Fire Country Just Turned the Entire Show Upside-Down — and It Ain’t Finished Yet!
The wait for Fire Country Season 2 is almost over! CBS’ hit drama is returning on Feb. 16 and it’s going to look a little different this time around thanks to that major Season 1 cliffhanger, as well as a slate of new cast members. Keep reading for everything there is to know about Fire Country Season 2, including the cast, release date and spoilers.
Fire Country is CBS’ drama series centered on the personal and professional lives of firefighters at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (also known as Cal Fire), as well as the inmates who participate in the effort to reduce their prison time. It stars Max Thieriot 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 former friends and other inmates as they fight wild fires that plague the region. Thieriot also co-created the show based off of his own experience of seeing firefighters and inmates work hand-in-hand to protect his hometown of Occidental, California, during the local Tubbs and Nuns fires in 2017.
The series first premiered in October 2022 and quickly became one of primetime television’s most-watched shows, with more than 10 million viewers tuning in by the middle of the first season. Fire Country received an early Season 2 pickup in January 2023 and multiple spinoff series are already in the works.
Now, nearly a year since the first season finished airing, the Cal Fire crew is returning to our screens. The show has taken a much darker turn, however, as Bode landed himself back behind bars in the Season 1 finale and the upcoming season will focus on his grim new reality. Read on for Season 2’s release date, cast and spoilers.
What is Fire Country Season 2 about?
Season 2 of Fire Country will pick back up right where Season 1 left off. In the finale, Bode made the tough decision to lie at his parole hearing and take the fall for his friend Freddy (W. Tre Davis), who brought drugs into the inmate conservation camp Three Rock. His actions shocked his parents Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr), as well as his love interest Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila).
In an interview TV Insider, Thieriot teased that fans will get their first glimpse of “prison Bode,” who is has a “darker side, a little bit of that edge.” Bode also has his work cut out for him in Season 2, as he plenty of fractured relationships to heal. “He let down a lot of people, and I think he felt terrible about this difficult decision that he had to make and about what he told his parents,” Thieriot told the outlet. “Clearly, there’s a lot of making up to do and putting all the pieces back together really with everyone.”
In the official trailer for Season 2, Vince and Manny (Kevin Alejandro), Bode’s former Three Rock captain, work to clear Bode’s name, but he seems to have accepted his fate. “Taking that fall was a gift to all the people I love,” Bode can be heard saying. He later tells his dad and old captain in a sneak peek: “Doesn’t matter what I did or didn’t do, I’m where I belong now.”
While Bode may be stuck in prison for the time being, fans can still expect plenty of action. In an additional teaser, which ran during the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, Thieriot gives a coach-inspired speech. “What happens out there today, will shape the rest of your life,” he says as a montage of forest fire clips play onto the wall from a screen projector. “Remember what it took to get here because every time you suit up, it could be the last chance you’ll ever get to lay it all on the line.” The screen then switches to scenes from Season 1. “To fight with the person next to you, and for the person next to you,” he continues. “To be remembered as someone who faced the fire and never flinched.” The spot concludes with a projection of flames displayed on Thieriot’s face.
Who’s in Fire Country Season 2 cast?
The entire Season 1 cast is set to return, including Thieriot, Burke, Farr, Arcila, Alejandro, Jordan Calloway and Jules Latimer. Season 2 will also feature several new faces. Rafael de la Fuente has been cast as Diego, a charming paramedic who will train Gabriela as she works toward her paramedic certification. Additionally, Morena Baccarin will be coming on board as Mickey, a sheriff who might even get her own spin-off.
Jason O’Mara and Ty White will appear on Season 2 as well. O’mara portrays a firefighter named Liam who is also a friend of Sharon’s, while Ty will star as Cole, a former MMA fighter and Bode’s cellmate.
When does Fire Country Season 2 come out?
Fire Country Season 2 airs on CBS on Fridays at 9 p.m. EST. New episodes will be available to stream on Paramount+ the next day.