Fire Country, CBS’ hit firefighter drama, returns for Season 3 on Oct. 18. The new season will pick up where Season 2 left off at Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) and Diego’s (Rafael de la Fuente) wedding, which the trailer reveals will get interrupted by a helicopter crashing into the church. Where the season will go from there remains to be seen.
On that note, we have some burning questions (see what we did there?) about what will happen in Fire Country Season 3. Here are the things we’re wondering about, including what we know about where the story will go, and what we predict or hope will happen.
What will happen in the Bode-Gabriela-Diego love triangle?
Exes Bode (Max Thieriot) and Gabriela still have feelings for each other. But Gabriela is with her fellow paramedic Diego, and Bode wants her to be happy, so he’s opting to give her some space to try to enjoy her relationship without him bringing up feelings all the time. Part of why he’s trying to join Cal Fire is to put some space between himself and Gabriela. But even if they’re not trying to be together right now, their love for each other is still there. “We’ve brought them together and apart so many times, and I think there’s only so many times you can do that and really have it be effective,” Max Thieriot told Parade after the Season 2 finale. “I think that the separation can be interesting for a minute, just to really sort of make you want it that much more.”
That being said, the show has been dropping hints that maybe Diego is not the perfect guy for Gabriela. For example, he thought it would be a good idea to take it upon himself to force a reunion between Gabriela and her estranged mother Roberta (Paola Núñez), something Bode definitely would not have done. So the wheels might come off quicker than we’re expecting. And the trailer reveals that Gabriela and Bode will share an intimate moment in a camper at some point this season, which seems to indicate that she comes to visit him at whatever remote location he’s away fighting fires. So Gabriela and Bode won’t be totally on the back burner this season.
Will Manny go to prison?
Manny (Kevin Alejandro), Gabriela’s father and former captain of the Three Rock Con Camp, has been on a bit of a downward spiral. In the finale, he got arrested for assault stemming from an incident where he injured a bystander during a brawl with Luke (Michael Trucco). He evaded capture rather than face charges right away, which won’t look good for him. Worst of all, he has a prior felony conviction, so he’s definitely in big trouble now that he’s been arrested again. He turned his life around after he got out of prison the first time, and now he’s facing a return.
But even if he does go to prison, we suspect he won’t be there for long. We suspect that Manny will return to Three Rock as an inmate, which will give him the attitude adjustment he needs. What better way for Manny to find humility than to return to the place he used to run and rebuild his life? Plus, that will allow Fire Country to continue to tell stories at Three Rock even though Bode isn’t there anymore.
Will Jake lose custody of Genevieve?
Another major development in the Season 2 finale was the introduction of Genevieve’s (Alix West Lefler) biological father, Rick (Adam Aalderks). Rick is an old friend of Bode’s who served some time of his own on drug charges, but is now sober and getting his life back on track. When he found out about his ex Cara’s (Sabina Gadecki) death, he also found out about Genevieve, and realized she had to be his daughter. So now he wants to meet her.
His arrival in town is yet another enormous disruption to Genevieve’s life. Just as she’s finally settling into some normalcy with Jake (Jordan Calloway), her guardian who was prepared to become her stepfather before Cara died. Will Rick take custody of his daughter? Or will that be one change too many, and Jake will get to keep her? We’ll see. One thing’s for sure, though: some unexpected things will happen where Rick is concerned. “We’ll go on a surprising little journey with Rick” in Season 3, Fire Country executive producer Tia Napolitano teased.
What role will Jared Padalecki play?
In August, we found out that Supernatural veteran Jared Padalecki will have a three-episode guest-starring arc on Fire Country as Camden Casey, who is described as “a SoCal firefighter and maverick with a surfer swagger who is a force to be reckoned with and immediately recognizes Bode’s raw talent.” In an interview with TVLine, Napolitano said Bode and Camden are “twin flames,” and Camden is able, maybe more than anyone Bode has ever met, to harness Bode’s reckless, rebellious spirit and direct it toward fighting fires. We don’t know this for sure, but we suspect Camden is Bode’s captain on a campaign fire where Bode is earning his stripes as a Cal Fire firefighter.
If everything goes well with Padalecki on Fire Country, he could get a spinoff of his own, which has not been officially ordered yet but is in early development now.
How will Sheriff Country be set up?
Speaking of spinoffs, there’s one that’s definitely happening. It’s called Sheriff Country, and it’s in the works for the 2025-26 season. It will star Morena Baccarin as Sheriff Mickey Fox, who was introduced in Season 2. Mickey is Sharon’s (Diane Farr) step-sister and Bode’s aunt, and the new sheriff of Edgewater, Calif.
While Sheriff Country is still a ways away, Fire Country could potentially do more to build anticipation for the show by involving Fox in more adventures in Season 3. No official plans have been announced, but we’d be surprised if Mickey doesn’t show up in Season 3.
Fire Country premieres Friday, Oct. 18 at 9/8c on CBS and streams on Paramount+.