With seven out of ten episodes in the rearview, 9-1-1 Season 7 is winding down. But two exciting guest stars in “Ghost of a Second Chance” proved that several dramatic storylines are just getting started.
The episode welcomed back Devin Kelley, who played Eddie’s late wife and Christopher’s mom Shannon, as a brand new doppelgänger character named Kim. (Read Decider’s interview with Kelley here for more insight!) But viewers also met a new character named Amir, who works as a nurse in a burn unit and has a complicated past we’ll learn more about in coming episodes.
Played by actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Amir is understandably piquing the interest of fans. So let’s dive into what we know about the new 9-1-1 character and the actor who plays him. Shall we?
Curious who Amir is on 9-1-1? What’s Amir’s connection to our beloved 118 Captain Bobby Nash (Peter Krause)? Or why Malcolm-Jamal Warner looks so familiar? We’ll have to tune in to 9-1-1 Season 7’s final three episodes to watch the full story unfold, but here’s what we know so far.
Who Is Amir On 9-1-1?
As noted above, Amir is a medical professional who works in a burn unit on 9-1-1. After a haunting emergency left Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character Maddie desperate to check in on her caller, who was recently admitted to the burn unit for injuries, she met and had a meaningful chat with Amir, some of which you can see in the clip below.
When Maddie tells Amir she felt responsible for not getting the caller help sooner, he told her, “The only person responsible is the driver. The rest of us are just cleaning up his mess.” When Amir turned to face Maddie, she saw he had scars on the left side of his face, presumably from his own burn injuries. The two briefly bonded over their own survived traumatic experiences, with Maddie telling him her husband Doug tried to kill her. “I tend to trigger honesty in people. Maybe because they feel sorry for me,” Amir said. After some more small talk, Amir let Maddie see his patient, despite her not being immediate family.
Towards the end of the episode, we got another scene with Amir and a member of the 118, but this time it was Bobby, not Maddie, who he interacted with. As Bobby walked by Amir carrying his patient’s baby, Amir looked emotionally triggered by the sight of him. When Bobby turned around and Amir saw the name “NASH” on the back of his suit, he said his name out loud, leading Detective Romero to ask if he knows Bobby. “No. No. But I’d like to,” Amir said. And that’s all 9-1-1 fans were left with in the first of Warner’s reported four-episode guest role on the season.
So why does Amir want to know Bobby? We get major insight in the promo for Season 7, Episode 8, “Step Nine.” In a 30-second teaser, we see Amir speaking at one of Bobby’s A.A. meetings, saying, “Ten years ago an apartment fire almost took my life. I’m constantly reminded of what I lost.”
After flashbacks to Bobby drinking and his his space heater starting the deadly blaze, which killed his own wife and kids, we see a photo of Amir and a woman wearing a wedding ring with her arm around him. It’s suggested that Amir lost his wife as a result of the fire, and judging by his earlier comments to Maddie, he thinks Bobby is responsible and should be held accountable.
In another glimpse at the episode, Bobby tells Athena, “He wanted me to see what I’d done. I need to make amends.” The title of the episode, “Step Nine,” is also a nod to the ninth step in the A.A. program, which involves working to make amends with people harmed during addiction.
Before the clip concludes, Amir tells the meeting, “Just when you have everything under control the anger rages up until it consumes you like a fire.” The final shot is Amir holding a knife (!!!) to Bobby’s throat. So we’re going to need the final episodes of the season ASAP!
In an interview with EW, 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear said, “Malcolm’s going to have a pivotal role in the final three episodes, and you can probably take your cue from the title of the next episode, which is called ‘Step Nine’… So it’s really a story of Bobby having to take that step. And it’s not just one step. He’s going to have to go kind of a distance in order to try to fulfill that.”
Who Plays Amir On 9-1-1? Why Malcolm-Jamal Warner Looks So Familiar
Until we can learn more about Amir on 9-1-1, let’s take a moment to praise actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who clearly has quite the performance ahead of him. If the Season 7 guest star looks familiar, that’s because you almost certainly recognize the actor from his well-known role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992.
Since Warner kicked off his on-screen career in 1982, he’s amassed 80 IMDb credits, starring in many popular television shows and films over the years, including Malcolm & Eddie, Jeremiah, Listen Up, Community, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Major Crimes, Suits, and more. You may also recognize Warner from his recent (absolutely stellar) role as AJ Austin on The Resident, which has been dominating streaming ratings since it arrived on Netflix.
Eager to learn more about the 53-year-old actor, poet, musician, writer, and director? You can follow Malcolm-Jamal Warner on X and Instagram, and be sure to check out his personal website and discography for more.
New episodes of 9-1-1 premiere Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
