Heroic firefighter Bode (Max Thieriot) faces a four-alarm crisis when the drama returns. His mother (Diane Farr), father (Billy Burke), and grandfather (Jeff Fahey) were inside a care facility when a wildfire caused it to collapse in the Season 3 finale. The Fire Country Season 4 trailer has already revealed that Vince dies.
There will be a time jump of eight weeks after the conclusion of that incident, executive producer Tia Napolitano reveals. Then, in the premiere, there’s another rescue that will force Station 42, after losing one of their own, to rally together. “It’s a classic Fire Country incident. It feels good,” she says. “It’s really the bread and butter, meat and potatoes thing that our viewers come to Fire Country to see and hope that our heroes pull off a win in the end.”
She also teases, “We’re going to dole out some surprises in a really interesting way, and it’s a meaty episode with lots of exciting things to digest for our viewers.” Below, Tia Napolitano previews more about the season.
How is Bode handling the rescue with his entire family in there?
Tia Napolitano: It’s his entire family in there. Remember Bode’s injured, so he shouldn’t be working in an official capacity. He’s already been in that building. Our Bode is never one to stay out of the action. So you see him, in those final moments, wanting to lunge into that building and get in there. I think there’s a feeling of helplessness and loss of control for Bode on the outside, and we’ll see how all that plays out.
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What else is coming up for Bode as he continues to find his place in Edgewater? Because we’re really seeing him settle into Cal Fire, but then there’s everything else that’s going on…
Yeah, Bode’s a rollercoaster. He’s going to go through some things, and deeper into the season, we’re going to see him in a really tangible, super exciting way pursuing his professional goals. He gets to decide what kind of firefighter he wants to be now, and Bode’s getting things that I think he never imagined getting. We’re working towards the end of his probie-dom. We’re working towards the end of his parole. He gets to grow up even more this season. He’s got a lot on his plate this season.
What’s coming up for Sharon amidst her dealing with Vince and everything else?
We’re going to meet someone significant from Sharon’s family to get to know a little bit more about how she grew up and how she relates to her family. [We’re] seeing shades of Sharon that we’ve never seen before, which I think is interesting and digging in there with that character even more.
Jake (Jordan Calloway) was going to leave, but obviously, things can change, especially after what happens. What can you say about his future at Station 42?
Butte’s always a possibility for him. Jake’s been all over the place, and last year was such a strong professional pursuit for Jake that this year, we really want to dive back into his personal life, dive into his family, his past, learn more about his dad, spend more time in Jake’s love life and really get into what’s at home for Jake this season.
So Jake’s love life — any good news there? He has not had much luck.
He has Violet [Nesta Cooper]. We still have Violet will be back. Oh, I see the face, Meredith.
No, it’s just there’s so much conflict there, too. Nothing’s ever been easy for him when it comes to his love life.
It has not been easy. We really wanted to honor the authenticity of how difficult it can be to really date a first responder. It can be scary and stressful and wonderful, but is everyone up for that ride? We’re not sure.
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And then there’s Manny (Kevin Alejandro). Sharon had brought that open captain spot. Where is he when it comes to his career?
We want to get Manny back in uniform. I think we’re all craving it. We’ve put Manny through the wringer, and we really want to see him rise. We want and we’ll get success for Manny, happiness for Manny. With Gabriela [Stephanie Arcila, exiting in the Season 4 premiere] eventually not here every episode, he’s got all of this dad advice and dad jokes with nowhere to go. So you see him being a parental figure to Jake, to Eve [Jules Latimer], of course, to Bode, in ways that remind us, Manny’s got wisdom. We put him through it. Manny’s got a lot of wisdom.
Manny and Bode, from the start, was such an important relationship. How much are we going to be getting that again?
A lot. We’re really going to feel some Season 1 vibes of who Manny is in Bode’s life now. It’s very different. He’s not incarcerated anymore; he is doing great, but that relationship’s so special, and he’s a surrogate Bode in some regards, and he’s the blueprint. So we’ll get a lot of good Manny [and] Bode warmth this season.
How are Eve and Three Rock rebuilding this season?
Yes. Three Rock is so important to the DNA of this show. Obviously, we burned the place down, not the team, not the spirit, but the place. And we are going to show a Three Rock unlike the Three Rock we’ve ever seen on this show, a new and very fresh approach to our fire camp.
So is Eve still focused on Three Rock, or are we going to see her at Station 42 a bit? What does that mean for her?
Eve will eventually find a role at Three Rock. and we’re also going to deep dive into her personal life. We left her and Francine [Katie Findlay] with that Eve doesn’t want kids, Francine does cliffhanger, and there’s still that for us to pick up when we get back into it next season.
How much are we going to see of Francine?
Not every episode, but she’ll be around.
How often will there be Sheriff Country crossovers? And with Mickey (Morena Baccarin) and Sharon and Bode on better terms, how are you maintaining their sense of family with them on different shows and the fact that they’re filming in different cities?
I know different time zones, different ends of the country. We want as much crossover as we can possibly get, which will include a big event crossover and also smaller, sending one character or two or three back and forth between the shows. We’re expanding a universe so we want it to feel that way. And we have lots of Easter eggs, of course, really feeling like this is the same town. We’re all talking about the same things and the same places that we all go. I think that’s what’s so fun for fans. I love that as a fan. So we’re really hoping to deliver on that front.
And then I know W. Earl Brown is coming over in Episode 5…
Yeah, he comes over. He’s so fun. Earl is so fun. That character’s so fun. And yeah, we have a lighter, fun episode in 5, and he makes an appearance because it’s a small town and he runs into Bode and they have some really fun scenes.
Last we saw Audrey (Leven Rambin), she turned herself in. Where does the new season find her, and then what does it mean for her relationship with Bode, especially when you then have to factor in Gabriela leaving?
It’s interesting. She definitely has a cliffhanger, and we get into those consequences and we all know she shot Finn. That character has to look herself in the mirror and say, “I’ve come so far from doing anything close to that.” And yes, of course it was self-defense and it was the right thing to do, but emotionally in her mind, firefighters don’t shoot people. “Is this me backsliding on my progress?” It makes her question a lot emotionally. So there are real stakes within the law, but also for her emotionally; it rattles her, and we’ll see the fallout of that.
And Bode and Audrey, what’s their relationship status this season?
A large obstacle comes between them, starting an Episode 2 that is hard. This couple is going to go through something that’s very difficult and will wonder if they’re going to make it through or not. I think we’ll root for them to make it through, but they have some conflict at the beginning of the season that’s very fresh for them and interesting
Who has the biggest struggle early on in the season?
Bode. Hands down, Bode. It’s a struggle that’s so on character for him, but it’s one we haven’t seen yet.
Who is he going to be leaning on the most?
That’s a good question.
Or is he pulling away?
Bode is trying to be there for himself, which is I think also on character. It’s so easy for him to give help, to rescue, to be the answer. And so Bode will try to be his own support system.
Fire Country, Season 4 Premiere, Friday, October 17, 8/7c, CBS