Fire Country, which premiered in 2022, follows inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) as he gets a chance to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. Bode gets assigned to his hometown, where he reconnects with his family and former friends and continues to make attempts to redeem himself.
In addition to starring on the show, Thieriot is also a cocreator, director and executive producer. Thieriot’s vision for the show was based on his experience growing up in real fire country — and it didn’t take long for Fire Country to find its viewers. As a result, Thieriot expanded the universe with Sheriff Country.
The concept was introduced through a backdoor pilot, which aired during season 2 of Fire Country. Sheriff Country is centered around Sharon’s (Diane Farr) estranged sister Mickey (Morena Baccarin) as she solves crimes in Edgewater.
CBS’ president and CEO George Cheeks previously hinted at the possibility of a Fire Country spinoff.
“We are focused on mass-appeal franchises. This season’s No. 1 show was Fire Country, which completely lends itself to building out a whole new universe. … It became very clear that not only was the show special, it really felt like this could be a great example of us building together a franchise from scratch,” Cheeks said during a June 2023 interview with Deadline, noting that he’d already heard some “great” ideas for “new extensions” of the show.
The introduction to Mickey aired in April 2024 and the show received a straight-to-series order one month later.
Keep scrolling for everything to know about Fire Country‘s spinoff Sheriff Country:
When Will ‘Sheriff Country’ Premiere on CBS?
CBS greenlit Sheriff Country in May 2024 but the series isn’t expected to premiere until the 2025-2026 season.
“We do long-term development at CBS now,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach told reporters at the time. “[The extra year] gives us plenty of time to cast it and figure out how we want to produce it. It’s a huge opportunity for us and speaks to the kind of development we want to be doing.”
What Is ‘Sheriff Country’ About?
The upcoming series follows Mickey (Baccarin) a.k.a Sharon’s stepsister who was at odds with her in the past. According to CBS’ synopsis, Mickey investigates criminal activity and patrols the streets of small-town Edgewater while contending with her ex-con father and a mysterious incident involving her wayward daughter.
Who Has Been Announced as a Cast Member?
Baccarin is the only confirmed cast member so far. However, Fire Country’s season 2 episode Alert the Sheriff introduced Alberto Frezza as dirty cop Andy Kubiak who might return for more appearances in the future.
Sheriff Country‘s first episode will be written by Fire Country cocreators Tony Phelan, Joan Rater and Thieriot. Phelan, Rater, Thieriot and Jerry Bruckheimer are executive producers on the project as well.
What Did ‘Fire Country’ Fans Learn During the ‘Sheriff Country’ Backdoor Pilot?
The backdoor pilot revealed that Sharon was at odds with Mickey after her stepsister busted Bode when he was a reckless teenager. After Bode got into more trouble as an adult, Sharon blamed Mickey for not supporting her nephew. Mickey, meanwhile, dropped a bombshell on Sharon when she opened up about her daughter’s struggles with addiction.
The episode brought Mickey and Sharon closer together as they worked to track down the person who killed Edgewater’s sheriff. Initially, all signs pointed to an escaped inmate from Three Rock but it didn’t take long for Mickey to realize it was actually an inside job.
Will There Be Crossovers Between ‘Fire Country’ and ‘Sheriff Country’?
Fire Country‘s Kevin Alejandro and Stephanie Arcila are just some of the cast members who showed their support for a crossover.
“Absolutely. I think it’s a brilliant idea to have these worlds coexist together,” Alejandro exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2024. “It’s a big world and it just leaves more opportunity for other things to transpire out of this universe that’s been created. I’d love to go over to shoot some Sheriff Country. And I’d love for them to come over and add more dynamic to our show. It just makes everything more complex and more artistic and more beautiful.”
Arcila cosigned on the idea as well, adding, “That would be incredible. Not only that, Morena was so sweet and amazing and talented when they did the backdoor pilot for episode six. It would be a dream to work with her. She fits right into our little Fire Country family.”
Are There Plans to Grow the ‘Fire Country’ Franchise Even More?
During an exclusive interview with Us, Thieriot didn’t rule out more spinoff ideas down the line.
“I think there’s still a lot of room to explore,” he shared in May 2024 about his plans for the franchise. “There’s more room to explore in Edgewater and outside of Edgewater.”
Thieriot continued: “When I started, I was always putting the cart before the horse. In my head, I had probably at least three other versions outside of Fire Country. Whether any of those ever see the light of day — we’ll see. But I certainly have at least a couple more ideas for this world.”
Fire Country showrunner and executive producer Tia Napolitano signed off on the idea as well, telling Us one month prior, “I think the sky’s the limit.”