Ryan Murphy is back on FOX again with 9-1-1, a series that according to Deadline, was first described as a show simply described as "ER with 9-1-1 operators." From that point on, a lot of details would be sketchy, and the show wasn't talked about much during its developmental phases. People began to speculate as to what kind of series it would be. There were some that still believed that the focus would be on the operators while some believed it would be retooled into a medical series.

There were some people who speculated that the show would end up becoming a firefighter series to compete with NBC's Chicago Fire.

Most of these speculations were both right and wrong at the same time.

The 'first responder' series mixes together some familiar genres.

The series focuses on a variety of emergency rescuers such as paramedics, firefighters, and police officers. It's essentially Chicago Fire and Chicago PD threw in with the emergency operator point of view to give us a unique take on a genre that needed something different, and it delivered.

After being led in with a monologue by Connie Britton's Abby Clark, we are taken into the world of the LA Fire Department, whose captain is Peter Krause's, Bobby Nash.

His team consists of Kenneth Choi, Aisha Hinds, and Oliver Stark as comic relief Howie "Chimney" Han, wise and level-headed Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, and the obnoxious but good at his job firefighter Evan "Buck" Buckley. The chemistry between the group is immediately present, and it helps due to the fact that the firefighters are most of the plot's focus.

The always amazing Angela Bassett plays Athena Grant, a field sergeant who is dealing with the fallout of her husband revealing he's gay to their children. Despite her personal life being changed forever, she doesn't let her personal life creep into her work life, as she is a very effective cop.

The subjects of the major '9-1-1' calls

The first major 9-1-1 call that brings Athena in with the LA Fire is a call Abby takes that deals with a baby being found inside of a pipe in the wall due to the baby being flushed down the toilet after the young girl gives birth to it. Athena ends up tracking down the young girl while the firefighters manage to rescue the baby after tearing down the wall and retrieving the infant from the pipe and resuscitating her.

Athena clashes with Buck when he callously blames the young child for the baby's life-threatening situation, despite her young age and frailness. Buck also is a notorious flirt who has also used the fire truck for his own sexual liaisons (so he's not exactly a role model).

Athena doesn't want to see him again and seemingly won't have to worry when Buck is fired by Nash for his immaturity and recklessness.

However, the next major 9-1-1 call not only reunites them but cleverly manages to keep Abby in the mix this time. A home invasion has a little girl scared. Unsure of her address, Abby keeps her on the phone to try and discover her location. Once this is narrowed down, Athena has the LA Fire Department send in a fire truck with its sirens going off in an attempt for Abby to locate the little girl easier. Buck, who is given a second chance, is the one who brings the fire truck, and ultimately contributes to rendering the intruder immobile when he tries to flee from the scene of the crime.

What makes 9-1-1 so strong is its brilliant cast and perfect balance of subtle and not-so-subtle storytelling. An article on Variety puts it perfectly by saying all the cases are similar to viral videos in the sense of how captivating they are. If every episode is strong like the first, then this series will be an enjoyable one. Catch the series on FOX every Wednesday night at nine.
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