Peter Krause’s New NBC Crime Thriller Is A Massive Upgrade From 9-1-1

Published Sep 22, 2026, 10:50 AM EDT

Mads Misasi is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. Before joining the ScreenRant team they wrote for TellTaleTV for 9 years working their way up from contributor to Associate Editor. TV has been a passion of theirs since a very young age. Mads typically watches all of the things, especially dramas and sitcoms.

For more than two decades, Peter Krause has been one of television's most reliable leading men. From Six Feet Under and Dirty Sexy Money to Parenthood, The Catch, and eventually, 9-1-1, it has become surprisingly difficult to find a sustained stretch of the 21st century in which Krause wasn't part of a television series.

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That consistency made losing Bobby Nash in 9-1-1 hurt even more. Krause spent eight seasons turning the 118 captain into the emotional center of the series, only for Bobby to sacrifice himself during season 8. The decision devastated viewers, with the immediate reaction to his death filled with shock, grief, and criticism over losing such an important part of the show.

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Thankfully, Krause hasn't stayed away from television for long. NBC's Line of Fire puts him back at the center of a network drama as Mike Hollingsworth, a Secret Service agent and patriarch of a family filled with federal law enforcement officers. The series premiered on September 21st, marking Krause's first regular television role since leaving 9-1-1.

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Mike certainly isn't Bobby Nash, nor should he be. However, Line of Fire gives Krause a character who draws on many of the qualities that made Bobby such a compelling role without simply trying to recreate him. Both men are protectors, fathers, and natural leaders carrying private struggles behind a composed exterior, making Mike Hollingsworth feel like exactly the kind of character Krause needed after saying goodbye to the 118.

Peter Krause's TV Return Via Line Of Fire Explained

NBC

Fortunately for viewers who weren't ready for Peter Krause to disappear from television, the actor's absence didn't last particularly long. Just over a year after Bobby Nash's death brought his eight-season run on 9-1-1 to an end, Krause returned to network television as one of the leads of NBC's Line of Fire.

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Krause stars as Mike Hollingsworth, a longtime Secret Service agent who is preparing to retire when his family's already complicated life takes a dangerous turn. His estranged wife, Jane, is a U.S. Marshal, while their children have similarly built careers throughout federal law enforcement. That leaves the Hollingsworths balancing jobs with the Secret Service, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, and the Department of Justice.

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However, Line of Fire isn't simply another case-of-the-week procedural. The Hollingsworth family becomes caught in a much larger conspiracy after federal agents begin being targeted, pulling Mike back into a world he was preparing to leave behind. Meanwhile, the family's personal problems are every bit as messy as the cases they are trying to solve, particularly when it comes to Mike and Jane's complicated marriage.

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That combination makes Line of Fire a particularly natural landing spot for Krause. He has spent decades playing characters whose family lives are just as important as whatever larger conflict surrounds them, and Mike immediately gives him another character with plenty happening beneath the surface. After spending eight seasons as one of 9-1-1's emotional anchors, Krause hasn't abandoned that kind of role entirely. He has simply traded the 118 for an entirely different kind of family.

Why Line Of Fire Is The Perfect TV Comeback For Krause

NBC Universal

After eight seasons of watching Peter Krause as Bobby Nash, it would have been strange to see him immediately return as a character completely removed from what made that performance so compelling. Line of Fire finds a smart middle ground. Mike Hollingsworth certainly isn't Bobby, but both characters allow Krause to play the dependable protector who naturally becomes the person everyone else looks toward when things fall apart.

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Bobby was the captain of the 118, but his importance went well beyond the title. He became a father figure to Buck and the younger firefighters while building a family with Athena, May, and Harry outside the firehouse. His final act embodied that instinct perfectly when Bobby gave Chimney the only available antidote after both men were exposed to a deadly virus, sacrificing himself to save a member of his team.

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Mike operates from a remarkably similar position. He is both the patriarch of the Hollingsworth family and a longtime Secret Service agent, meaning that protecting others has defined his professional and personal life. Even his children have followed that example by building careers in federal law enforcement themselves. However, Line of Fire quickly establishes that being good at protecting people doesn't necessarily mean Mike knows how to fix his own family.

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That's another quality Mike shares with Bobby. 9-1-1 never allowed Bobby's calm leadership to erase the addiction, guilt, grief, and marital struggles he carried privately. Krause has previously discussed how deeply the series explored Bobby's alcoholism and the difficulties in his relationship with Athena. Mike similarly enters Line of Fire, separated from Jane, with unresolved problems between them and significant secrets running throughout the Hollingsworth family.

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Those similarities make Line of Fire feel less like Krause is abandoning the type of character audiences spent eight years loving and more like he is exploring it from another angle. Bobby protects a found family of firefighters, while Mike tries to protect a biological family whose personal and professional lives are almost inseparable.

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Most importantly, Mike gives Krause somewhere new to go. Bobby Nash became one of 9-1-1's defining characters because Krause could balance authority and compassion with a much messier man beneath the surface. Line of Fire already understands how effectively he occupies that space. For viewers who weren't ready to lose Krause from their television screens along with Bobby, Mike Hollingsworth couldn't be a more fitting character to welcome him back.

Line of Fire airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EDT on NBC.

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Cast

• 

  Peter Krause

  Mike Thornhill

• 

  Hope Davis

  Joan

• 

  Tommy O'Brien

  Micah Thornhill

• Kat Cunning

  Clare Thornhill

A family of law enforcement officials combine forces across their various departments, breaking necessary rules to investigate a growing conspiracy.