Fire Country Season 2 Possible Returning Cast, Showrunner And More Details

America's got a fondness for firefighters — just look at how popular shows like "9-1-1: Lone Star" and "Chicago Fire" are. CBS' "Fire Country" is no exception to this rule. The drama focuses on a group of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection volunteer firefighters. Some of them are prisoners looking for legal leniency, some of them are volunteers, and some of them are veteran experts. The show's action centers around Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot), birth name Bode Leone, a prisoner seeking to curtail his multi-year armed robbery sentence (among other legal troubles) by serving on the team through the California Conservation Camp Program. 

"Fire Country" has been a breakaway hit. Its first eight episodes pulled in over 10 million viewers across multiple platforms, thus securing it a full season order only two episodes into its run. Now it's been renewed for Season 2. What can we expect to see happen to Bode and his friends? Here's what we know so far.

We don't yet know when Season 2 of "Fire Country" will air, but we can make an educated guess as to when it might emerge, based on a few key data points. The first season of "Fire Country" debuted on CBS on October 7, 2022 and ran until May 19, 2023. As fall 2023 is already underway, it's unlikely Season 2 will follow another fall-to-spring timeline. The dual Hollywood strikes of 2023 also slowed production on "Fire Country" to a degree we can't yet completely ascertain. 

This might seem to be cause for concern. But there's one final bit of information to consider: "Fire Country" has been a big success, and it's likely CBS wants to get it out sooner rather than later. In the wake of the WGA strike's end, Deadline published an in-depth look at the "Fire Country" writers room, which revealed work is already starting on new episodes. Season 2 will be on the shorter side; experts guess it'll amount to around 13 episodes. This might be disappointing, but it's also a sign that getting more "Fire Country" out there as soon as possible is a priority. If all goes well, Season 2 could hit the airwaves in early spring 2024.

The "Fire Country" writers have remained relatively mum on Season 2, but showrunner Tia Napolitano did reveal some tantalizing details to Deadline. "My goal is to, the first time we see each and every character," she said, "the audience will gasp and be shocked, everyone's story will be very, very surprising from the moment you see them."

What kind of surprises are we talking about? We don't yet know, but we can make some solid hypotheses. Bode's pursuit of redemption will definitely be centered in Season 2 — it's the core of the show. His ongoing rivalry with Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway) is also likely to continue, as will the love triangle between Bode, Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila), and Jake. Gabriela and Bode's relationship is in a particularly intense place, given the events of the Season 1 finale — quite a few surprises could happen there. Furthermore, we can expect the team to keep battling for respect in a world that would prefer to write them off. And, of course, every episode is certain to contain life-endangering blazes and explosions.

Season 1's final episode, "I Know it Feels Impossible," shakes the story up in a major way. Bode's been tarred with a dirty drug test, even though he's clean and sober. For a variety of complex reasons, he lies and claims he's using drugs once more, and is thus denied parole. Gabriela stands by him — but will she always do so? This territory is truly ripe for the kind of surprises Napolitano mentions. Brace yourself, "Fire Country" fans — things are about to get intense.

Max Thieriot (Bode Leone/Donovan), Billy Burke (Vince Leone), Kevin Alejandro (Manny Perez), Diane Farr (Sharon Leone), Stephanie Arcila (Gabriela Perez), Jordan Calloway (Jake Crawford), and Jules Latimer (Eve Edwards) are all likely to stay with "Fire Country" into Season 2. Additionally, Zach Tinker, who was added to the show during Season 1 as the seemingly kind and humble Collin, seems a likely lock.

Will we keep seeing actors like Jade Pettyjohn (Riley Leone), W. Tré Davis (Freddy Mills), and Michael Trucco (Luke Leone)? Probably yes — they're all good candidates to continue popping up on the series on a recurring basis. We can also bet that we'll keep seeing Rebecca Madder play Faye, the head of a private firefighting company who takes a professional and personal interest in Manny. Kanoa Goo, who plays Gabriela's potential suitor, Kyle, is also likely to pop up once more.

Tia Napolitano is going to continue on as showrunner for "Fire Country" Season 2. Napolitano previously worked on Freeform's "Cruel Summer." Jerry Bruckheimer Television will continue to be the show's production company, and Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, and Max Thieriot will continue to co-executive produce the series. They co-created the series as well, and were inspired by Thierot's experiences growing up in Northern California. Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed also serve as executive producers. 

Rater, Phelan, and Thieriot wrote and/or co-wrote several Season 1 episodes. It's distinctly possible they might do the same on Season 2. There's no word as to who will handle the majority of the directing for Season 2. However, a number of directors, including actor-director Sarah Wayne Callies, directed Season 1. Perhaps we'll see their names pop up once more.

If you're looking to catch up on Season 1, you've got a number of options on your hands. If you connect with your TV provider, every episode is available to watch on CBS. Paramount+ users can also stream all of Season 1 whenever they want.

Other outlets also boast viewing options. Amazon Prime offers each episode for $2.99 and the entire season for $29.99. Vudu offers individual episodes for $1.99. Google Play also charges $1.99 for each episode, and serves up the entire season for $24.99. Bottom line: If you want to explore the wild world of "Fire Country," you've got options.