After eight years playing Bobby Nash on 9-1-1, the world was shocked last year to see Peter Krause‘s beloved character written off the series somewhat unceremoniously. Now, less than two years later, Krause is back and better than ever with his new first responder series on NBC, Line of Fire; it’s enough to get fans of the ABC series excited, but also make some scratch their head at the choice to jump back into a similar world so soon after exiting his last case-of-the-week series.

On Monday, Krause responded at the NBCUniversal Backlot Pass Day to fan queries about what made him sign on to Line of Fire — which also stars Hope Davis and follows a family of first responders and law enforcement agents — and shared that while there are a number of reasons he said yes, it all started with a compelling script and idea.

“Yes, the other show and this show,” Krause said with a laugh. “What drew me to this show was the script, and I’m going to give credit to a pair of my agents, Peter Levine and Jamie Feld at CAA, who stressed that I should read this script, and I was glad I did. It was a fantastic script that had a virtual meeting with Josh Safran, and we talked mostly about other things, but it became very clear to me that we would be able to work well together, and it was based on that, the script.”

According to the Six Feet Under alum, it was also the idea of getting to play a U.S. Secret Service agent, who sacrifices his life daily to protect another person’s family. Krause said that getting the opportunity to put himself in the shoes of someone who is tasked with protecting the nation’s most targeted individuals is something he could not look past, especially with Jenna Bush Hager on board as an executive producer.

Apparently, the TODAY host — who spent years under Secret Service protection as the daughter of President George W. Bush — even called up a former agent to help consult on the series and shine light on the character, Mike Hollingsworth, that Krause is playing.

“I’m very happy to have met Steve, the former Secret Service agent that Jenna mentioned,” Krause explained, adding that the Secret Service consultant even gave flowers to the Bush family for their punctuality. “And if I may compliment your father, he pointed out that President Bush was particularly punctual with Air Force One, unlike some others, apparently.”

Outside of sharing his excitement for the show’s release in September — and taking an apparent jab at President Donald Trump — Krause danced around the similarities between his new series and his old, only speaking about what he thinks will distinguish Line of Fire as a standout among other shows coming out this year. Inside the Hollingsworth family, Krause and Davis’ characters are parents to Clare (Kat Cunning), Mike (Tommy O’Brien), and Russ (Taylor Bloom), who work for the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and the Department of Justice. What results is a family whose paths and cases often overlap, mixing business and pleasure in more ways than one.

For Bush Hager, the idea behind a family of agents and officers like this has always been captivating, especially having witnessed it firsthand. At the heart of the story is the idea that there are people out there selfless enough to risk it all for essentially a stranger, so what does that do for the people they call family?

“We talked about this dynamic of a family of people that are putting other people first in many circumstances, and therefore, what happens in their own family is complicated,” she said on Monday during the presentation. “And I thought, ‘That’s something that I’ve witnessed, you know?’”

Undoubtedly, the show will explore the ups and downs that go along with the job and what complications arise as a result of this crossover. It may remind fans of 9-1-1 or Blue Bloods, but the cast and crew are hoping viewers will give it the proper chance and fall in love with the Hollingsworths the way they did.

Line of Fire airs on September 21 on NBC and next day on Peacock.

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