Fans have a lot of questions about where Fire Country goes from here — and season 3 will hopefully answer at least some of them.
The CBS procedural threw viewers for a loop when season 2 ended without giving viewers an answer about whether Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) married Diego (Rafael de la Fuente) or stopped the wedding at the last second because of her feelings for Bode (Max Thieriot). There’s also the plot twist that ended with Manny (Kevin Alejandro) turning himself into the police after running from the law.
After Fire Country wrapped up its sophomore season in May 2024, executive producer and showrunner Tia Napolitano reflected on the big swings taking place on the show.
“Every season is a learning of, ‘What do we do great [and] what can we do better next year?’ If you think we can never really rest easy on an action show, it’s always how can we do a better, smarter, faster and continue to keep everyone happy and safe,” she exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “You just need to be open to learning over and over and over again on an action show.”
Fire Country puts in a lot of work to make their cast look nearly unrecognizable on the show. The CBS series, which premiered in 2022, follows inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) as he gets a chance to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. Bode gets assigned to his hometown where […]
Napolitano also hinted where Bode’s story goes after he gets released from prison following his sentence. Season 3 will mark the first time Bode’s story starts with him being a free man instead of awaiting release.
“We felt like, by the end of season 2, we just had been craving it and craving it and craving it for so long,” Napolitano noted. “And our show is all about redemption and we get Bode to this place where he’s really earning it and changing and really growing. We wanted that wish fulfillment and that satisfaction of, Finally, this man gets to no longer be incarcerated.’”
Napolitano was specifically excited to no longer have Bode separate from most of the other characters, adding, “It’s freeing to have [Bode] out. The way it is now, we lived in two worlds and Bode — who is the lead of the show — lived almost alone.”
She concluded: “And we would have these great scenes of our characters having fun. Gabriela, Eve and Jake joking around or making food or enjoying a night at Smokey’s and Bode couldn’t be a part of it. I think every set he’s on that we haven’t seen him on yet as a free person is just fan candy and really fun. We just want to make sure that we appreciate how special it is every time those things happen for him.”
Keep scrolling for everything to know about season 3 of Fire Country:
When Is ‘Fire Country’ Coming Back to CBS With More Episodes?
The CBS series followed now-former-inmate Bode (Thieriot) on his journey to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. Bode got assigned to his hometown where he reconnected with his family, former friends and continued to make attempts to redeem himself. Since his release, Bode is determined to be an official firefighter despite the obstacles in his way.
Fans can see where Bode goes from here when Fire Country returns on October 18, 2024.
Fire Country has had complex character connections since its premiere in 2022 — and with every season comes new entanglements. There’s been many complicated love triangles, including season 1’s Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot) falling for his high best friend Jake Crawford’s (Jordan Calloway) ex-girlfriend Gabriella Perez (Stephanie Arcila). However, it’s the characters who are related […]
Which Stars Will Come Back?
In addition to Thieriot, Arcila and Alejandro, Jordan Calloway, Jules Latimer, Diane Farr and Billy Burke are returning as main cast members. Michael Trucco, Alix West Lefler and potentially W. Tré Davis are expected to make appearances in the third season.
Leven Rambin joined the cast in a recurring guest star role as Audrey: a former fire camp inmate.
What Is the Season 3 Vision?
“I can’t tease too much. Our show is always going to be about redemption. That’s the heartbeat of our show,” Napolitano shared with Us in May 2024. “So that will continue to be true. And I talk about wish fulfillment. I think there is going to be a little bit of careful for what you wish for in season 3.”
Will the Episode Count Be Larger?
Season 1 of Fire Country had a whopping 22 episodes while the sophomore season got a shortened order. Thieriot, who serves as a star and executive producer on the project, confirmed there will be a larger episode count for season 3.
“Getting to have some more episodes allows us to arc out all those stories a little bit longer and really sort of play them out a little bit slower, which I like,” he shared with Us in May 2024. “Nothing feels rushed that way. The nice thing is [in] season 3, we’ll get to get back into that.”
He continued: “It’s the perfect time because we have so much to explore this season and going forward. So getting to have those extra episodes will be really helpful to get to map it out over a longer number of episodes.”
Where Does Bode’s Journey Go From Here?
While Bode took part in a firefighting program while incarcerated, it won’t be as easy for him to join the force now that he is out.
“Bode’s journey from free citizen to firefighter is going to be a long one. We’ve covered on the show how hard it is. There’s so many hoops and red tape to get through to get your record expunged as an inmate,” Napolitano shared with Us. “I think seeing him fight for that is fighting for himself. They become one and the same.”
