9-1-1 Showrunner Reveals Why One Firefighter Was Missing From The Season 5 Premiere

John Harlan Kim as Albert Han in 9-1-1.

Season 5 of Fox's first responder series 9-1-1 has arrived and in the midst of a ransomware attack on Los Angeles, there was a firefighter missing from the action: Albert Han. At the end of the Season 4 finale, Chimney’s half-brother Albert officially became a firefighter. While some time did pass between the finale and the Season 5 premiere, there was no mention of Albert in the episode. So where is he? Showrunner Tim Minear reveals the answer.

Fans were excited to see Albert become a firefighter, as it seemingly meant that they’d be seeing more of the Han brothers together, hopefully working together. Since there was no sign of him at the 118 in the premiere, it’s safe to say that he’s at a different firehouse. Though Tim Minear has a better explanation for him being MIA, as he told TV Insider:

Albert is on Nancy Drew. [Laughs] Albert passed his LAFD training and he’s in a different house and we will be checking in with him very shortly.

John Harlan Kim headed over to The CW's Nancy Drew for a different role. That said, it seems fans won't be without Albert for too long in Season 5. Back in August, Kim posted a bloodied and bruised picture from the set of 9-1-1, which is now deleted, so it looks like Albert will be back very soon. However, the news of him being on Nancy Drew is intriguing, considering his role has yet to be revealed.

Albert quickly became a fan-favorite on 9-1-1. He was introduced in Season 3 as Chimney’s half-brother from Korea and although Chim didn't exactly give him a warm welcome, the 118 crew was quick to bring him into the family. Chimney soon came around to his brother and the two developed a close relationship. John Harlan Kim was then upped to series regular for Season 4 and just like the rest of the main characters, Albert found himself in a near-death situation when he got into a car accident thanks to a drunk driver, but he survived and was on the mend. At the end of the season, Albert passed his LAFD training, with the 118 there to support him.

Even though John Harlan Kim will be over in Horseshoe Bay on Nancy Drew, it looks like we’ll still be seeing Albert on 9-1-1. Which means we’ll be getting more of Uncle Albert, because we haven’t seen much of that since he was in recovery after his niece was born! New episodes of 9-1-1 air Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on Fox!

Megan Behnke
Freelance TV News Writer

Passionate writer. Obsessed with anything and everything entertainment, specifically movies and television. Can get easily attached to fictional characters.