Oliver Stark Teases 'Kinky' 9-1-1 Season 9 For Buck — Plus, Which Character Does He Want To Return?

The English dictionary is full of words (hundreds, at least!) that Oliver Stark could have used to describe the upcoming ninth season of 9-1-1, but he went with "adjustment, leadership... and kinky." And we thank him for that.

Ahead of the ABC procedural's premiere on Thursday (8/7c), TVLine spoke with the man known as Evan "Buck" Buckley about what to expect from the show's return.

This is a pivotal time for 9-1-1, not only because it marks the show's first season without Peter Krause's Bobby as captain of the 118, but several characters will boldly go where no first responder has gone before — outer space! "My reaction was probably somewhat similar to the fan reaction that I had seen pre-trailer drop," Stark admits. "I was like, 'What? How? How is that happening?'"

Romantically, Stark hopes to change "the narrative in some people's heads that Buck is gay," because he's only dated Tommy since coming out as bisexual. "I just think people are ignorant to it sometimes, so I would love to have some storylines — which there will be coming up — where there is a bit more dialogue about the fact that he is a bisexual man, and what that means, and who he is attracted to," Stark explains. (We're guessing this is where the "kinky" part comes in.)

Other topics discussed include that viral promo set to Alex Warren's "Ordinary" ("It's fun to lean into the campiness of the show," Stark says); which of Buck's exes he'd like to reconnect with, albeit non-romantically; and his character's overall evolution over the past eight seasons. (Two words: "Baby. Buck.")

Yes, we also touched on #Buddie (how could we not?), though diehard 'shippers might not be thrilled to hear that Stark doesn't think Buck is as preoccupied with his feelings for Eddie as we all might be. But hey, what else is new?

Hit PLAY on the video above to watch TVLine's full interview with Stark, then drop a comment with your own hopes for 9-1-1 Season 9.