A reunion could be in the works! Max Thieriot’s best friend and former co-star may be making the leap from SEAL Team to Fire Country. Is AJ Buckley joining Fire Country after SEAL Team ends this year? Keep reading to learn everything that we know.
Fire Country is CBS’ drama series centered on firefighters and inmates at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (also known as Cal Fire). Thieriot stars as Bode Donovan, a young convict with a troubled past who joins the inmate firefighter program to redeem himself and shorten his prison sentence. Bode is assigned to his hometown in Northern California, where he must work alongside his family, former friends, and other inmates as they fight wildfires that plague the region.
Theriot co-created the show while he was still on SEAL Team, Paramount Plus’ military drama that follows an elite unit of United States Navy SEALs called the Bravo Team, undertaking the most dangerous and life-threatening missions worldwide. He portrayed Clay Spenser, the Navy SEAL and Special Warfare Operator First Class of Bravo Team, from the first season until his last appearance in Season 6, Episode 8, “Aces and Eights,” when his character died after being shot.
While Thieriot tried balancing SEAL Team and Fire Country simultaneously, Thieriot ultimately left the former to focus solely on Fire Country. “As Fire Country kept passing each development checkmark, it got clearer and clearer that there was a real possibility that we’d be losing Max at some point,” SEAL Team Showrunner Spencer Hudnut told TV Line in November 2022. “It wasn’t until maybe even a month after Fire Country got picked up [to series] that it became clear that Max was leaving. Everyone had talked about how he could do both shows, but it was very clear that that wasn’t the case.”
Meanwhile, AJ Buckley plays Navy SEAL Sonny Quinn on SEAL Team. Quinn is a Special Warfare Operator, First Class of the Bravo Team, specializing in firefights. Buckley’s been a mainstay cast member on the show since the first season. In November 2022, the actor shared how he reacted when he first found out that Thieriot was leaving the show.
“Max and I became really close over the show. He is one of my best friends,” he told Express UK. “Our kids were born a couple of months apart during that first season and all sorts of stuff, so we became incredibly close and it was a really hard thing to hear. But I knew that it was an opportunity for him to sort of ‘stretch out his wings’ and go [co-create and star in CBS’ Fire Country].”
Buckley continued, “I think it was tough for everyone, but me in particular because it’s one of the best parts about going to work. Max and I will drive into work every day together, so I lost my battle boo, there’s an emptiness, for sure.” Finally, he praised Theriot and said that he is a “great guy, on- and off-screen, he is salt of the earth and probably one of the best guys I’ve ever met in the business.”
Unfortunately, CBS announced on November 15, 2023, that SEAL Team was ending after its seventh and final season on Paramount Plus in 2024. As the military show wraps up, is there any chance that Buckley could join Thieriot on his firefighter drama? Here’s what we know.
Is AJ Buckley joining Fire Country?
Is AJ Buckley joining Fire Country? The SEAL Team actor has not confirmed that he’ll be moving to Max Thieriot’s firefighter show, however, he did express interest in joining his best friend during a recent Reddit Q&A.
One Redditor asked the question to the actor, asking if he plans to join Fire Country after the SEAL Team concluded. “Any plans on joining Fire Country once Seal Team has ended?” the user asked.
“Maybe? Max – is there any possibility of me joining Fire Country? We’ve talked about it and thought it would be funny for me to show up,” Buckley responded. “He’s one of my best friends. Would be great to work on something he’s so passionate about. Would be awesome.”
Another user responded to Buckley’s comment writing: “Oh PLEASE Join Fire Country! That would be amazing! Do it Max!
The 47-year-old actor was also asked what he would do after SEAL Team ends. In his answer, he recalled the emotional moment when he learned that the TV show was canceled after seven years.
“I remember getting the call that Season 7 was the end. I got the call form[sic] Chris and Spencer,” he explained. “It was devastating. I thought we were getting our stride. All good things come to an end. That being said, I’d love to continue playing this character. Sonny is my John Mclane and he was a hero character of mine. I have a couple of things in the pipeline, I’ve got into producing on films. Me in front of the camera – hopefully something in action. The blue collar action hero is my goal.”
We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about Buckley’s potential casting in Fire Country.
