Anirudh Pisharody from ‘9-1-1’ talks about Ravi’s comeback in Season 8 and his optimistic outlook for Season 9.

Anirudh Pisharody made his debut on 9-1-1 in 2021, unaware that his character, Ravi Panikkar, would eventually become a beloved figure on the popular emergency responder series. Fast forward four years, and leaving the show is now out of the question for him.

Reflecting on his early days on the show, Pisharody shared with Decider in a Zoom interview that landing the role of 9-1-1‘s rookie firefighter was a significant milestone for him as it was one of his first experiences as a co-star on a professional set. Prior to this breakthrough, his acting gigs mostly involved commercials and non-union projects.

Building rapport with a seasoned and close-knit cast can be a challenge, but Pisharody had only positive things to say about his colleagues, emphasizing their kindness and the enjoyable time he had while shooting Season 4, Episode 6. Recalling moments like sharing lunch with fellow actors Kenneth Choi and Oliver Stark, he admitted that back then he didn’t envision a future return to the show. At that time, he thought of it as a memorable experience, anticipating it to be a one-off opportunity before moving on to new endeavors.

In a twist, Pisharody was called back for two episodes at the end of Season 4, and though he made time to star in other series like Never Have I Ever and Big Sky in 2022, he returned to the popular procedural for Season 5 through Season 8. With appearances in 35 episodes of 9-1-1, Pisharody has amassed a passionate fan base that’s rooting for his return as a series regular in Season 9.

“It’s a Hollywood miracle story in some sense,” Pisharody, fresh off of filming 9-1-1 Season 8, said of the role’s evolution. He flashed a grateful grin while sporting a new hiatus hairdo like several of his co-stars.

“I got rid of the curls. It got to a point where I kind of felt — not defined by them — but they were such a big portion of who I am,” Pisharody said of his shorter cut. “I felt like people couldn’t understand me without them. So I’m just like, ‘OK. Well, let me show you.’”

As Pisharody sets out to reveal aspects of his own identity, 9-1-1 fans hope the series will do the same for his character. Since Ravi joined the 118 as a probie looking to learn the ropes and prove his worth, he’s sharpened his skills in the field, grown as a leader, gained more confidence, and found a renewed sense of purpose in his work. Longtime fans of the series know he’s a cancer survivor, a landlord with aspirations of building generational wealth, and a lover of frolf (frisbee golf). But we haven’t gotten glimpses into his past, seen his home, met his family, or learned the ins and outs of his life outside the firehouse like we have with other core characters.

Pisharody hopes that will change in the future. In fact, he’s actively pitched ideas about Ravi and has crafted his own sense of who his character is off the clock.

“I’ve definitely thrown things towards the writers; my own personal ideas. I think piggybacking off the fact that he is a landlord, so he said, he’s on his way to generational wealth. I’d really love to explore that aspect,” Pisharody explained. “I think [the backstory we’ve learned on the show] does deepen the reasons why he’s a firefighter, and I think that’s also something very interesting to explore.”

While the 9-1-1 star hasn’t had specific conversations about a “Ravi Begins” episode that would give viewers a peek at formative moments of his character’s backstory, Pisharody assured Decider that he’s already shared related ideas. “I’m like, ‘Oh, what could he potentially be doing? What is it between him getting over cancer to now owning three apartment buildings and becoming a firefighter? What is that life?’ So, hopefully — fingers crossed — Season 9.” 

For those unfamiliar with Pisharody’s own lore, before he was acting full-time, he was pre-med. He worked in a bio lab for three years (yes, 9-1-1: Contagion‘s bio lab scenes were “definitely triggering”), earned a degree in public health, and even took the MCATs. Ultimately, Pisharody left the career path behind after realizing it wasn’t his passion. So when searching for a deeper understanding of Ravi to enhance his performance, he also draws parallels between the character and his own journey.

“He has this separate life almost, right? And in some ways it kind of mirrors my own life,” Pisharody shared. “I feel like I haven’t been that Hollywood-ified. Because I grew up in Texas, I still have so many close friends back home. My wife and I constantly try to keep those two worlds separate. And I think that’s really been a boon to my own mental health. It’s OK to compartmentalize. Sometimes you have to step away to really appreciate the dream that you’re living in. And Ravi only appeared in Season 4, halfway through the show. Being the new kid at school, you don’t have that connection to the grounding element, so you can’t just shed who you are, in a sense, and adopt this thing. Everything informs everything.”

To further flesh out the character, Pisharody said he even makes efforts to personalize and keep track of Ravi’s interests.

“I have a journal that I’ve kept over the years, almost like ‘A Day in the Life of Ravi.’ So there are little things like the music that he’s listening to. He was on a Benson Boone kick for a while. [He’s excited for] the new Lorde album, [Virgin]. Not Solar Power,” Pisharody laughed, referencing recent social media posts in which he said the singer’s 2021 album “doesn’t eat” like her 2017 album Melodrama. “I got a lot of flack for that. She was going through a phase and I respect it, but it was not Lorde,” he concluded.  

On the long list of Ravi-related storylines fans hope 9-1-1 explores down the line is a romantic relationship. Clearly having learned from watching his co-stars Stark and Ryan Guzman repeatedly answer questions about Buddie (the ship name for their characters Buck and Eddie), Pisharody quickly shut down an invitation to weigh in on fans who are rooting for him and May Grant (Corinne Massiah) to become an item. That said, the idea of a love story for Ravi does interest him. “That’s really for the writers to decide. But I’m definitely open to exploring more of Ravi’s romantic life. I think it adds more depth to the character. It adds a different side we really haven’t seen. And I’d love to explore that more, even as an actor,” Pisharody confirmed. 

