Fire Country

''Fire Country'' is an American action drama television series created by Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan and Joan Rater for CBS, starring Thieriot. It is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Studios. The series premiered on October 7, 2022. On January 6, 2023, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on February 16, 2024. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on October 18, 2024. In February 2025, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

Premise

Bode Donovan is a young convict with a troubled past. Hoping to redeem himself and shorten his prison sentence, he volunteers for the California Conservation Camp Program in which prisoners assist the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. He ends up getting assigned to his hometown in Northern California where he must work alongside former friends, other inmates, and elite firefighters putting out the huge fires that plague the region.

Cast and characters

Main

* Max Thieriot as Bode Donovan / Bode Leone, a former inmate firefighter seeking redemption, now a Cal Fire firefighter
* Kevin Alejandro as Manuel "Manny" Remy Perez, Gabriela's father and a Cal Fire firefighter, formerly Captain of Three Rock
* Jordan Calloway as Jake Crawford, a Cal Fire firefighter, now Station 42 Captain
* Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez (seasons 1–3), Manny's daughter, a Cal Fire firefighter and paramedic
* Jules Latimer as Eve Edwards, Bode and Jake’s best friend, and a Cal Fire firefighter, now Captain of Three Rock
* Diane Farr as Sharon Leone, Bode and Riley's mother, Vince's wife and a Cal Fire Division Chief
* Billy Burke as Vincent "Vince" Leone (seasons 1–3), Bode and Riley's father, Sharon's husband and Cal Fire Battalion Chief

Recurring

* W. Tré Davis as Freddy "Goat" Mills (season 1; guest season 2), a former inmate firefighter and Bode's friend
* Michael Trucco as Luke Leone, Vince's brother and Cal Fire battalion chief
* Jade Pettyjohn as Riley Leone (season 1), Vince and Sharon's deceased daughter, Bode's younger sister and Eve's best friend
* Fiona Rene as Rebecca Lee (season 1), female inmate and former attorney
* Sabina Gadecki as Cara Maisonette (seasons 1–2), Bode's ex-girlfriend and an aspiring ER nurse
* Zach Tinker as Collin O'Reilly / Alex Shawcross (season 1), a probationary firefighter
* Katrina Reynolds as Cookie (season 1), Freddy's girlfriend
* Karen LeBlanc as Lilly Crawford (season 1), Jake's mother and a cardiothoracic surgeon in LA
* Jeff Fahey as Walter Leone, Vince and Luke's father, and Bode's grandfather
* Barclay Hope as Father David Pascal
* Rebecca Mader as Faye Stone (season 1), the CEO and founder of a private concierge firefighting company, Nozzle
* Kanoa Goo as Kyle Ferguson (season 1), a diving friend of Gabriela's
* Crystal Balint as Erika Snow (season 1), a Cal Fire Assistant Chief
* Riley Davis as Troy Elliott (season 1), a young inmate firefighter
* Rafael de la Fuente as Diego Moreno (seasons 2–3), a Cal Fire paramedic
* Tye White as Cole Rodman (season 2 – present), a former MMA fighter who is Bode's cellmate
* Jason O'Mara as Liam (season 2), a handsome firefighter who is a former colleague of Sharon's
* Alix West Lefler as Genevieve Maisonette (seasons 2–3), Cara's daughter
* Morena Baccarin as Mickey Fox, an Edgewater County Sheriff's Sergeant, and Sharon's former stepsister
* Catherine Lough Haggquist as Governor Kelly (season 2)
* Leven Rambin as Audrey James (season 3), an ex-con
* Jared Padalecki as Camden Casey (season 3), a SoCal firefighter captain
* Katie Findlay as Francine (season 3), Eve's girlfriend
* Phil Morris as Elroy Edwards (season 3), Eve's father and a ranch owner
* Constance Zimmer as Renée (season 3), a lawyer, and Vince's high school sweetheart
* Nesta Cooper as Violet (season 3), a recently divorced lawyer and Jake's girlfriend
* Blake Lee as Finn (season 3), a photographer who becomes obsessed with Gabriela

Guest

* April Amber Telek as Dolly Burnett (season 1), Bode's honorary aunt
* Aaron Pearl as Paulie Burnett (season 1), Bode's honorary uncle
* Kane Brown as Robin (season 1), a train hopper who helps Cal Fire with victims of a train crash
* Michael O'Neill as Harlen Denbo (season 1)
* Paola Núñez as Roberta (season 2), Gabriela's mother and Manny's ex wife
* W. Earl Brown as Wes Fox (season 3), Mickey's father and an off-the-grid marijuana grower
* Jelly Roll as Noah (season 3), a former convict, now healthcare worker turning his life around

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2022–23)

Season 2 (2024)

Season 3 (2024–25)

Production

Development

In November 2021, CBS announced it was developing a series with Thieriot, Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, based on Thierot's experiences growing up in Northern California fire country. The potential series was then known as ''Cal Fire''. In February 2022, a series pilot was green-lit. The pilot was written by Phelan and Rater, with Thieriot as co-writer, and directed by James Strong. In May 2022, CBS picked up the series, now titled ''Fire Country''. Tia Napolitano would serve as the series showrunner. On October 19, 2022, the series received a full season order. On January 6, 2023, CBS renewed the series for a second season. On March 12, 2024, the series was renewed for a third season.

