‘9-1-1’ Needs To Bet On Ravi In Season 8

After 9-1-1 Season 7 set the bar sky-high with a major disaster arc, a 100th episode crossover event, a hospital wedding, several surprise guest stars, crucial flashbacks, character development, and more, fans have great expectations for Season 8.

Wish lists include everything from the return of Gavin McHugh’s Christopher and the 118 banishing Brian Thompson’s Captain Gerrard to Buck further exploring his bisexuality and the introduction of long-lost family members like the Diaz sisters and Bobby’s mother or brother. In addition to those requests, I’m here to declare that 9-1-1 Season 8 needs more Ravi — like, way more Ravi. Mr. Panikkar has been a part of 9-1-1’s world since Season 4, and it’s high time we let Anirudh Pisharody fully shine.

With Ravi, it was love at first jinx for me. His introduction to the 118 in Season 4, Episode 6 — while brief and unexpected — was memorable. From Buck screaming “HEY PROBIE!” at the top of his lungs to Ravi accidentally cursing the team by saying the dreaded Q-word, he made a first impression that left me wanting more, and three years later, that sentiment still remains. When Ravi returned in Season 4 and not only beat the 118 to the buried treasure, but claimed he barely knew them when authorities got involved (iconic), I got the sense his character shouldn’t be underestimated, and Season 5 only strengthened those beliefs.

To my delight, 9-1-1’s fifth season blessed Ravi stans with several key appearances, offering much-needed insight into the firefighter’s backstory. Writers took the time to strengthen his relationship with members of the 118, especially Buck, and as the probie hid when Oliver Stark’s character became hyper-focused on showing him the ropes, Aisha Hind’s Hen even reminded Ravi he was worthy of his place in the house. We agree!

In “Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1,” Ravi not only showed he was willing to risk his life for the job, but that he carries the job with him after calls end and is capable of feeling incredible empathy for others. Pisharody’s range was on full display again in “Defend in Place,” when Ravi revealed he spent his childhood in hospitals receiving chemotherapy to treat his cancer. He sought out this career to save lives and “pay it forward,” and if that backstory isn’t begging for the “Ravi Begins” treatment, I don’t know what is!

It’s difficult to join an established cast several seasons in with limited screen time and manage to touch viewers in a way that makes them beg for you to stick around, but Pisharody not only charmed fans, he charmed 9-1-1‘s cast as well. “I think the testament of everybody on the cast is that they were so welcoming,” the 30-year-old actor told Tell-Tale TV in an interview. “[They were] so open to me when they didn’t even need to be before I had this extended character. I was just a probie. They are really welcoming and made me feel like a proper member of the 118.”

When Decider asked 9-1-1‘s Peter Krause who he’d like to act alongside more frequently ahead of Season 7’s premiere, he even shouted out Pisharody, calling the recurring star “a wonderful young actor” who he “wouldn’t mind having some more scenes with.” Sounds to me like we need to make Krause’s dreams come true, don’t you think?

Though the end of Season 5 and much of Season 6 rarely featured Ravi, in “Performance Anxiety,” Cap thankfully sent Chimney to the academy to bring “the kid” back to the 118. The episode showed a more confident side to him — a leader capable of guiding trainees, running drills, giving feedback, and calling his own shots. Ravi also revealed his vulnerable side, sharing that he stepped back from the firehouse for six months after a big off-duty save left him questioning everything. Ravi jumped in the bay to save a father and two kids from a sinking car, but he could only rescue the man and one child. After learning the father purposefully drove off the pier to kill his kids, Ravi admittedly battled challenging emotions over saving the guilty man at the cost of an innocent child’s life.

After some quality soul-searching with Chim, the two firefighters returned to the 118 and at long last, I was sure Ravi’s moment in the sun had arrived. Would he become a main character in Season 7? Would he get his own episode? Would we learn more about his backstory? Or perhaps his family? Would he get some romance or additional scenes with key cast members? No! He would remain underutilized, but he would still serve.

ravi shows up, has one line, and serves ! #911onABC pic.twitter.com/giiEM2o15W

— Natalie ❁ (@livelyackles) May 24, 2024

With a shortened 10-episode order from ABC as a result of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, there sadly wasn’t much time to flesh out Pisharody’s character in 9-1-1, but Ravi swiftly swooped in for moments of comedic relief, bravely descended into a sewer, dared to chomp a slider at Chimney’s bachelor party, wore a snazzy jacket to Madney’s hospital wedding, and admittedly attended the cruise ship award ceremony on his day off for the buffet. Simply put, this man is a hero, and I haven’t lost hope for his Season 8 involvement just yet. In addition to including Ravi in Cap’s emotional teaching montage, he was seated at Season 7’s heartwarming 118 family dinner and was standing alongside the core 118 crew in their final firehouse scene with Captain Gerrard. So could Season 8 finally find Ravi regularly working with the team? My fingers are crossed!

Pisharody has repeatedly proven he can nail comedic and dramatic beats alike. (Plus, Never Have I Ever established he’s incredibly crushworthy!) We know there’s lots to explore with Ravi in terms of narrative arcs, and elevating Pisharody’s role in the series as an Indian-American actor would also be crucial representation-wise.

“I don’t think there’s been another Indian-American firefighter on TV or movie, and I think that’s really, really great,” Pisharody told Tell-Tale TV. “I think it’s great for kids, for people, to see someone that looks like them doing a job that isn’t traditionally portrayed by a person like them in the media.”

9-1-1 has already called Ravi “the double-shift king,” so why not give Pisharody some more shifts in Season 8?

9-1-1 Season 7 is now streaming on Hulu.