The teaser for 9-1-1‘s opening disaster for season 8 eased my concerns about how the show would deal with ongoing disasters. Every new season of 9-1-1 begins with an over-the-top, multi-episode disaster. Season 7 of 9-1-1 saw the episode pay homage to The Poseidon Adventure with a capsized cruise-ship emergency as the season opener. As 9-1-1 enters its 8th season, I wondered if the show still comes up with new, believable disasters to start the season.

The cruise ship disaster was probably the series’ biggest spectacle to date. 9-1-1’s central couple, Athena (Angela Bassett) and Bobby (Peter Krause) were trapped on a boat that pirates hijacked before exploding off the coast of Mexico in the middle of a hurricane. The three-hour premiere felt like a movie, and the budget seemed sizable for network television. 9-1-1 attempts to open each season with a natural disaster movie. It would be difficult to plausibly go any bigger and still be about Los Angeles first responders in a series that touts its disaster episodes.

9-1-1 Season 8 Hints At A Disaster Involving Bees

ABC Drops Bee-Filled Promo

9-1-1 wisely chose an emergency that puts the 118 back on solid ground even as the threat buzzes around them. The teaser for season 8 hints that bees will play a significant role in the opening disaster. It’s a good change of pace, but it also elicits a good amount of fear. From My Girl to Candyman to Bridgerton, pop culture is full of instances of bees being the real threat.

It would be difficult for 9-1-1 to go bigger, so a more localized fear that can still be hard to contain could be just as gripping. A massive swarm of bees in LA would be almost impossible for the 118 to contain. All core cast members would need to be involved in the disaster, which would plausibly put their family members at risk. 9-1-1, while a show about first responders and emergencies, is still a show about the familial relationships of those first responders. Any emergency that can include the entire cast makes for a more well-rounded opening.

9-1-1 Season 8’s Tease Proves the Show Isn’t Running Out Of Disasters To Focus On

The Show Can Still Find New Ways To Excite The Audience

My fear of a show like 9-1-1 is that it will grow stale once the emergencies become repetitive. After seven years, I wondered if the show would run out of new disasters. The show has had earthquakes, tsunamis, blimp explosions, and cruise disasters. They needed a new and exciting emergency, but still fit into the scope of what a first responder would tackle. The 118 deal already dealt with bees on a smaller scale in a season six episode, so there is reason to believe they would deal with them during a massive event.

Bees offer a fresh take on the show that keeps it exciting. Bees are a grounded and relatable threat that could still cause a city to go into complete chaos. Similarly to how the season 7 opening was an homage to The Poseidon Adventure, season 8’s opening could be a call back to The Swarm.

9-1-1‘s success is about balancing action with compelling characters. By focusing on a localized threat, the show will be able to explore the personal impact of a disaster. This new threat will offer a scary twist and build buzz as the season approaches.