9-1-1 will soon arrive in primetime in the 2024 TV schedule, but not on its original home network of Fox. The hit drama was cancelled by Fox and then immediately picked up by ABC back in Spring 2023. Now, after delays due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike, the Season 7 premiere will kick off with Athena (Angela Bassett) and Bobby (Peter Krause) about to have their long-delayed honeymoon ruined. Ahead of the episode, Bassett opened up about the challenges of the job and what she hopes her kids learn from her hard work.
Angela Bassett has starred on 9-1-1 since the series premiere back in 2018, and Athena Grant has endured despite everything from family turmoil to near-death experiences on the job at the LAPD. The show itself as endured turmoil as well, including COVID production complications, a network switch, and strikes in the entertainment industry. The actress hasn't slowed down despite all the challenges, which include leaving for work before sunrise and getting home after sunset. This means time away from her two kids with husband (and fellow actor) Courtney B. Vance, but she shared with People what she hopes her twin son and daughter take away from their mom working hard for her success, saying:
"But also I hope that what will come out of that is that they see a mama, a woman, a Black woman achieving her dreams, having success.They’ll see that hard work pays off. And they’ll be about that life for themselves."
There's certainly no denying that Angela Bassett's hard work has paid off, as she has been nominated for an Academy Award twice (and made history with one of the noms) on top of other performances that were worthy but unrecognized at the Oscars. She was awarded an honorary Academy Award earlier this year for her contributions to the film industry over a career spanning more than thirty years so far.
When it comes to television, she has had memorable runs on American Horror Story, ER, and even BoJack Horseman, to name just a few, in addition to her nearly 100 episodes of 9-1-1. With the seventh season, 9-1-1 is set to reach the 100-episode milestone. The show arrives on ABC on Thursday, March 14 with Athena's life in very real danger. It's hard not to worry about the character after the newly-released trailer, not least because of her dramatic voiceover. Take a look:
Honestly, I wouldn't blame Athena and Bobby if they just never try to take a trip ever again, because what are the odds that the honeymoon cruise they finally got around to taking happened to be hijacked and seemingly capsize? Assuming that both characters survive what goes wrong on their trip, it looks like fans are set for another exciting season of 9-1-1 with a whole lot of very hard work by Angela Bassett.
Tune in to ABC on Thursday, March 14 at 8 p.m. ET for the Season 7 premiere of 9-1-1, and revisit earlier seasons ahead of the premiere with a Hulu subscription. The network is giving the show a strong push, as Thursdays – with Grey's Anatomy and Station 19 – are generally very strong for ABC.
