‘9-1-1’ Fans Distraught Season 6 Didn’t Make Buddie Canon: “A Big F*ck You To Everyone Involved”

By Nicole Gallucci @nicolemichele5
Published May 16, 2023, 9:04 a.m. ET

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9-1-1‘s Season 6 finale had a picture-perfect ending — depending on who you ask.

Some fans of the long-running first-responder drama were fully content with members of the 118 safely making it out of a bridge collapse, meditating on the roof with Bobby, and reflecting on the big blessings in their lives — from an upcoming wedding and a growing family to new romantic relationships. But a large chunk of the fandom wanted more; specifically, for the show to stop teasing them and finally make Buddie canon.

Those who have passionately shipped Oliver Stark’s Buck and Ryan Guzman’s Eddie since the latter character joined the 118 in Season 2 were hopeful that 9-1-1‘s writers would finally explore a deeper connection between the two in Season 6. The competitors-turned-besties always have each other’s backs, their chemistry is effortless, and the show never passes up an opportunity for the characters to spring to each other’s aid in crisis. But after a teaser for the Season 6 premiere showed Buck being struck by lightning and Eddie screaming his name, Buddie stans were convinced the show was intentionally servicing them and the marketing team was sending a long-awaited message.

Though Buck’s near-death lightning strike didn’t lead to sparks between him and Eddie, it did give fans hope that 9-1-1 would finally make Buddie canon before the season’s end. Noteworthy Buddie parallels sprinkled throughout the last 18 episodes only fueled things like The Couch Theory, a fan theory inspired by Buck and Eddie’s conversation in 6.01, during which they compared finding the right couch to finding the right partner. In 6.12, Buck fell asleep on Eddie’s couch, leading Buddie shippers to believe Eddie was Buck’s perfect fit. And fans only grew more excited when Stark said he loved that they “picked up on the symbolism of the couch” and it would be at play until his “very last scene of the season.”

The finale once again saw Buck rescuing Eddie (and even holding his hand to pull him out of rubble!), but instead of ending the season with even a hint of romance in store for the two, Eddie giddily lined up a date with Marisol (Edy Ganem) and — in a major blow to Team Buddie — Buck invited his new girl Natalia (Annelise Cepero), wait for it, COUCH SHOPPING! After Season 6 concluded, fans flooded Twitter with disheartened reactions, acknowledging that although 9-1-1 is more than Buck and Eddie, the frustration over the show repeatedly teasing them with the promise of a romantic relationship was becoming too much to bear. Some fans finally laid their Buddie dreams to rest, while others considered quitting the series altogether.

A number of fans pointed to Stark’s recent finale interview with Variety, in which he said he’s “really excited about the relationship forming between Buck and Natalia,” as further proof that Buddie is off the table. “I just think it’s something different for Buck, in the sense that she hasn’t taken these things that have happened to him and treated him like he’s the victim, and that he is this sad sob story. She has sparked this light in him, and is excited about things that he’s been through; not in a sense of taking advantage of them, but of them being interesting and them making him who he is,” Stark said. “She’s actually a really positive person to have around, and I’m looking forward to what I hope will be continued growth between them and we’ll get to see that relationship and that connection filling out more and more, hopefully, in Season 7.”

And despite Stark telling Variety that he doesn’t think 9-1-1‘s move from FOX to ABC will make a big difference in production, some fans who refuse to let the ship sink are still hopeful that the network change will reignite Buddie’s potential.

Aside from the Buddie of it all, fans have also criticized the speedy introductions of Buck and Eddie’s new romantic relationships and fear the urgency will lead to familiar heartbreak. Including the finale, both love interests only appeared in three episodes each. So perhaps if viewers had seen them establish more of a rapport with Buck and Eddie it wouldn’t have been as hard to accept the ship crashing…AGAIN.

Will Natalia and Marisol be endgame for Buck and Eddie? Will the ABC shift switch things up for the show? Will the “is buddie canon yet?” Twitter account ever get to tweet in celebration? Stay tuned to see what fresh emotional chaos Season 7 unleashes on viewers.

Until then, all six seasons of 9-1-1 are currently streaming on Hulu.