Sumith Prasad
Abigail “Abby” Clark and Evan “Buck” Buckley’s togetherness is arguably the best romantic storyline in FOX’s action series ‘9-1-1.’ As a 9-1-1 dispatcher, Abby gets closer to Buck while coordinating emergency interventions. Both of them then get together and Abby even succeeds in making the firefighter a better man. Although she eventually departs from Buck’s life, her impact on him is evident even after he successfully moves on from the former to build a new phase of his life. Ever since Connie Britton’s departure from the show, fans have been expecting her return. Although Britton appears as Abby in the third season finale, the viewers are not yet ready to accept her exit for good. So, will we be seeing her back in the action drama anytime soon? Let’s find out!
Abby’s Story Arc and Departure for Europe
Connie Britton left ‘9-1-1’ after the first season due to the completion of her character Abby Clarke’s story arc. Abby was conceived as a single-season character, making Britton’s exit pre-planned. “We love Connie Britton, [but] it was always envisioned to be a one-year role. So it wasn’t a surprise [that she left],” Gary Newman, then-FOX co-chairman, told the press in August 2018. In the first season of the show, after the death of her mother, Abby leaves for Ireland as her mother has always dreamt of. After arriving in Ireland, she decides to embark on an adventure by extending her trip to other European countries as well.
After Britton’s exit after the first season, she returned to the show for the third season finale. She meets her former lover Buck and explains that she is engaged. Abby and Buck decide to remain friends as well. Since then, Britton hasn’t been featured in the show yet. Although her character is not part of the narrative anymore, Buck hasn’t forgotten her. He even mentions her name when he faces a challenge in life in the sixth season of the show. Naturally, the admirers of Britton and Abby must be curious to know more about the prospects of seeing the character back in the action drama. Here’s what we can share.
Narrative Opportunities for Abby’s Return
As of now, neither FOX nor Connie Britton has announced the actress’ return to ‘9-1-1’ as Abby. However, there is a good chance of the same materializing if Britton is up for it again. “We miss Connie. I think she liked doing the season and then she moved on to other things. We would love to have her back if she is ever interested in doing that. I will never say never,” Kristen Reidel, one of the executive producers of the show, told Deadline. Reidel’s words make it clear that the creative heads of the show likely are happy to welcome the actress back if Britton nods yes.
Even though Britton had left the show after its first season, creative heads of ‘9-1-1’ never wanted to cut the ties between the actress and the show completely. In the wake of her exit, co-creator Ryan Murphy revealed that they have plans to keep her character “alive,” which explains Buck and Abby’s transition to friends. If Britton expresses her wish to return to the show, we can look forward to seeing Abby becoming a support system for Buck again, especially considering the life-altering decisions he has been making lately.
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