Max Thieriot is confident that fans of Fire Country will love what they have planned with spinoff series Sheriff Country — starting with the shows’ differences.
“I’m really excited about it. I can tell you that personally that I’m really proud of what we’ve done so far,” Thieriot, 36, exclusively told Us Weekly about the upcoming CBS show. “I’m only getting bits and pieces of where [the writers’ room] is at right now in the season 1 conversation. But I can tell you that what I’ve seen and what I know and have been a part of is very exciting.”
Thieriot, who is an executive producer on Sheriff Country, thinks the show is really coming together, adding, “[The writers’ room] excitement level has been very high. So I know when they’re feeling really good about everything and they’re really excited about some stuff that the room is working on, it’s going to be good. It’s going to be a really fun yin to our yang in a weird way.”
Viewers who started by watching Fire Country are in for a different ride.
“We get to see a different part of Edgewater and get to meet different characters who live in this town and this community that we wouldn’t normally meet,” Thieriot teased. “Just getting to see a different side of the town is going to be really fun. It’s going to give us a more complete understanding of this community and this town and these people. I just think it’s going to make the world feel more whole in a weird way.”
The town of Edgewater was introduced when Fire Country premiered in 2022 with inmate Bode (Thieriot) returning home and volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program during season 1 of the hit show. The season 2 backdoor pilot aired in April 2024 and the show received a straight-to-series order one month later.
Sheriff Country will center around Mickey (Morena Baccarin) a.k.a Sharon’s (Diane Farr) 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.
CBS greenlit Sheriff Country, but the series isn’t expected to premiere until the 2025-2026 season. Multiple outlets have also reported that the TV universe could continue to grow after Jared Padalecki was cast in a three-episode arc on Fire Country, which would set him up for a spinoff.
“Who knows where this character goes down the road? That’s all kind of just TBD. But in the meantime, we just wanted to create a really exciting and fun character arc for him on this show,” Thieriot told Us. “We also wanted to introduce him as somebody who’s a part of this world but feels different than our world. Somebody who comes from a different part of the state — a different part of California — and somebody who has a totally different vibe.”
Thieriot previously hinted that he has plans for more possible projects within and without the franchise. “I think there’s still a lot of room to explore,” he teased to Us in May. “There’s more room to explore in Edgewater and outside of Edgewater.”
Fire Country season 3 airs on CBS Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.