Napolitano reassured fans that they shouldn’t be worried about Bode not fighting fires. “He’s going to be all up in there,” she quipped. “He’s definitely going to be firefighting curious until he’s actually able to officially hold a hose again.”
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What Does Season 3 Mean for Gabriela and Bode?
Even the actors behind Gabriela and Bode didn’t know where their romance could go after her wedding to another man.
“I think if you’re a person of integrity and a good hearted person, the universe somehow finds a way to place you where you’re meant to be — even if you’re not following in those tracks,” Arcila teased to Us in May 2024 about her thoughts on where the story could go. “But I am excited to read what they’re going to write next season. I feel like one of the audience [members] right now waiting.”
Meanwhile, Thieriot was just as unsure about whether Gabriela ultimately called off her wedding. He was confident, however, that Bode and Gabriela needed a break after going through so much leading up to their reunion.
“He knows he still has work to do. But I think that he’s finally at a place where he’s able to pause and take a breath and make decisions that are a little more thought out before he rushes into them,” Thieriot explained. “That’s something that we see in the finale too. He’s been able to be apart from her more and seeing her kills him and seeing her getting married really kills him.”
How Will Manny Move Forward From His Arrest?
Kevin Alejandro. Sergei Bachlakov/CBS
Alejandro previously told Us that he wasn’t sure whether Manny’s arrest would be his wakeup call, saying, “I think there’s a little more rock bottom that could come. But definitely, for this season, it is definitely a rock bottom in this situation. But our writers are really good at creating [and] recreating rock bottoms.”
The actor didn’t rule out Manny pushing boundaries even more. “I don’t really know what season 3 looks like. But I just have a feeling there’s gonna be more of, ‘Oh, Manny. What are you doing?’” he joked at the time.
Will Three Rock Still Play a Crucial Role on the Show?
With Bode out of Three Rock, will Manny slot into his place as an inmate?
“It would be interesting to see the Manny that we imagined. Because he went to the program, he succeeded and became a captain. Now we get to visualize what he looked like in orange and what he looked like in that world. I think that’s an interesting take,” Alejandro told Us. “I’m not sure exactly all the rules on how you get to enter Three Rock or if it even makes sense. But I would be really interested to see if that story line were able to be told.”
Napolitano also clarified that the fire camp isn’t going anywhere, noting, “Prison — at least via fire camp — is always going to be part of the show. It’s part of the DNA of the show. I have no hard line about Bode not going back to prison at this point. We’re only in season 2, but I do know from this point forward I want to see him free for a good minute — if not forever. Just to really enjoy it.”
Who Will Jared Padalecki Play in Season 3?
Us confirmed in August 2024 that Padalecki will have a three-episode arc for season 3 as firefighter Camden. Camden is described as a “maverick” from Southern California with “surfer swagger” and a “force to be reckoned with,” per Deadline. Although Camden is new to the firehouse, he “immediately recognizes” Bode’s “raw talent.”
Padalecki’s casting also sparked spinoff speculation, with Deadline reporting that the idea of Camden leading his own series is “in its nascent stages.” CBS has not commented on the spinoff potential.
Can the ‘Fire Country’ Universe Continue to Grow From Here?
“I think there’s still a lot of room to explore,” Thieriot said about the franchise during an interview with Us. “There’s more room to explore in Edgewater and outside of Edgewater. When I started, I was always putting the cart before the horse. In my head, I had probably at least three other versions outside of Fire Country. Whether any of those ever see the light of day — we’ll see. But I certainly have at least a couple more ideas for this world.”
Sergei Bachlakov/CBS The Fire Country world is growing after CBS picked up spinoff series Sheriff Country. Fire Country, which premiered in 2022, follows inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) as he gets a chance to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. Bode gets assigned to his hometown, where he reconnects with […]
Will There Be ‘Sheriff Country’ Crossovers?
A season 2 backdoor pilot introduced Mickey (Morena Baccarin) a.k.a Sharon’s (Farr) stepsister who was at odds with her in the past. After being picked up straight-to-series, CBS hinted that the spinoff will show Mickey as she investigates criminal activity and patrols the streets of small-town Edgewater while contending with her ex-con father and a mysterious incident involving her wayward daughter.
The concept of crossovers between shows seems inevitable and several cast members including Arcila and Alejandro have already told Us about how they would love to make an appearance on Sheriff Country.