Filming

Filming for the first season began on July 21, 2022, in Vancouver, Canada, and concluded on April 5, 2023. The series uses the nearby village of Fort Langley to portray the fictional Northern California town of Edgewater. Additionally, establishing shots for the city of Edgewood were filmed in Rio Dell, in Humboldt County, California, where the show is set. Filming for the second season began on December 11, 2023, and concluded on April 4, 2024. Filming for the third season began on July 11, 2024, and concluded on February 26, 2025.

Casting

In February 2022, it was announced that Thieriot would star in the series. In March 2022, Burke and Alejandro were given lead roles in the pilot. A few days later, it was announced that Farr, Calloway, Arcila, and Latimer would be appearing as series regulars. In September 2022, it was announced that Trucco would be joining the show in a recurring role. In January 2023, it was reported that Zach Tinker joined the cast in an undisclosed capacity. In March 2023, it was announced that Rebecca Mader and Kanoa Goo were cast in recurring roles. In December 2023, it was reported that Rafael de la Fuente joined the cast in a recurring capacity for the second season. On December 15, 2023, it was reported that casting was currently underway for a new character in Season 2, who would possibly become the main character in a spinoff. On December 19, 2023, it was reported that Tye White and Jason O'Mara would also join the cast in a recurring capacity for the second season. On August 1, 2024, Leven Rambin was cast in recurring role for the third season.

Broadcast

''Fire Country'' premiered on October 7, 2022, on CBS in the United States. It is also available on Paramount+ via subscription and on Pluto TV for free. The second season premiered on February 16, 2024. The third season premiered on October 18, 2024. The first season is also available on Netflix.

Simulcasting in the United States, the series aired on Global in Canada and was available in a StackTV package from Amazon Prime Video. It also aired on Noovo, as a French-speaking program.

Outside the United States, the series was distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. The series premiered on December 20, 2022, on Fox in Portugal.

In Italy, it premiered on Rai 2 on January 8, 2023, but it was then pulled from Rai 2's schedule on January 22, 2023, after three episodes due to low ratings. It begin airing on Rai 4 on July 24, 2023.

In Australia on January 11, 2023, on Network 10.

In New Zealand, the series is available on TVNZ 2. Every episode is still available on TVNZ+.

In Croatia, it premiered on February 28, 2023, on Star Channel (Formerly FOX).

In Serbia, it premiered on February 28, 2023, on Star Channel (Formerly FOX).

In Bulgaria, it debuted on March 7, 2023, on Fox and credited to the Bulgarian studio Pro Films.

In Norway, it was available on TV 2 Play. It was later added to Strim.

In Sweden, it was added to TV4 Play on August 28, 2023.

In Poland, it premiered on Viaplay.

In Germany, it premiered on September 11, 2023, on Universal TV.

In Latin America and Brazil, the series premiered exclusively on the Pay-TV Sony Channel on September 18, 2023.

In the United Kingdom, the show premiered on Sky Witness on January 24, 2024.

In Brazil, the show is available on Netflix.

In Southeast Asia, it premiered on HITS NOW.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 44% approval rating with an average rating of 4.3/10 for the first season, based on nine critic reviews.
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 56 out of 100 based on seven critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Katie Dowd, writing for '' SFGate'', accused ''Fire Country'' of being exploitative and "inaccurate."

Cal Fire response

Prior to the show's release, Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler released a statement denying any involvement in the creation of the show, saying that "this television series is a misrepresentation of the professional all-hazards fire department and resource protection agency that Cal Fire is." Particular objection was made to a scene in the series' trailer involving an inmate fighting a member of Cal Fire.

Tim Edwards, the president of Cal Fire's union, Local 2881, added that "we have spoken with our legal team, and we cannot prevent the series from airing or using the Cal Fire name." An attempt was made to legally require a disclaimer before and after each episode that disavowed involvement from Cal Fire, but was unsuccessful. After seeing the full pilot, Edwards continued to disapprove of the show and added criticism over inmates not being punished for multiple rule violations that would normally result in an immediate return to prison.

Showrunner Tia Napolitano replied to the criticisms saying "I had almost no response. I know we are making an entertainment show. It's not a documentary. We do our absolute best." Jeff Snider, a retired firefighter and one of the show's consultants, noted the New York City Police Department did not comment on the realism of ''Law & Order'' and said Cal Fire's unusual response was because "just in general with firefighters, we are very good at finding the flaw with each other."

Ratings

Overall

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Spin-offs

On January 23, 2024, it was reported that a proposed spin-off of ''Fire Country'' would be introduced via back-door pilot episode in season 2 with Morena Baccarin attached to lead. The episode titled "Alert the Sheriff" introduced Baccarin's character Mickey Fox. On May 2, 2024, it received a straight-to-series order, with CBS Studios joining the production of the series and later titled '' Sheriff Country'', with filming set to take place in Toronto to premiere in fall 2025. The castings of Matt Lauria, Christopher Gorham, Michele Weaver were announced in April 2025, joining the previously announced W. Earl Brown. Production on the spin-off began in May 2025 with twelve scripts already written. A second spin-off featuring Jared Padalecki has also been under consideration since 2024.

Notes

References

External links

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{{CBSNetwork Shows (current and upcoming)

2020s American drama television series
2022 American television series debuts
American prison television series
American action television series
American English-language television shows
CBS television dramas
Television series about firefighting
Television series by CBS Studios
Television shows filmed in Vancouver
Television shows set in California