Speaking of Buck and Eddie, a deeper dive into the trio’s friendship is on the actor’s personal Season 9 wishlist. Throughout the last four seasons, 9-1-1 laid the groundwork for a Buck and Ravi friendship, but when Eddie moved to Texas in Season 8, a lonely Buck finally invited Ravi to hang out outside of work. Ravi spent years looking up to his fellow firefighter, but when he met Buck at a bar, lost at a game of quarters, and listened to endless stories about Eddie, he was extremely unimpressed. As the season progressed, the two successfully overcame the hurdle and genuinely grew closer. And when Eddie returned to Los Angeles, it seemed there was room for the three of them to build on that dynamic.

“It’s always a blast working with Oliver. He’s like a big brother to me. Same with Ryan. Every time the three of us are on set, it’s just a blast. It feels like we’re horsing around more than actually working, and I think that’s a good sign, having fun at your job,” Pisharody, the youngest 118 actor, said. “I’m definitely excited [to explore their dynamic]. I’m sure the writers, in tandem with our fire tech, will figure out how a three-man unit would work.”

In a fan-favorite Season 8 finale scene, Eddie used some quick thinking to rescue Buck and Ravi from a collapsing high-rise building. As Buck stared at Eddie in awe and gratitude following the save, Ravi thanked him with a running bear hug that showcased the lighthearted spirit he brings to the team. “I think [the script] just said ‘a hug,’ but I really went in for it, because I think Ravi’s character, he’s shocked that, ‘Oh my god! We just survived! We just repelled from one apartment building to the top of this parking garage!’ I think that’s Ravi’s — I don’t want to say his role, but he’s always looking for that angle, that jovial spirit, that kind of family dynamic,” Pisharody explained.

For fans who wondered if Ravi purposefully snapped Buck and Eddie out of their intense eye contact, the 9-1-1 star added, “I don’t think it was my intention to break the serious moment there. As long as people clocked it. As long people saw a little glimpse of it. You can’t have it for too long, you know what I mean? Just a sprinkle of it.”

While Season 8 showcased more of Ravi’s humor and heart, the latest batch of episodes also gave Pisharody deeper, more emotionally demanding scenes like we saw in Season 6, Episode 14, “Performance Anxiety,” when Ravi opened up about the PTSD he dealt with following a tragic off-duty rescue. The eighth season saw Ravi doubting his firefighter instincts and contemplating quitting the 118, but when given the chance to stand up to higher powers to save his teammate in Episode 814, he made a heroic choice that reminded everyone he’s amazing first responder.

“Ravi’s constantly percolating within himself about his own sense of confidence, how he fits in, what is the end motive? I think that was such a cool scene to show that coming to a head,” Pisharody mused. “And now it’s opening up this entire new avenue for the character to show that he does belong. That belonging question has always been at the back of his mind.”

In the episode that followed, 9-1-1 made the show-altering decision to kill off Peter Krause’s beloved character, Bobby Nash. But before the 118 captain succumbed to a deadly supervirus contracted in a two-part Contagion biolab emergency, he gave Ravi an extra confidence boost, assuring him, “We wouldn’t have been able to get through this without you.”

In an earlier companion piece, Pisharody went deep about his thoughts on Bobby’s death, Peter’s departure, and the way the “bombshell” announcement played out behind-the-scenes, admitting, “the full spectrum of emotions was felt” and he “didn’t even know how to process it” because of Bobby’s crucial “patriarch” role in the series. Despite the heartbreaking goodbyes on and off-screen, however, Pisharody thinks this season really solidified Ravi’s place on the team.

“Now more than ever that Bobby’s gone, for him, as a character, as a firefighter, he can’t leave now. It’s essentially turning his back on his family when they need him the most,” the actor explained. “Like Kenny’s last monologue said, in Bobby Nash passing, it’s brought everyone closer together — for better or for worse. And that’s what he always wanted — for everyone to feel like they belong, that they don’t feel like they ever need to leave, because this is what they love to do. This is where they belong.”

While Ravi and the team are missing Bobby, and Pisharody is his missing real-life mentor in Krause, he has a dream Season 9 pitch that would let both him and Ravi feel closer to the late captain.

“I’d like to see Ravi wear the captain’s hat once. Is that awful for me to say? I think that’d be fun. That’d be a really interesting situation. Everyone would be like, ‘We can’t do it.’ And I’d be like, ‘Well, it’s time,’” the 9-1-1 star laughed.

For 9-1-1 fans who’ve been loyally chanting “Ravi Main Season 9” on social media, Pisharody thanks you. And while he isn’t able to share any updates at the moment, he said he’s “definitely hopeful” about the idea of becoming a main cast member in the future.

“I don’t think I’ll be leaving,” Pisharody said, emphasizing how honored he is to play a South Asian fighter on television. “To have a fan base that’s so strong, so supportive, and so kind also is unheard of in some places. Opening up my Twitter every day and seeing the outpouring of support helps me continue to do what I do, in a sense. And it does take the selfishness out of it. It’s almost like I have to do the character of Ravi justice — not just for myself, but for everybody in the audience watching.”

9-1-1 is now streaming on Hulu with Season 9 premiering on ABC in fall 2025.