Fire Country co-creator and star Max Thieriot, and showrunner Tia Napolitano have opened up on the casting of Jared Padalecki, who will join the hit CBS firefighter drama for season 3. Fire Country debuted on the popular network in October 2022, and following another renewal, Fire Country season 3 is set to premiere on October 18, 2024. Padalecki rose to global prominence playing the role of Sam Winchester in Supernatural from 2005-2020, as well as having successful stints on Gilmore Girls and Walker. The 42-year-old will join Fire Country in a guest capacity, playing the character of Camden.
In an interview with Cinema Blend, Thieriot discusses plans for the future of the show, as well as how the casting of Padalecki came about, revealing that the two men are close friends, but had never worked together before. Meanwhile, Napolitano discussed being a fan of the actor’s work since Gilmore Girls, and both revealed that they were delighted to have Padalecki join the cast, especially as the role of Camden was written specifically with the star in mind. Check out Thieriot and Napolitano’s full comments on the matter below:
Thieriot:
Jared and I have been friends for a long time. You know, we’ve never had the opportunity to work together. Our families have spent a lot of time together. We’ve spent New Years together.And finally, we had an opportunity where, you know, unfortunately, his show came to an end, but the silver lining was we got this opportunity to finally try and figure out how to work together.
And you know, the folks over at CBS are big fans – [CBS Studios President] David Stapf, and everyone…So it was, in a weird way, kind of easy to say, like, ‘Hey, Jared and I are good buddies. Like, what does everybody think?’
He just brings such a different energy to the show. And his interactions with all the characters are fun. He definitely comes in and makes a big impact. So I’m excited. I’m excited for everybody see it. I think the arc that he came in and did is really exciting. And, you know, we’ll see where it all goes from here. But he certainly adds a lot to the world.
Napolitano:
He was a name that everyone was just immediately very excited about, and then it’s definitely Max and Jared are friends. So Max is saying ‘He’s a great guy. I’m so excited about this.’ We sat down with him, and, you know, it was just the chemistry. We were so excited to get him over here.He’s also a really nice guy, like, just a professional sweetheart, so good, so talented, and he and Max, their chemistry as friends working together and on-screen was just off the charts. So we got very lucky. I was also a huge fan of his all the way back to Gilmore Girls. So it just felt like iconic TV opportunities.
This was written for Jared. So, if Jared didn’t come play with us, we were gonna get our hearts broken.
Will Padalecki’s Camden Shake Things Up On Fire Country?
The Character Is Set To Bring A New Dynamic To The Show
Based on Thieriot and Napolitano’s comments, it seems that Camden will provide a direct contrast to characters like Bode, and breathe some fresh, fun, and dynamism into the show. A firefighter from Southern California, his laid-back and playful approach will be sure to rub other characters up the wrong way. Not too much is known about a potential story arc for the character just yet, but it might include a Tracker crossover, which could mark a Padalecki and Jensen Ackles post-Supernatural reunion.
It seems likely the character of Camden will be around for a while, with rumors his season 3 stint will be followed by a Padalecki-fronted
Fire Country
spinoff show.
It’s unclear which episode Padalecki will debut in, but it feels likely he will have a strong introduction and one that could well lean heavily on Padalecki’s playful, high-energy approach. The relish with which Thieriot and Napolitano discuss his acquisition suggests they have big plans for the character, and that he could feature heavily in the lives of many of the core cast of Fire Country. The character of Camden could provide just the shake-up Fire Country needs, and it will be interesting to see the sort of arc the show will choose to explore for this new character.
Our View On What This Casting Means For The Future Of The Fire Country Franchise
A Second Spinoff Focusing On Padalecki’s Character Is Rumored
It seems likely the character of Camden will be around for a while, with rumors his season 3 stint will be followed by a Padalecki-fronted Fire Country spinoff show. Another spinoff, Sheriff Country, is already in the works, starring Morena Baccarin, who got a back-door pilot with a guest arc on Fire Country, and I think this is likely what will happen in Padalecki’s case. Of course, much will depend on audience reception to the character, but, with the actor’s schedule freed up following the cancellation of Walker, it seems likely this spinoff will happen.
Source: Cinema Blend
Fire Country is an action-drama series created for CBS that follows Bode Donavan, a man in the middle of a five-year stint in prison looking to redeem himself. Given a unique chance to do so, Bode signs on to a unique prison-release program where he’ll have the rest of his sentence commuted if he works with firefighters in Northern California. What starts as a chance at redemption becomes a confrontation with his past when Bode is assigned to his hometown – where his life went down the wrong path.
- Cast
- Max Thieriot , Kevin Alejandro , Jordan Calloway , Stephanie Arcila , Diane Farr , Billy Burke , Jules Latimer
- Release Date
- October 7, 2022
- Seasons
- 2
- Writers
- Max Thieriot , Tony Phelan , Joan Rater
- Showrunner
- Max Thieriot , Tony Phelan , Joan Rater