“9-1-1” fan favorite Evan “Buck” Buckley (Oliver Stark) has come a long way since he stole a fire truck to woo a woman in the series premiere. After five seasons of serious injuries, mental health struggles and natural disasters, we’ve seen Buck—the feisty, flirtatious man of 118—grow up right before our eyes.
Of course, that hasn’t stopped Buck from making plenty of rash decisions over the years. Whether he’s evacuating a burning building to save a civilian, pushing himself too hard after a potentially career-ending injury or kissing his new co-worker (Arielle Kebbel’s Lucy Donato) while he’s in a long-term relationship, in the immortal words of Henrietta “Hen” Wilson (Aisha Hinds), “Buck will be Buck.”
Despite his many (many) missteps, we can’t help but love this big guy. While rewatching “9-1-1” on USA Network — which airs Thursdays at 7/6c — we find ourselves constantly smiling at his antics, so we decided to round up all the reasons we love Buck, hothead and all.
Do you know how much water is in the L.A. Reservoir? Or how many people have been hit by a meteorite throughout human history? What about the one that killed Marie Curie?
Don’t worry if you don’t know — because Buck does. It’s unclear how much time Buck spends on Wikipedia on an average day, but something tells us he loves going down the internet rabbit hole. The man is a walking, talking receptacle of information, and no matter how dire the situation, Buck is always there to spill a fun fact or two. The other members of the 118 often raise confused eyebrows, but there’s no denying that it’s charming.
Not that we’re condoning Buck’s “jump first, ask questions later” habit, which Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) is happy to call out, but there’s not a day that goes by that Buck isn’t willing to run into fire (often literally).
The 118 finds itself in some truly dangerous situations—rescuing people from crashing helicopters, high-rise buildings destroyed by earthquakes, etc.—and Buck is always the first to volunteer, to the point where Bobby barely blinks. Buck’s self-sacrificing tendencies become a problem, however, when a sniper is chasing LAFD members in Season 4 and Buck puts himself in the line of fire without a second thought. In the end, he’s unhurt, but when he climbs the crane to rescue the man stuck at the top, we’re just as nervous as his teammates (and maybe swearing a little at his stubbornness).
“9-1-1” is a show about the importance of the family you choose; blood relatives are great, but your newfound family just makes life more fulfilling. Buck’s relationship with his big sister Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) has been through its fair share of hardships, but they still love each other. But it’s Buck’s devotion to his newfound family that really makes us love him.
He has a big heart, and his extended 118 family is always there for him, and vice versa: His immediate brother-in-law Howie “Chimney” Howard (Kenneth Choi); honorary sister Hen; his best friends Eddie Diaz (Ryan Guzman) and godson Christopher (Gavin McHugh); fake parents Bobby and Athena Grant-Nash (Angela Bassett). Surviving years of fires, floods and gunfire together has bonded them for life.
