Yesterday, Deadline reported that beloved Supernatural star Jared Padalecki will be joining the cast of Fire Country for a multi-episode arc in the show’s third season.
Not only that, the site reports that “there is a possibility for the guest stint to lead to a new spinoff.”
Hey, a popular star joins a popular series! It’s the kind of news that everyone can be happy about … right?
Well, not necessarily.
But the good news for Padalecki is that he’s not the cause of the mixed reaction.
Is Fire Country Fizzling Out?
If you’re active in the show’s Reddit community or you read our Fire Country Season 2 round table discussion, then you know the consensus among viewers is that the series really flamed out in its sophomore outing.
In fact, many fans-turned-critics have wondered if any drama has ever taken such a dramatic nosedive between its first and second seasons.
There were extenuating circumstances, of course:
Last year’s writer and actor’s strikes resulted in a longer-than-usual hiatus and a shorter-than-usual season.
Those are tough obstacles for a young show to overcome, and Fire Country compensated by stuffing every episode full of plot twists and soapy, high-stakes drama.
The result, frankly, was a bit of a mess.
The season premiere literally featured a prison knife fight that was interrupted by an earthquake. And things only got more ridiculous from there.
In one of the most derided twists, Sabina Gadecki‘s Cara — who served as both Bode’s ex (and possible baby mama) and Jake’s current love interest — was killed when she momentarily forgot that she had been impaled and lurched forward to grab a set of keys, thus opening her wound.
Shortly thereafter, the show revealed that Cara’s daughter was not Bode’s, as we had been led to believe.
The show’s talented cast does their best with such bonkers material, but that was one of several storylines that left viewers scratching their heads.
After such a rocky season, fans would welcome news that the show’s writers and producers had decided to double down and focus their energies on restoring the series’ reputation.
Instead, they received word that the Fire Country franchise is expanding.
Fire Country Is Spreading
Yes, even before this week’s Padalecki report, we knew that Fire Country would be taking a page from the Dick Wolf playbook and branching out with a new spinoff.
Morena Baccarin is set to star in Sheriff Country, a project that’s worrisome for reasons beyond its baffling title.
Like Padalecki, Baccarin is a beloved TV vet whose involvement in the Country universe began with a stint on the flagship series.
Now, she’s set to star in her own NorCal first-responder drama, in which she’ll presumably play the country sheriff of Sheriff Country (we can’t with that title).
To be clear, Padalecki and Baccarin are both charismatic stars who are perfectly capable of carrying their own series.
The show’s current cast features a slew of gifted actors, including Jordan Calloway, Kevin Alejandro, Jules Lattimer, Billy Burke, and Diane Farr, who brings some much-needed levity to the proceedings.
Series star Max Theriot’s performance is a bit too one-note-dour for our taste, but he deserves credit for pulling double duty as one of the series’ creators.
(He’s like a young, jacked Orson Welles. Call him Orson Swells.)
The point is that this show is still loaded with potential.
But it’s hard not to feel like the aggressive expansion of the franchise is all happening too fast.
Fire Country took off like a shot in its first season and quickly became the most-watched show on TV.
(It’s since been replaced by Tracker, another CBS drama with a bit of an eccentric premise.)
Sure, it was another hour-long drama focusing on the trials and tribulations of the folks who show up when you dial 911.
But there was a promising twist with this one:
Here was a show that asked us to root for convicted felons, that promised the sort of long-arc redemption narrative rarely seen on network television.
In the early days, there were hopes that the series would explore the problems within our criminal justice system and the challenges of repairing a broken family.
Instead, Fire Country Season 2 mostly consisted of love triangles and zaniness involving chemical fires.
Maybe the spinoffs starring Padalecki and Baccarin can deliver on the promise of the original series.
But why should viewers put their trust in a creative team that has already let them down once?
If Fire Country were still dazzling viewers with a careful interplay between believable human drama and white-knuckle action scenes, we’d be on board with the current expansion plan.
As it is, it feels like this franchise is in danger of going up in flames.
What do you think, TV fanatics? Is Fire Country spreading itself too thin? Are you excited to see Jared Padalecki strap on his boots and helmet?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!