The 5 Most Entertainingly Unrealistic 9-1-1 Emergencies

With "9-1-1" returning for Season 10 on October 15 (ABC, 8/7c), fans have time to prepare for a whole new set of shocking and harrowing emergencies. From former Chief Bobby Nash's heartbreaking death to Jennifer Love Hewitt's domestic abuse storyline, "9-1-1" showrunner Tim Minear and his team are masters at creating high-stakes storylines that keep viewers glued to the TV while simultaneously pulling at their at heartstrings. 

But "9-1-1" also comes from the Ryan Murphy universe, which means there's a campy element that allows absolutely ridiculous storylines to sneak through for our entertainment. To be fair, most medical dramas are not as realistic as "The Pitt," and network procedurals have relied on office romances and the suspension of disbelief for decades. 

Still, there's no denying that some of the "9-1-1" emergencies over the past nine seasons have been outrageously unrealistic, even if the storylines were somehow entertaining enough to keep fans from changing the channel. From a beenado to a trip to outer space, here are the five most unrealistic yet entertaining places that "9-1-1" emergencies took fans, who happily went along for the ride. 

"9-1-1" is known for using outrageous storylines at the beginning of seasons to draw in a big audience. A prime example is the Season 8 "beenado" storyline, during which Los Angeles is dealing with a swarm of millions bees as the 118 adjusts to its new chief after Bobby Nash (Peter Krause) quit. It was inspired by the "Sharknado" movie franchise, which people love to hate, so as unrealistic as it is, it's also prime entertainment. 

However, when paired with a storyline involving Athena (Angela Bassett) escorting a key witness in an Epstein-like trial from Arizona to Los Angeles to testify in a trial, the events start to get extreme. When Athena holds up a man she catches trying to forge documents and kidnap the prisoner, suspending disbelief becomes hard, especially because she detains him in the trunk of his car. The drama reaches a ridiculous level when the plane Athena and her charge are on runs into trouble mid-air. The arc culminates with Athena having to land the plane in the middle of a freeway when the captain and her support staff become incapacitated. 

It's always entertaining to watch Bassett play a hero, and hysterical that a tweenager has to help her complete her mission. But it's blasphemous that she does so while medical emergencies pop up around her and stray killer bees occasionally buzz by the window.    

Mark Consuelos may be one of the best guest stars "9-1-1" has ever had, but his Jeff Bezos/Elon Musk-inspired character Tripp Hauser sets off a ridiculous chain of events when he invites Hen (Aisha Hinds) to space in the Season 9 premiere, a story arc inspired by Bezos taking Katy Perry and other public figures into space in 2025. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Athena agrees to come along when Hen's wife Karen (Tracie Thoms) passes. 

A radiation spike that Tripp ignored creates a geo-magnetic storm while the amateur crew is in space. This causes a piece of debris to hit the spacecraft and ignite a fire, sparking more problems for the ill-advised adventure. The vehicle's oxygen supply dwindles when the passengers use it to fight the fire, so they have to navigate themselves to the International Space Station in order to survive. The crew then has to plan a way to get home while the storm rages on around them. 

Athena puts her life on the line to repair the aircraft, and of course it doesn't go smoothly. She has to brave zero gravity and a loss of oxygen when her tether breaks, but the undisputed heroine of "9-1-1" figures out how to survive and get everyone home.

It is technically possible for a tsunami to hit Los Angeles, but according to the Los Angeles Almanac, the city is far more likely to see a small wave than a large one, making the events of the "9-1-1" Season 3 premiere arc simultaneously ridiculous, terrifying — and entertaining. Buck (Oliver Stark) and Eddie's son Christopher (Gavin McHugh) get caught in a tsunami during a trip to the Santa Monica Pier while all of the other first responders are working to save lives. 

Buck initially gets Chris on top of a fire truck for safety, but they get separated when Buck takes his eyes off Chris to help a stranger, and the little boy gets swept off the vehicle by a surge. Their separation is the most over-the-top part of this story, especially when Buck dramatically puts Chris' glasses around his neck in an emotional moment.

When it comes to the unrealistic storylines on this list, "Ocean's 9-1-1" (Season 2, Episode 15) is the most fun. As the title suggests, it's inspired by the "Ocean's 11" franchise, and it follows the 118 through a series of unfortunate events that occur when they respond to a man who collapsed and started foaming at the mouth after delivering cash. This is followed by a bank employee — on his day of retirement — also collapsing inside of a vault. The hazmat team is called, but Hen goes inside the vault with the victim... and also passes out. 

Everyone is eventually stabilized, but the crew barely returns to the station before police arrive to search their fire engines — only to discover wads of cash hidden away in different parts of the trucks. The 118 and their loved ones are questioned by police about their alleged heist throughout the episode. It's undeniably amusing, but also ridiculous to accept the premise that first responders would have time to plan a bank heist between saving lives.

Season 7 begins with Athena confessing her fear of cruise ships to a therapist, a fear which stems from her watching the 1972 film "The Poseidon Adventure" as a child. She also confesses she's nervous about spending time alone with Bobby on the cruise he planned for them. Most of their storyline in the premiere involves the good kind of ridiculous, with Athena constantly trying to dodge Bobby, but the multi-episode arc eventually veers into the show's usual outlandish emergency territory. 

Athena and Bobby suspect that a man on the ship killed his wife when he reveals that she was kidnapped by a group of pirates who mistook them for a millionaire couple they're trying to extort. It gets wilder when we learn that the kidnapped woman was having an affair with the cruise director who involved her in his cons, making them the real targets. Then, a bomb planted by the pirates causes the ship to explode and capsize, adding a "Titanic" twist to the story. 

There are too many injuries among passengers and crew (including the female captain) to name, and this is all happening amid a hurricane, but Athena eventually saves the day (with Bobby's help). Thankfully, Hen aso notices the ship is missing and urges Maddie to call the Coast Guard. There's a happy ending for Bobby and Athena, but not before they get locked in a flooding room of the ship; convinced they're going to die, they once again profess their everlasting love. It's almost unbearably ridiculous — and that's before the ship begins to sink and a passenger dies.