Fire Country is heating back up — literally and figuratively — as the CBS hit returns from its March Madness break with a brand-new episode on Friday, April 4, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Titled “Dirty Money,” this marks Episode 16 of Fire Country Season 3, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most pivotal episodes of the season so far.
The drama series, which quickly became one of CBS’s highest-rated freshman shows when it debuted in 2022, centers around Bode Leone (played by Max Thieriot), a convicted felon who finds a second chance — and a dangerous calling — by joining a prison-release firefighting program in Northern California. Season 3 has already pushed Bode through emotional reunions, intense fires, and moral crossroads — but Episode 16 is about to turn the heat up in more ways than one.
What to Expect from “Dirty Money”
In this episode, Morena Baccarin guest stars as Sheriff Mickey Fox, reprising her role from earlier in the season. The plot revolves around an attempted murder involving her estranged father, Wes Fox, played by W. Earl Brown. Sheriff Fox enlists her nephew Bode’s help to dig into the mystery — but this isn’t just another one-off storyline.
This episode serves as a backdoor pilot for CBS’s upcoming spinoff, Sheriff Country, a new series centered on Mickey Fox’s life in law enforcement in the fictional Edgewater County. The spinoff is expected to debut in the 2025–2026 TV season, continuing the Fire Country universe expansion in the same way NCIS and FBI built franchises out of standalone procedurals.
So, if you’re wondering whether this episode will be essential viewing for Fire Country fans and newcomers alike — the answer is a resounding yes.
Why the Delay?
Fire Country’s brief hiatus is the result of CBS’s annual NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament coverage, which took over Friday primetime slots in March. This isn’t unusual; the same happened in previous years with other CBS dramas like Blue Bloods and SWAT. But the network has confirmed that Fire Country will return strong in April — and it’s already made headlines by announcing the show’s Season 4 renewal on Instagram back on February 20, 2025.
That’s good news for fans, especially since the show continues to pull in millions of live viewers and remains one of CBS’s top-performing dramas in the 18-49 demographic.
Fire Country Season 3 Release Schedule (So Far)
To help you catch up or revisit the season’s biggest moments, here’s the full list of episodes aired and scheduled for Season 3:
