Fire Country season 2 blazes onto our screens on Friday, Feb. 16. The hit CBS firefighter drama introduced viewers to the town of Edgewater and its host of first responders whose lives we've become deeply invested in. Among the found family that makes up Station 42 and Three Rock Fire Camp is Manny Perez, played by the talented Kevin Alejandro.
As the heart of Three Rock, Manny has consistently been there for the men in the camp who are working the program to give back to the community and shorten their sentences. In the first season of the series, Manny spent his time as Captain doing his best to do right by the inmates under his charge whilst also trying to navigate his own hardships and life changes.
The consequences of the season 1 finale impacts him not only on a personal level but, as will be revealed in the season 2 premiere, "Something's Coming," professionally as well. Ahead of the season opener, I got the opportunity to speak to Alejandro about where Manny is when we're reunited with him six months after the parole hearing that changed everything.
We got a glimpse of Manny's continued attempts to reach out to Bode in the Fire Country season 2 trailer but outside of the young man who Manny sees a lot of himself in, Alejandro spoke to his character's own struggles.
"I think Manny is doing the best he can. A beautiful thing we do on our show is our writers, and our producers, give each character an internal struggle that we have to deal with. [Manny] is going through a whole rediscovery of who he is and what he wants. I'm not sure when he'll figure that out, but I think it's a really beautiful arc they're creating of him constantly trying to understand what his purpose is."
Part of this will involve Eve. Last season, the tension between the two in episode 14, "A Fair to Remember," was palpable while Eve shadowed Manny to learn more about the inmate firefighting program and his role as Captain. They'll be bumping heads once again.
Alejandro did note that he doesn't think it's coming from a place of anger. The tension between them is rooted in confusion and hurt but they do have respect for each other, it's just about how to deal with confrontation through respect which is their struggle. As for his co-star, Jules Latimer, the actor had nothing but praise.
"I gotta tell you, I think every scene that I do with Jules ends up being gold. There's just some sort of strange connection that we have professionally that when we look into each other's eyes that's all that exists. I think together as actors, we kill that sh*t."
From the promos, you may have clocked the emphasis on redemption as the theme of season 2. But Alejandro says it's also about healing which will be shown through the characters in different ways. As he put it, Manny leads with love which means his way to heal "is to be there in your face and give that fatherly advice" and that includes being there for his daughter Gabriela, Bode, Jake, and even Eve.
Manny's position as a mentor, as someone the younger firefighters can come to and who offers advice solicited or otherwise, will remain intact in the second season. But when it comes to his romantic life that's more up in the air. At the time of our interview, Alejandro didn't know if Manny would be getting a new love interest, however, he did speak to how full Manny's life is.
"I think Manny's at a place in his life where if love comes it just shows up. He definitely doesn't go looking for it because he has enough with his daughter, with his crew, with his job, with everything that takes up his life. It's almost like he has no thought of love, right? So if it comes, I think it'll be a surprise for me as an actor, it'll be a surprise for Manny. But no one tells me anything. [Laughs]"
Of course, in the midst of the healing journey Manny and the rest of this beloved cast of characters will be on, we'll be getting an action packed season. Fire Country has garnered a reputation for the way it marries family drama with the procedural nature of its format and wild emergency calls. That won't be slowing down in season 2, it'll be kicking it up another notch.
Everything that's been released ahead of the premiere has showcased this with Bode isolating himself, the knife and shiv fight he gets into with Sleeper, the explosion that goes off behind Jake, and the earthquake that shakes through Edgewater causing more than one incident the firefighters have to handle. You're going to want to buckle up because that level of intensity is going to follow us through the whole season according to Alejandro.
"As you know, we're at half order this season because of the strike and everything that went on, so we're coming out of the gate really hard, where every episode feels like it gets bigger and bigger. I feel like we are upping the action, we are upping the drama, upping the relationships, and the tension that goes on between each relationship in such a good way.
I think every episode is gonna give you that heartbeat that we all had in the first season. We're coming out so hard to remind everybody why you love these characters and our intention is not to disappoint anybody. We want to make sure that everyone's here with us going on this journey. I have a feeling that the audience is going to expect this every season because we're coming out in a "I am here, hear me roar," sort of way."
If you loved Fire Country before, something tells me you're going to love it even more in its sophomore season. You may be yelling at the TV or the laptop screen while you watch but it's going to be quite the ride. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more news and coverage of the series.
Fire Country season 2 premieres Friday, Feb. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. Next day streaming will be available on Paramount+.