The Big Picture
9-1-1’s landmark 100th episode surprised viewers with a crossover with The Bachelor and a recast of Harry Grant.
Tim Minear used the recasting as an opportunity to tell a story about children growing up and facing change.
Elijah M. Cooper takes over the role from Marcanthonee Jon Reis.
9-1-1 featured a few surprises in its landmark 100th episode. Viewers were treated to a crossover with The Bachelor early on. Everyone was obsessed with Buck finally jumping into the deep end with a guy, but before Buck stole the show, a different Harry Grant debuted. Marcanothee Jon Reis portrayed Harry for the past six seasons, but the episode saw Elijah M. Cooper as the new face of Harry.
Athena woke up to the aroma of freshly made breakfast but thought Bobby had gotten up earlier. She was wrong and as they made their way to the kitchen, they were met by a grown-up Harry, who fans had not seen much of since he moved away with his dad. 9-1-1’s showrunner Tim Minear talked to TV Line about why the recast was necessary and how he used that opportunity to craft a story around the change. He said he’d reached out to Marcanthonee Jon Reis about the story, but he wasn’t available as he “was sort of ready to move on.”
“I reached out to Marcanthonee, who hadn’t been around for a minute, and I pitched him this story. I think he loved the story, but was just ready to do something new.”
‘9-1-1’ Recasting Harry Presented a Chance to Tell a Story
Minear took this opportunity to develop a story about children growing up and appearing different to their parents. He knew he had to acknowledge this new face people might not recognize as Harry if Athena’s face didn’t light up when she saw him and called out his name. Physically, Harry looked older and more buff without his signature short dreadlocks. He arrived with some baggage as he was running from assault charges. Athena was confronted by the changing way the world would look at Harry now that he was older. Minear said this about the story.
“Part of this story is about not recognizing your own kid, so it also felt like not a pun and not a joke. If you’re going to bring in a new actor in a beloved role, you want to acknowledge the fact that something has changed. So it felt like an organic way to introduce this new Harry into a story where Athena is saying, ‘I look at my kid, he’s grown so much and I kind of don’t recognize him.’”
There were some parallels with an emergency Athena had responded to where a woman suffering from facial blindness shot and killed her son because she didn’t recognize him. It was a learning moment that taught Athena that even if she didn’t recognize the young adult before her, he was still her son and needed her.
Watch an all-new 9-1-1 next Thursday at 8 PM ET on ABC. Catch up on past seasons on Hulu, and watch a promo for the next episode above.
9-1-1
Explores the high-pressure experiences of the first responders who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking, and heart-stopping situations.
Release Date January 3, 2018
Main Genre Drama
Seasons 7
Network ABC
Watch on Hulu