Unfortunately, it appears as if the 9-1-1 season 8 premiere is being set up for failure as its emergency doesn’t quite live up to the expectations I have of the show’s opening episode. The ABC procedural drama TV series has tackled many high-risk, nail-biting situations over the course of its seven aired seasons. From a tsunami to a cruise ship sinking, 9-1-1 has had quite a run exploring different intriguing tragedies. However, when 9-1-1 season 8 is released, it will be quite difficult for the upcoming disaster to compete with the ones that preceded it.
9-1-1 season 8 premieres on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 8 pm ET on ABC. Even though the network has not announced an episode count as of the writing of this article, many speculate that season 8 will contain around 18 episodes based on previous full-length seasons.
Although 9-1-1 season 7 had the cruise ship disaster which was engrossing, the season, overall, didn’t have that many interesting emergencies. Of course, it was delayed and shortened due to the 2023 writers and actors strike like many other network TV shows, which inevitably hurt its quality. Nevertheless, I was hopeful that season 8 would be a step up from the previous one. The bad news is that the first look at the upcoming 9-1-1 episodes left much to be desired.
911 Season 8 Premiere Case Is A Bee Attack Crisis
A Bee Attack Isn’t Exactly Buzzworthy
The 9-1-1 Instagram account released the first teaser trailer for 9-1-1 season 8, and the video (sadly) reveals that the ABC procedural drama’s first disaster will be related to bees. The trailer reads, “The average human cannot survive 500 bee stings,” as thousands of bees swarm the city. Meanwhile, the tagline for the 9-1-1 season 8 premiere is, “Bee-nado is coming.”
An overwhelming bee attack could be quite scary and deadly, but 9-1-1 season 8’s opening emergency will likely be disappointing when compared to all the other routes the show could have taken.
It might be safe to say that a bee attack could easily become 9-1-1’s worst emergency in a premiere. Compared to a cruise ship sinking, a landslide, or a catastrophic earthquake, it will be difficult for a situation where bees swarm a city to beat the preceding disasters. An overwhelming bee attack could be quite scary and deadly, but 9-1-1 season 8’s opening emergency will likely be disappointing when compared to all the other routes the show could have taken.
911 Season 6 Already Tackled A Bee Emergency
911 Season 6, Episode 8 Features A Bee Attack
The bee attack teased in the 9-1-1 season 8 premiere trailer is also disheartening because the ABC procedural drama has done it before. 9-1-1 season 6, episode 8, “Cursed,” featured the firefighters responding to an emergency at a Medieval Renaissance Fair. A woman dressed in knight’s armor was attacked by a swarm of bees because the Queen Bee became trapped inside the suit. So, the first responders had to cut open the armor to stop the bees and get the woman medical attention.
While the disaster in the 9-1-1 season 8 premiere will likely be different and greater than the one in season 6, repeating a bee crisis isn’t worth it, especially when it’s in the first episode of a new season. The writers could have come up with a new, crazy emergency to focus on. Ultimately, expectations for 9-1-1 season 8 are high following season 7, which undoubtedly dialed down the craziness of its cases, and so far, the results aren’t satisfying.
Key Background
- After two episodes aired, Fox renewed 9-1-1 (2018) for a second season, announced on January 16, 2018.
- In May 2023, the series was canceled by Fox and was renewed for a seventh season at ABC.
- In every episode the series exposes daily situations (funny, absurd or apparently harmless) and how they easily can turn into a mortal danger for a person.
