10 Characters From ‘9-1-1,’ One Chicago, ‘FBI: International’ & More Who Might Not Make It in 2025
Sadly, sometimes we have to say goodbye to our favorite characters, and heading into the new year, we can’t help but think about those who might not have much more time left.
For instance, Chicago Med left one of its own bleeding and still under attack in its fall finale. Rivals ended its first season with a major character possibly dying on his office floor. Virgin River left off with several cliffhangers for its seventh season, the least of which is what exactly happened to one of its characters. A promo for 9-1-1‘s return teases a character being kidnapped but we can’t help but think there’s more going on in that arc.
Below, we take a look at those characters and more we worry might not have long to live in 2025.
Someone not Maddie, 9-1-1
So here’s what we’re thinking: Yes, the promos indicate that Maddie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is going to be kidnapped by a serial killer when the show returns in March. And Hewitt has teased quite the arc for her coming up, one that left her hoarse. But Maddie is also pregnant, and killing her off now would just be a bit too dark for 9-1-1 (especially given what showrunner Tim Minear has told TV Insider about the baby and this season). But what if someone else is taken with her and she has to watch that person be killed? Or what if in the process of saving Maddie, someone dies?
Tommy, 9-1-1: Lone Star
The good news is Tommy (Gina Torres) is getting the cancer treatment she needs and deserves (a much more effective one) thanks to the rest of the 126 stepping up. But there’s still a fight ahead of her, though Torres did tell us that she’s in the last episode.
“She’s not going to get off the hook that easy. I’m cutting Episode 11 right now, and I can tell you this battle is not over and the hardest fight is yet to come,” co-showrunner Rashad Raisani warned in November. “It’s cancer. All the treatments in the world, the best treatments in the world are not guaranteed. And I think part of what makes it so painful when things don’t work out is that when the odds were in your favor, it feels almost like you got cheated, like it could have never happened. And so her crucible is not over for her, unfortunately.”
Cruz, Chicago Fire
Cruz’s (Joe Minoso) past has come back to haunt him. The cousin of the gang leader (José Antonio García’s Flaco) he left to die in a fire to protect his brother (Jeff Lima’s Leon) showed up in the Fire fall finale, out of prison. But before he even made himself known to Cruz, the firefighter found a pendant urn (shaped like a bullet!) with cremated remains inside in his locker and car. The episode ended with Junior tracking Cruz down to let him know he knew what he did. We can’t help but think this could go south very quickly—right in that church or at a later date.
Goodwin, Chicago Med
Unfortunately, the woman without whom the hospital cannot run was in dire straits at the end of the Med fall finale. She’d been stabbed by the wife of a patient who died due to a blood shortage and the tough choice that Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson) had to make in the season premiere. And while it seemed like there might be hope in the form of Archer (Steven Weber), stopping by her office to drop off his resignation letter, Goodwin didn’t manage to escape into the hall until he was boarding the elevator. He didn’t see her until the doors were closing, and by that time, her attacker had caught up to her. While it’s impossible to imagine Med without Goodwin, she needs medical help ASAP!
Vo, FBI: International
This is something we did see coming from Csonka (Beau Knapp), after the back and forth between him and Vo (Vinessa Vidotto) throughout the midseason finale. When the man responsible for the death of Wes’ (Jesse Lee Soffer) partner escaped during a prison transport, the chase that ensued ended with him still getting away—because Vo was shot! She’d lost a lot of blood by the time she got to the hospital, and at the end of the episode, it wasn’t looking good. The bullet fractured her collar bone and hit her subclavian vein, and she needed a vein graft. But during the surgery, she went into shock. But she’s going to pull through … right?
Audrey, Fire Country
Multiple characters were in life-or-death situations due to the massive fire that had broken out in the fall finale: Bode (Max Thieriot) and Audrey (Leven Rambin) using a pool for protection, Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) without her gear surrounded, and Manny (Kevin Alejandro) on his way to save his daughter once he heard. Bode, Gabriela, and Manny are, let’s be honest, safe. There’s way too much still to explore for all those characters, though Manny dying just as he’s looking forward to his parole hearing and in a situation that could lead to him and Gabriela reconciling would be just the kind of pain that would make for a heartbreaking death scene for father and daughter. But we’re more worried about Audrey because she and Bode are starting to grow closer, it’s her first day on the job, too, and that would be a death that would affect everyone—all of 42 losing one of their own (especially on her first day), Bode because of their connection, and Sharon (Diane Farr) after she trained her at the station and the cadet was the one to point out what’s going on with her health.
Jo and Link's twins, Grey's Anatomy
Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Lucas (Niko Terho), in the heat wave, went to a nearby convenience store to get ice. They walked in on a robbery, and the pregnant Jo started to bleed as they sat as hostages. As the fall finale ended, Lucas was wrestling for control of the gun from the robber—and it went off. The promo for the returns shows Jo being brought in to the hospital, and while we doubt that Grey’s is about to kill her off … we unfortunately can’t say the same for one or both of her and Link’s (Chris Carmack) babies.
Joe Jr., Law & Order: Organized Crime
The drama ended its run on NBC—it’s moving to Peacock for its fifth season—with Stabler’s (Christopher Meloni) brother, Joe Jr. (Michael Trotter), on the inside of crime boss Julian Emery’s (Tom Payne) organization. The Organized Crime Control Bureau was able to secure one briefcase with a deadly nerve agent that Emery had in the finale—only for Joe to choose to leave with Emery when he escaped. But once on board his plane and on their way to Cuba, Emery revealed that he was making Joe his new delivery man and cuffed him to a new briefcase of that nerve agent. We can’t help but think that with Joe trying so hard to help Stabler and the position he’s in that this is not going to end well for the family.
Tony, Rivals
On the one hand, for Cameron’s (Nafessa Williams) sake and the juicy storytelling that would ensue after that bloody cliffhanger, we hope Tony’s (David Tennant) alive. But on the other hand, there was a lot of blood. The scandalous drama ended with Tony learning of Cameron’s relationship with Rupert (Alex Hassell) and the ensuing fight. He hit her, but she retaliated with the award they’d won—and he was on the floor, bleeding last we saw him.
Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins was coy about Tony’s fate when we spoke with him after the Season 1 finale: “There are so many possibilities about what could happen, but what we do know is revenge is a dish best served on television.”
Charmaine, Virgin River
After Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley) missed their wedding, Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge)—whose hair she was supposed to do—and Jack (Martin Henderson) were concerned since she was taking a restraining order out against her twins’ father Calvin (David Cubitt). When Jack arrived at her house, the front door was open, there were signs of a struggle, and whatever he saw in the nursery had his eyes wide. Is she dead? Are the twins there alone?
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C
Networks seem to relish on killing off characters to pump up ratings. Sad
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E
Why kill Cruz off on Chicago Fire? It's like killing off Serride or Casey
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G
Agreed! I love Cruz!
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E
Me too
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G
It doesn't help the shows ratings one bit, killing off the ones we've come to love.
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P
I’m so disappointed that NBC has moved Organized Crime to Peacock. One of my favorite shows.
I don’t understand why NBC would show an episode of the Jacikal and only to find out the rest of the episodes are on Peacock. What a tease.
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O
stupid move, they should have left Law and Order Thursdays alone, no need to move it to peacock.
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E
Exactly we've sent letters, videos, emails, made Petitions etc and they've still moved it to Peacock. #bringbacklawandorderorgnizedcrimebacktonbc
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G
Completely agree I miss that show.
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