What’s Next After That ‘9-1-1’ Fall Finale Cliffhanger?

9-1-1 christmas spirit
Spoiler Alert
FOX

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for 9-1-1 Season 3, Episode 10, “Christmas Spirit”]

Fox’s 9-1-1 left viewers with quite the holiday cliffhanger during the fall finale episode, “Christmas Spirit.”

After experiencing a fall due to a spell of dizziness, Michael (Rockmond Dunbar) underwent tests that revealed that he has a tumor. The reveal came at the end of the episode as he spoke candidly to Bobby (Peter Krause) about the discovery.

As fans of the show recall, Bobby dealt with his own health scare recently this season, making him the perfect character to relate to Michael’s situation. “Just let me have this Christmas,” Michael pleads with Bobby as he swears the man to secrecy.

The father of Athena’s (Angela Bassett) children promises to share the news in the coming days with the rest of the family, but wants to enjoy the holiday with them first. Bobby understands, but the news leaves many viewers wondering what’s next.

“Nothing’s been decided,” showrunner Tim Minear told TV Line about Michael’s impending fate.

(Credit: FOX)

As for where the story will pick up? Minear said, “about the same amount of time we’ll be off the air, about three or four months.” So, no matter what happens with Michael, viewers will be missing out on a chunk of time from the moment he shares his news with Bobby to where he is months into the diagnosis.

In another interview, with Entertainment Weekly, Minear revealed the reason Michael’s going through this ordeal is because he loves the actor and his performance on the show. “If I love you, then that means that something terrible is going to happen to your character, because I need a reason to have you on the screen. So that’s kind of what it comes down to.”

And for viewers still concerned about Bobby, Minear reassures them that, “I think we can rest pretty easy with Bobby right now… all his tests have been clear. And from a writerly point of view,” added Minear, “for me, it was about kind of the head feint of having you worry about Bobby so that I can hit you with a Michael thing.”

Expect more from the cliffhanger when 9-1-1 returns in March 2020.

9-1-1, Mondays, 8/7c, Fox