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To skip or not to skip: Is Fire Country worth watching?

By Sabrina Reed

FIRE COUNTRY stars Max Thieriot (SEAL TEAM) as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining an unconventional prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son until his troubles began. Inspired by series star Max Thieriot’s experiences growing up in Northern California fire country. FIRE COUNTRY airs this fall on Fridays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
FIRE COUNTRY stars Max Thieriot (SEAL TEAM) as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining an unconventional prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son until his troubles began. Inspired by series star Max Thieriot’s experiences growing up in Northern California fire country. FIRE COUNTRY airs this fall on Fridays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. /
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Fire Country made its debut Friday on CBS. The new drama, starring SEAL Team‘s Max Thieriot, follows Bode Donovan, an inmate who joins the firefighting program to lessen his prison sentence for armed robbery. However, the situation isn’t so cut and dry for him when he realizes he’s been assigned to the con crew in Edgewater, California.

The premiere episode of TV’s latest series dedicated to the lives and heroism of firefighters is bringing a new flavor to this particular subgenre of first responders television. They’re all primetime soap operas that pull viewers into the high stakes world of people who devote their lives to ensure the public’s safety. But Fire Country takes us out of the city and into the mountainside where fire can consume acreages and the tiniest spark can lead to the displacement of thousands.

Given this fresh perspective, it’s not surprising prospective viewers are intrigued by the series but is it worth the watch outside of the action sequences? My verdict is a resounding, “Yes!” Here’s why.

Is Fire Country worth watching on CBS?

Once Fire Country gets rolling, it sucks you in. The premiere does a wonderful job of establishing the connection between all the characters whilst also maintaining enough mystery to keep the audience on our toes when it comes to the plot twists that reveal why Bode was so desperate to leave Edgewater for nearly the whole episode.

The answer is given in the last few minutes of the pilot and breaks this world open in a way that’ll leave viewers anxious for episode 2, “The Fresh Prince of Edgewater.” There’s a fractured family drama at the heart of this story that’s certain to be delved into the more we learn about Riley and the impact she had on Bode, Jake, Eve, Sharon, and Vince’s lives.

Loss has a way of throwing relationships off-kilter especially when betrayal is in the mix. The emotion in this show is primarily focused on a tragic past event that most of the characters are still reeling from and affects their perceptions of each other. It’s clear, even with the episode ending reveal, that there’s still a lot we don’t know and have only been given a taste of which is the hook for keeping us invested.

There’s also a romantic element. Sharon (Diane Farr) and Vince (Billy Burke) have a settled love as two people who’ve been married for years. There’s affection and familiarity between them that speaks to knowing each other deeply but with the added dimension of being in the thick of firefighting together. They’re equals in their marriage, but there’s a power imbalance in their work life that they’re navigating which is an intriguing bit of Fire Country that I’m interested in seeing more of.

In contrast to this strong relationship is the fledgling love between Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila) and Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway). Gabriela is an Olympian whose life has been centered on diving since she was a child. She’s the 14th best diver in the world but is contemplating walking away from the sport and finding a new path.

Pictured (L-R): Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez and Max Thieriot as Bode Donovan. Photo: Bettina Strauss/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Pictured (L-R): Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez and Max Thieriot as Bode Donovan. Photo: Bettina Strauss/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. /

Arcila plays Gabriela as a woman who knows both her mind and her heart. She can handle herself in whatever situation she’s thrown in, but she’s also as reactive as she is determined and stubborn. This causes friction between Gabriela and Jake when she pushes for more in their relationship when he’s not ready.

It does resolve itself, but it’s obvious that for as charming as Jake is, he’s not someone who lets people in easily. His best friend Eve Edwards (Jules Latimer) has to coax him into not ruining what he has with Gabriela by shutting her out. But it’s unclear if Jake even knows how to love someone the way they deserve. His journey is likely going to center on how to be good for the person he’s in a relationship with and be all in.

While Arcila and Calloway’s chemistry is serviceable, it doesn’t hold a candle to that of hers and Thieriot which could be by design. It’s obvious from the moment Gabriela and Bode meet that we’re meant to become immediately attached to their potential.

It’s not exactly a meet-cute considering Gabriela draws a gun on him, but their ease with one another once the tension cools is exactly the kind of dynamic that’ll have viewers rooting for more scenes of the two together.

Eve also gets a bit of romance considering there’s a local waitress who’s taken an interest in her, but Eve runs away instead of talking to her, so we could be in for a wait when it comes to her giving love a go. But, you never know, she and Jake made a pact to grow up and start living their lives in the present instead of the past, so she may pluck up the nerve to talk to the waitress soon.

All in all, Fire Country could be one of the best new series on television right now if it keeps pulling on the heart strings whilst also showcasing some spectacular action sequences. From a car rescue to a full on forest fire that nearly takes the lives of three of the characters, this show knows how to keep an audience tuned in.

Many of us may have given the show a chance due to Max Thieriot, who does have command of the series as Bode Donovan, a good man who has made questionable decisions, but I suspect we’ll be staying for all that it has to offer from the action, to the drama, to the romance. Fire Country is a solid Friday watch with the potential for greatness. I can’t wait to see more!

Next. Fire Country episode 2 release date and more. dark

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Fire Country news and coverage! New episodes of the series air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. The show is available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

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