is working through his own relationship issues. Buck is nervous, but Eddie reacts positively, promising Buck that it doesn’t change anything between them. He even encourages Buck to try again with Tommy, which leads to Buck outing his new relationship at Maddie and Chimney’s hospital wedding in 9-1-1‘s Season 7, Episode 6, “There Goes the Groom.” It’s an important moment for their relationship — one that “Buddie” fans hope will be replicated in Season 8 when Eddie comes out.
7Eddie Trusts Buck With Christopher… Again
The disaster that kicked off 9-1-1‘s third season was a tsunami that took out the Santa Monica Pier and put most of Los Angeles in danger, including Christopher and Buck. Buck manages to keep Christopher safe for a while, but at the end of Season 3, Episode 2, “Sink or Swim,” Christopher falls off the back of a firetruck and into the water. Buck spends most of Season 3, Episode 3, “The Searchers,” looking for Christopher. Just as he’s finally about to tell Eddie that Christopher is missing, the boy is brought to the triage center by a woman who was trying to help him find Buck.
Buck nearly collapses with relief — and because he’s on blood thinners and hasn’t been caring for himself while searching for Chris — but he also thinks he failed. He is certain Eddie will never want him near Christopher again, so he’s shocked when Eddie shows up with Christopher the next time he has a shift. For Eddie and Christopher, though, it’s simple. To Christopher, Buck saved him, which is what Eddie tells Buck, and Eddie knows that Buck will do everything he can to protect his son. The moment sets up several important moments in the future and shows how deeply Eddie and Buck care for each other and for Christopher.
6Eddie Fights With Buck in a Grocery Store
Despite Buck’s experience in the Tsunami appearing to help him feel better about his delayed return to the 118, it takes just one conversation with Bobby in Season 3, Episode 4, “Triggers,” for Buck to decide that his only course of action is a lawsuit against the city, the LAFD, and Bobby himself. It means that in 9-1-1‘s Season 3, Episode 5, “Rage,” Bobby and the rest of the 118 have to attend arbitration that reveals that Buck has outed many of the team’s secrets in an attempt to get his job back.
9-1-1 has many pairings that fans love, but none have as many great moments as the series’ leads, Athena and Bobby.
After realizing that he may have crossed a line, Buck shows up at the 118’s regular grocery store to try and apologize. Eddie, who is still grieving the loss of his wife, Shannon, who died in Season 2, Episode 17, “Careful What You Wish For,” and is frustrated with Buck’s reaction to his injury, gets into an argument with Buck in the middle of the store. Their argument nearly reveals Eddie’s recent arrest for assault, which only Lena Bosko (Ronda Rousey) knows about as she bailed him out, and has Eddie telling Buck that he didn’t think the whole thing through — after all, Christopher misses him, which Eddie can’t do anything about since Eddie and Buck can’t talk. The fight is short-lived but emotional, and audiences see how much Buck’s absence affects Eddie, who needed him after Shannon’s death.
5Buck and Eddie Throw a Bachelor Party
Despite Chimney’s many objections, Buck is insistent that Chim needs a bachelor party before marrying Maddie in 9-1-1‘s Season 7, Episode 6, “There Goes the Groom,” so Buck plans a karaoke party and invites Hen, Karen (Traci Thoms), Ravi, Eddie, and even Tommy. Unfortunately, Chimney never shows up, and eventually, everyone else departs, leaving Eddie and Buck behind with a room full of alcohol and appetizers. When a group of women stumbles into the wrong room, Buck and Eddie decide to have the bachelor party of their dreams.
Karaoke has somewhat of a storied history with the 118. In Season 2, Episode 12, “Chimney Begins,” 9-1-1 reveals that Chimney was inspired to become a firefighter when the karaoke bar he was working at caught on fire, and he helped people get to safety. In Season 2, Episode 8, “Buck, Actually,” Buck joins Chimney for a drink, only to discover that Chim has also invited Maddie. While they aren’t technically dating, it sure seems like Maddie and Chimney are on a date when they go up to sing “Islands in the Stream” on karaoke — a song that Jennifer Love Hewitt recorded a ballad version of for their wedding in “There Goes the Groom.”
Later in the evening, Eddie and Buck decide to rent an Uber and take it to the hotel where Chimney is supposed to be. When they don’t find him in the main room, they assume he’s asleep in the bedroom and opts to leave him alone, though their party continues. If they weren’t as drunk as they were, they might have noticed that all their noise didn’t wake Chimney up, but instead, they party into the night and wake up very hungover and still in their Miami Vice-inspired suits, though they still can’t agree on which one of them is Crockett and which one is Tubbs. The episode is a fun look at the antics that Buck and Eddie can get up to, though fans do wish that Tim Minear would release the scene where Buck and Eddie sing karaoke together.