The 9-1-1 TV series comprises 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Lone Star, and most recently, 9-1-1 Nashville. The format is fairly straightforward, episodes show everyday people getting into situations that inevitably winds up in them needing emergency services. In addition to that, the personal lives of police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and dispatchers are weaved into the episodes.

‍

The shows are created by Ryan Murphy, who also created American Horror Story, and he is known for having diverse casts. Murphy focuses on LGBTQIA+, women, and other minority representation. Good examples in the 9-1-1 universe are a black female paramedic who becomes a surgeon, a female Muslim firefighter, and a black transgender firefighter. 

‍

These weren’t just throwaway characteristics, Murphy made sure to explore their backgrounds and the obstacles they had to overcome. Paul, the transgender firefighter, had a couple episodes that explored his struggles before and after his transition as well as him reconnecting with his sister. Marjan, the muslim firefighter, was the main plot in an episode when her hijab came off during a rescue and a video of her went viral.

Audience perception has been overwhelmingly positive for the diversity in the show. One thing audiences and critics praise the show for is the organic integration, disability representation, and authentic casting. Paul is played by a transgender man and Chrisopher is the son of a firefighter who has cerebral palsy which matches the actor’s own diagnosis. All of the diverse inclusion wasn’t front and centered, it was simply a part of the characters and was explored when it became relevant. There was not exaggerated sob story or random conflict, each character dealt with real life struggles from mundane annoyances to societal pressures.

Among the positive reviews there were complaints. Even though people were happy about the amount of diversity, some felt like the casting directors were just checking off boxes. There were complaints that the show was “unrealistic” or “too woke” with the amount of inclusion but those complaints didn’t have a big impact on the franchise’s ratings. 

‍

The bigger picture was the screentime balance and intentional storytelling. On 9-1-1 Lone Star, despite the majority of the firefighters being part of a minority group, the episodes still largely focused on Captain Strand, a straight white man while Paul, Marjan, and Mateo (a dyslexic undocumented immigrant) only got one or two episodes exploring their struggles.

As I thought about the representation I like in the 9-1-1 universe, I also thought of representation I like in advertisements and how different that looks from one another. I spent a lot of time talking about how the stories of different characters were explored across whole or multiple episodes but it got me thinking about how we could have the same impact but in a 30 second ad or Instagram story. Just because you have less time with ads and are selling something doesn’t mean you don’t need genuine representation. 

‍

Brands should go beyond saying “hey here’s something to solve all your problems” and saying “we see you, we understand you, and we want you to feel heard”. If you’re targeting members of the visually impaired community, add good audio descriptions to the ads and make sure the website/product is accessible to them. Another key thing is to not punch down. Don’t make fun of someone just to sell a product because then the inclusion becomes a tool and not a genuine message. 

‍

I feel like this is such a fun space to explore because you get to learn about so many perspectives but you have to be genuine about it. Go beyond the idea of targeting an underrepresented group just because it seems fun and target them because you want to learn about their experiences and help get the visibility they deserve.