6 reasons you should binge Fire Country season 1 on Netflix

Fire Country season 1 has hit Netflix and there are good reasons why you should be watching one of CBS's biggest new hits!

Debuting in 2022, the firefighter procedural focuses on Bode Leone (Max Thieriot), a convict in California who becomes part of a program where inmates can work off their sentences aiding Cal Fire take on the constant wildfires in the forests. Bode is assigned to Three Rock, a camp just outside of Edgewater…which just happens to be Bode's hometown.

Bode left Edgewater years ago after being blamed for the accidental death of his sister, Riley. His parents, Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr) are Cal Fire chiefs who are thrown to see Bode again. As Bode tries to find redemption, he bonds with Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila), a former Olympian who wants to become a firefighter herself against the wishes of dad Manny (Kevin Alejandro), who happens to be the Three Rock boss. 

The show was a huge hit with season 3 ready to arrive this October. For newcomers, it being on Netflix is a chance to see why it's so good! Here's why you should tune in.

Bode is a great lead

The show rests on Thieriot and he is terrific as Bode. The early episodes have him hating being back home and how broken he is while trying to find a new path. Seeing him grow across the season as a leader is wonderful as Bode keeps denying he cares about others but clearly he does. 

Thieriot nails the action sequences while also handling the dynamics of Bode's fractured relationship with family and friends as well as his growing romance with Gabriela. It all leads to the finale as Bode makes a huge sacrifice to help someone, proving his amazing growth and season 1 is highlighted by Thieriot's terrific performance. 

It's a wonderful redemption tale

Redemption is at the core of the show and not just for Bode. The other inmates have their own past issues, including Bode's new friend Freddy "Goat" Mills (W. Tre Davis) whose struggle to get free for his family is a running subplot. There's also Vince still blaming himself for pushing Bode away and trying to bond with his son again. Manny was a former convict who still proves himself as a leader and shows how these inmates can find a new way. 

Other cons are trying to make it good like former lawyer Rebecca (Fiona Rene). There are also Bode's former friends, Jake (Jordan Calloway) and Eve (Jules Latimer), who have their own past problems to overcome. Even Gabriela has to deal with some baggage from her past to prove herself to be a real firefighter. The show is all about second chances and seeing how the characters embrace them provides heart in how no one is beyond redemption.  

The supporting cast is excellent

The supporting cast is pretty stacked. TV veterans Burke and Farr are perfect as Vince and Sharon, and they are believable as a married couple with their bickering, their bonding, and the challenges Sharon faces in a health crisis. Calloway shows Jake a bit arrogant yet trying to deal with doubters in him while Eve goes harder to prove herself as a woman in this tough field. 

Arcila has a lovely charm as Gabriela, who's tired of being held back and truly wants to be a firefighter, with Alejandro mixing a commanding presence as Manny with worries over his daughter and the other inmates. There are other brief supporting roles with Zach Tinker as a firefighter with a major backstory and other actors to make for a terrific ensemble. 

The relationships are well done

The casting and the characters aid the fun relationships abounding. There's the obvious chemistry between Bode and Gabriela, a "will they/won't they" that drives on through the season and the actors sell it wonderfully. The family aspect is terrific as the Leones try to reconcile their bevy of issues and seeing them reconnect is fantastic.

That's mirrored by the Manny/Gabriela storyline of likewise a father realizing he may need to let his girl grow up on her own, even if the path is dangerous. Jake and Eve also have good storylines like the discovery Jake had a part in the death of Bode's sister, Eve angry at both of them for concealing the truth but both still working together on the job. The romances and family plots are excellent and push the show as a character study. 

The disasters can be wild

Obviously, the disasters are a key to the show and the effects guys go all out for them. There are fires, of course, but the show also throws in stuff like a truck teetering on a bridge, a wind storm causing chaos at a fair, a building collapse, a mudslide and a plane crash. They provide great thrills and the location shooting makes them feel quite real to give the show an original edge unlike other first responder dramas on TV. 

There are some amazing twists

The show provides quite a few twists to surprise viewers. It's not until the end of the first episode we discover Bode is Vince and Sharon's son and episode 2 delves more into why he left Edgewater. There's the hunt for a serial arsonist that has a surprising culprit and the shocking death of one notable character midway through the season.

The final episodes have a subplot of Bode running into an old foe from prison and the finale is a stunning turn on Bode's journey to set up season 2. These surprises make you keep coming back to the show and play better in one binge. 

There's more, from the top production values to the music, yet these reasons rank as to why Fire Country has become such a hit and why newcomers will love to check it out on Netflix!

Fire Country season 1 is streaming on Netflix. Seasons 1-2 are streaming on Paramount+.