‘9-1-1’s Oliver Stark Previews Season 7, Episode 6: “One Of My Favorite Ever Episodes To Shoot”

When 9-1-1 returns from its midseason hiatus, fans aren’t just getting a long-overdue, extremely chaotic Madney wedding episode. They’re also getting one of Oliver Stark’s favorite episodes of the series.

“It’s probably one of my favorite ever episodes to shoot,” Stark, who plays Evan “Buck” Buckley on ABC’s popular procedural, told Decider via Zoom. “I had so much fun and got to embrace a side of myself that I haven’t since I was like a teenager, and just kind of go crazy.”

After the 32-year-old actor spoke to Decider about his character’s bisexual awakening, Buck and Tommy’s budding romance, his feelings about Buddie, and more, Stark teased what’s to come in Season 7, Episode 6, “There Goes the Groom” and the remainder of the season.

“I haven’t seen [Episode 6]. I’m really, really excited to see it. And I’m really excited for fans of the show to see it, because I think it does what 9-1-1 does very well, which is flick between tones very quickly,” Stark said. “There are going to be scenes that are very fun and you’re going to be laughing at, and then very quickly, you’re going to be distressed over and on the edge of your seat. So, classic 9-1-1.”

Thanks to the final scenes of 9-1-1‘s midseason finale and a 30-second teaser trailer for the upcoming May 2 episode, fans know that Buck and Eddie (Ryan Guzman) arrive at the wedding 30 minutes late looking like hot mess versions of Miami Vice‘s Crockett and Tubbs. Flashbacks show the best friends waking up after an eighties-themed bachelor party gone bad with massive hangovers and no clue where Chimney (Kenneth Choi) went…

The episode will focus on Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Hen (Aisha Hinds), Bobby (Peter Krause), Athena (Angela Bassett), and the rest of the 118 searching for the mysteriously MIA groom. But before we find Chimney, we’ll relive some crucial highlights from his big night, including a highly-anticipated karaoke scene between Buck and Eddie that has fans in a frenzy.

Those hoping we’ll be blessed with the original vocal stylings of Buddie are in luck. “I’m pretty sure you will get to see me Ryan singing, I say with tears in my eyes,” Stark laughed.

The 9-1-1 star revealed that he and Guzman didn’t have any say in their karaoke song (which remains a secret), but only because they “were on board with” showrunner Tim Minear’s initial selection. “If we had stuck our hands up and had taken issue with it, I’m sure those concerns would have been heard,” Stark said. “But the song that Tim chose for us, I think fit us well in that moment [and] certainly fit what vocal range I might have very well, which is very little.”

While Buck will boldly belt into a microphone when 9-1-1 returns, Stark assured Decider that singing in public utterly terrifies him, both on and off-screen.

“So, I hate karaoke…like genuinely. No exaggeration. Karaoke is my biggest fear in the whole world. You can put me in a harness and hang me off the side of a building on 9-1-1. Fine. You’re writing a karaoke scene, and I am nervous. Really, really nervous,” Stark explained. “It takes a lot to ever get me on a karaoke stage. I don’t have a go-to song, because I would literally rather leave a venue than go up on stage.”

Shooting the seemingly carefree karaoke scene was admittedly “quite an ordeal” for Stark, but he may not have been completely sober for the challenge. “There may have been a little bit of real tequila flowing on set,” he said, flashing a smile. “You know, certain scenes need a little bit of inhibition-shedding help.”

“Karaoke is my biggest fear in the whole world. You can put me in a harness and hang me off the side of a building on 9-1-1. Fine. You’re writing a karaoke scene, and I am nervous.”

Earlier in the interview, Stark shared his thoughts on a potential Buddie romance down the line, saying, “If they ended up taking Ryan’s character in that direction and it feels right for the story I’m always open to it.” Between Buck’s bisexual awakening and Stark’s public support for Buddie shippers, now more than ever, 9-1-1 fans are on high alert for signs that the show could be hinting at a future romance between the best buds.

That’s why the sheer sight of a burnt couch in the Episode 6 teaser trailer had fans returning to The Couch Theory, a long-running metaphor for Buck’s romantic relationships (with deep ties to him and Eddie). In the name of truth, journalism, and couches everywhere, Decider asked Stark if the burnt couch in 706 has any special significance.

“There is not. There is not,” Stark said with a chuckle. “So I am aware of this Couch Theory, but I thought that was a Season 6 thing. I didn’t know we were still sitting on that couch,” he laughed. “No. I wouldn’t look into that, no.”

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Buddie buzz aside, 9-1-1‘s midseason finale ended with Buck asking Tommy (Lou Ferrigno Jr.) to be his wedding date, so fans are also eager to see if the former 118 firefighter meets Maddie and the Buckley fam on her big day.

Ferrigno Jr. told The Hollywood Reporter, “With Tommy, there’s a dramatic entrance. He’s not necessarily on time, but he’s right where he needs to be.” And when speaking with Decider, Stark added, “This is the world of 9-1-1, and weddings do not end up looking like regular weddings. There’s not much time for introductions, but [Tommy’s] introduction is done in a very clear way, even though there aren’t many words exchanged.”

“It’s probably one of my favorite ever episodes to shoot. I had so much fun and got to embrace a side of myself that I haven’t since I was like a teenager…”

Stark said he “really enjoys” working with Ferrigno Jr. — who appeared in three Season 2 episodes prior to his return — but he noted the two had only filmed three Season 7 episodes together. “I don’t think he was in the seventh episode and [he’s] not in eighth.”

9-1-1‘s abbreviated season is only 10 episodes long, which means Tommy still has a chance to return for 709 or 710. And since the series snagged an early Season 8 renewal, who knows what the future has in store. If Tommy does stick around a while, Stark looks forward to “continuing to develop that relationship” with his new scene partner on and off-screen.

In the lead-up to its big wedding episode, 9-1-1 Season 7 featured an epic three-episode homage to The Poseidon Adventure, a Bachelor crossover, a historic 100th episode milestone, a monumental same-sex kiss, and a heartwarming coming out episode. So what can fans expect from the remaining stretch?

For starters, Stark said he thinks Buck is done with more intimate coming out scenes like those shared with Maddie and Eddie. “Not that it will never be discussed, but there’s not going to be any more one-on-one moments,” he said. “In Episode 6, there is a big fun ‘this is who I am now’ reveal of a moment that I’m really excited for.”

Something else the actor is looking forward to is 9-1-1′s new recurring guest star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who Deadline says is set to star in four episodes as Amir, “a nurse in a hospital burn unit who is connected to Bobby’s past.”

“I haven’t worked with him yet. I’m guessing I will maybe in Episode 9 and 10,” Stark explained. “I’m really excited. Even most recently, his work on The Resident — I think he’s such an incredible actor. So I’m really excited to get to work with him, but also just get to meet him. I’m very happy that we’ve added him to the cast.”

When Decider spoke to Stark during 9-1-1‘s midseason hiatus, he hadn’t read a script past Episode 7, so rather than teasing the season’s end, he shared his hopes for Buck and his 118 family.

“I do hope that post-wedding there’s plenty of love in the air, and that we have plenty of crazy, chaotic emergencies to finish the season as we always do. And it continues to blend that chaos with the stability of being the 118 in the way that 9-1-1 always has.”

New episodes of 9-1-1 premiere Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.