Fire Country joins a line-up of similar programming,
but its premise helps the new firefighting drama stand
out in the procedural genre. The CBS series stars SEAL Team
fan-favorite Max Thieriot as Bode Donovan, an inmate who joins an early-release program that helps Cal Fire and gets time shaved off his sentence. The pilot reveals that Bode is serving a five-year sentence for attempted robbery and brings Bode back to his hometown of Edgewater, California — which is naturally filled with secrets and ghosts.
That creates a foundation for found families at firehouses and complicated relationships outside of them. The concept is familiar to firefighting dramas; relationships are part of what makes shows like Chicago Fire so successful. Additionally, Bode’s return causes a domino effect that reveals deep-rooted connections in the small town and among the characters who live there. Fire Country’s premiere involves plenty of fires, but most of it hinges on the character dynamics that burn under the surface.
Fire Country Is Set in a Small Town
Its small-town setting immediately sets Fire Country apart from the other firefighting dramas on TV. FOX’s 9-1-1 takes place in Los Angeles, with its spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star finding its home in Austin. NBC’s Chicago Fire has called Chicago home for over a decade. The Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Station 19 — which has been on ABC long enough to bring back characters from its earlier seasons — is set in Seattle. The CBS show gives fans a more intimate setting than all those big cities.
The pilot showcases that intimacy by teasing that everyone knows everyone and their secrets — or so they think. Edgewater’s close quarters raise the stakes and increase the tensions of even the smallest drama. Cal Fire chief Manny and his Olympian daughter Gabriella are newer to Edgewater, but they already have ties to key players like Jake. The web becomes more tangled through the revelation that both Jake and fellow firefighter Eve have a history with Bode. Every act of the episode comes with an interpersonal twist.
Fire Country Is a Family Drama
None of Fire Country’s twists are surprising, but they don’t need to be. It’s easy to conclude that Vince and division chief Sharon are married and that the frequently-mentioned Riley is their daughter who passed away years prior. Likewise, Bode isn’t coy when he sees photos of Gabriella and Jake, so it’s obvious the two men are familiar with each other. The series premiere’s biggest reveal is in its final minutes when Bode reunites with Vince and Sharon — to whom Bode says, “Hi, Mom.” The former seems less than pleased about Bode’s return, teasing backstory that will be revealed throughout the season.
The complex connections embedded in Edgewater, like Bode and Gabriella’s less-than-conventional meet-cute, mean that the show’s angst and drama will have quite the impact. 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Lone Star, Chicago Fire and Station 19 become varying levels of family dramas as their firehouses become second homes and the firefighters evolve beyond co-workers into a found family. But with its small town, Fire Country has already established its family. It can tell a different kind of story than its competition — and thus stand out in a rapidly growing subgenre.
