9-1-1 Boss Shares the ‘Accidental’ Story Behind Eddie’s Mustache in Season 8

A “bee” may be headed to Los Angeles when 9-1-1 returns to ABC tonight (8/7c),

but there’s an even bigger force of nature stirring up Season 8.

We’re talking, of course, about Eddie’s mustache, which has developed its own fan base thanks to tons of behind-the-scenes content from the 9-1-1 cast and crew on social media.

TVLine has confirmed with Tim Minear that we won’t be getting a traditional “Eddie’s Mustache Begins” episode, but the showrunner himself was happy to share the “accidental” origin of Ryan Guzman’s mustache.

“Ryan had a lot of mustaches during intermission,” Minear recalls. “He had a beard, too. So we were getting ready to shoot, and he still had the mustache. And Kenny Choi was actually the one who took the picture and sent it to me. He was like, ‘You have to let him keep this.’ He thought it was cool, and I really like Kenny Choi.”

A “bee-nado” may be headed to Los Angeles when 9-1-1 returns to ABC tonight (8/7c), but there’s an even bigger force of nature that’s blowing up Season 8.

We’re talking, of course, about Eddie’s mustache, which has developed its own fan base thanks to tons of behind-the-scenes content from the cast and crew of 9-1-1 on social media.

TVLine confirmed with Tim Minear that we won’t be getting a traditional “Eddie’s Mustache Begins” episode, but the showrunner was happy to share the “accidental” origin of Ryan Guzman’s facial hair.

“Ryan had a lot of mustaches during intermission,” Minear recalled. “He had a beard, too. So we were getting ready to shoot, and he still had his ‘mustache. And Kenny Choi was actually the one who took the picture and sent it to me. He was like, ‘You have to let him keep this mustache.’ He thought it was great, and I really like Kenny Choi.”

Related Stories High Potential Season 1 Recap Episode 7 Ending Explained High Potential’s Amirah J Reveals How Kaitlin Olson Helped Her Get Through The Fall Finale’s Most ‘Tense’ Moment High Potential Season 1 Recap Episode 7 Ending Explained High Potential EP Teases ‘Painful’ Fall Finale, Hints at Future Plot That Will ‘Rip Your Heart Out’ At Choi’s request, Minear gave Eddie’s new look a little more thought, ultimately deciding that “it could be pretty interesting,” especially since Gerrard—the new captain of the 118, whether we like it or not—also sports a prominent mustache. As the season goes on, however, we discover that Eddie’s beard is actually “a manifestation of something going on inside of him.” In fact, spoiler alert: “We’re actually going to highlight that in an episode where he shaves his head,” Minear reveals.

And Eddie certainly has a lot of soul-searching to do, given the damage he caused his little family last season; Eddie cheated on his late wife with her doppelganger, which angered Christopher enough to make him live with his grandparents in Texas.

“I know for a fact that in the first episode [of Season 8], we probably won’t see Eddie and Christopher together,” Guzman told TVLine in May. “I hope Eddie has a great time without Christopher, which will allow him to find some structure, maybe re-create who he is a little bit, and find some new textures for his life.”

Then again, Eddie isn’t the only member of the 118 getting a makeover this season. “I think Oliver [Stark]’s hair is a little curlier this year,” Minear said.

We’re giving you mustaches, 9-1-1 fans: Do you like Eddie’s new look? Please leave a comment with your thoughts below.