When Lou Ferrigno Jr. auditioned for a part in a Begins episode of 9-1-1 Season 2, he couldn’t have guessed that his character’s arc would reemerge several seasons later and play out for two more seasons. 9-1-1 said goodbye to Tommy Kinnard in Season 8, Episode 6, “Confessions,” as he broke up with Buck following a deep-held confession. Ferrigno Jr talked to Fangirlish about Tommy’s decision in the episode. He also revealed that he would be open to picking things up in later seasons, granted that he wasn’t committed to something else. He talked about returning to being Rocker on S.W.A.T, saying,
“I would absolutely love to come back, but I do need to continue on my journey here [on S.W.A.T.]. I have a number of things now that are going on that may or may not happen, and I hope that there’s no conflict if it were to be the case.”
Can Tommy Return to ‘9-1-1’?
The breakup came out of nowhere, even as Tommy tried to rationalize the situation. “A lot of that stuff is just out of Tommy’s control, and I think that maybe Tommy blames himself, or maybe he thinks he mystified Buck to the point where Buck is compromising on his own character, and I don’t think that Tommy wants to be responsible for doing that, because I think based on how he was with Abby and what happened there, he just doesn’t want to do this again,” the actor explained his character’s decision.
The breakup was a concoction of feelings and facts that might have been hiding some underlying feelings. “Tommy’s a little older and wiser or maybe at some level he feels like he doesn’t deserve Buck, I don’t know,” showrunner Tim Minear teased one potential hidden feeling to TV Insider. Tommy made some bold declarations when breaking up with Buck, making it seem like he knew what the future held. “I honestly don’t believe that the relationship matured well enough that they should have made any type of long-term decision,” said Ferrigno Jr.
Whichever the case, the breakup left some unanswered questions, something 9-1-1 loves revisiting. This allows Tommy to come back and finally hash it out with Buck. Who knows? Maybe they are soulmates who met at the wrong time. Yet there was some sense of finality in Tommy’s words. He even calls Buck by his popular name, something he’d never done before. “And he doesn’t have to say that. He still can say Evan. But that is essentially signaling that this is all I know how to do, and it’s too much,” Ferrigno Jr. said of the name decision.
Whether Tommy will return is anyone’s guess, but there seems to be a way. Tune in to new episodes of 9-1-1 Season 8 on ABC on Thursdays at 8 p.m. to see how Buck moves on. You can also catch up on Hulu.
