Firefighter and EMT shows have been around for decades but have become increasingly popular in recent years thanks to shows like “Chicago Fire,” “Station 19,” and “9-1-1.” CBS launched its latest show in the genre, “Fire Country,” in 2022 and set it apart from the competition by introducing audiences to a small town instead of throwing its heroes into a big city and letting the fires and romantic drama cloud the atmosphere.
Edgewater is different. The small, fictional town in “Fire Country” is surrounded by mountains and forest. It’s north of San Francisco and prone to wildfires. While reminiscent of Humboldt County and the San Francisco Bay area, Edgewater has an unmistakable Hollywood charm that’s all its own. Its fire departments are heavily influenced by families like the Leones, whose son Bode (Max Thieriot) has worked his way from being an inmate in the fictional Cal Fire Three Rock Con Camp to being hired as a legitimate firefighter at Edgewater’s Station 42 over the show’s five seasons.
Bode’s journey is a complicated one involving healing familial wounds, repairing friendships, and, unsurprisingly, finding love amid a lot of trauma. But, between rescuing civilians and homes from fires, the Leones and their loved ones have stories that are grounded in reality and focus on heart. There’s a bar where everybody knows each other, firefighter family dinners, and festivals that can only happen in a town where everyone knows the high school quarterback’s name. The vibes of “Fire Country” are hard to replicate, but here are five shows to watch if you love escaping to Edgewater.
9-1-1: Nashville
“9-1-1: Nashville” is a spinoff of the successful “9-1-1” franchise and shares the country, homey vibes that persist in “Fire Country” even though only one of the shows is set in the South. Firefighting is all in the family on “9-1-1: Nashville,” too. Captain Don Hart (Chris O’Donnell) leads fictional Station 113 and works alongside his two sons, Ryan Hart (Michael Provost) and Blue Bennings (Hunter McVey).
The Leones and the Harts have family drama in common, but the Harts’ issues have an unmistakable spice that’s only found in the “9-1-1” universe. Blue is Don’s son with his ex, former backup singer Dixie Bennings (LeAnn Rimes), who is bitter about a lot more than the fact that her career dreams didn’t materialize. Her desire to be with Don is also unfulfilled, thanks in large part to Don’s wife Blythe (Jessica Capshaw). Rimes adds an almost indescribable touch of Cruella de Vil to her villain performance. Plus, Capshaw plays the uptight, entitled, yet equally calculated foil perfectly, so their rivalry is one of the best parts of the show.
“Fire Country” and “9-1-1: Nashville” also incorporate music into their storylines — it would be a crime if the latter show didn’t with Rimes in the ensemble. Station 113 has plenty of other characters to fall in love with, including Blythe’s sister-in-law, emergency dispatcher Cammie Raleigh (Kimberly Williams-Paisley).
Sheriff Country
If you watch “Fire Country,” chances are high you also watch “Sheriff Country,” its crime-focused sister show that shares the Edgewater universe. The sheriff’s department is led by Mickey Fox (Morena Baccarin), Sharon Leone’s (Diane Farr) stepsister. It’s so refreshing that the station isn’t a boys’ club, even if its women do face unique challenges.
Mickey’s father Wes (W. Earl Brown) has been in trouble with the law since her childhood because he illegally grows marijuana (and does other shady things as a result). Mickey has used her father’s life as a motivation to be different, but other people in her family have similar issues. When the series begins, Mickey’s daughter Skye (Amanda Arcuri) is a recovering addict. Plus, Mickey is dealing with the fact that her ex-husband, Skye’s father Travis Fraley (Christopher Gorham), is dating one of her deputies, Cassidy Campbell (Michele Weaver). But she always has her second in command, her former partner Nathan Boone (Matt Lauria) to help her hold it together.
The natural, subtle connections between “Fire Country” and “Sheriff Country” are enough, mostly because the worlds cross with casual visits from characters, not just in big crossover events (although a proper one aired November 6). The latest installment in the Edgewater franchise also keeps up the secluded, small town vibeses do have to be outrageous and interesting enough to keep the show moving, and they are
Cal Fire
Triage Entertainment / Third Force Productions
“Cal Fire” is a one-season docuseries that originally aired on the Discovery Channel in 2021. The six-episode show followed actual California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) firefighters throughout the state for three months during the 2020 fire season. It was a devastating season — 4.1 million acres burned, 33 people died, and over 9,000 structures (including homes) were destroyed. The crew of the series underwent special training in order to be allowed to embed themselves into the danger with first responders who put their lives on the line daily in order to save lives and protect the land.
For residents outside of areas prone to wildfires, disasters like the ones shown in “Fire Country” might seem like pure fiction, but they’re all too real, as “Cal Fire” proves. Viewers get to see the damage done by some of the biggest wildfires of the season, like the Apple Fire in Southern California’s Cherry Valley neighborhood and the Creek Fire that raged in Sierra National Forest. The personal sacrifices that people make to help protect others are sometimes hard to watch, but important to see. It’s so easy to get caught up in the scripted drama when watching a show like “Fire Country,” although the producers do a good job of mentioning the real Cal Fire enough. The “Cal Fire” docuseries is a rare chance for “Fire Country” fans to experience the authentic emotions caused by disasters up close.
Rescue Me
Sony Pictures Television / Apostle
The Emmy-winning dramedy “Rescue Me” follows Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) and other FDNY firefighters as they run toward danger to save residents of New York City after September 11, 2001. The vibes of both shows are different because of the setting, but “Rescue Me” also leans more heavily on dark comedy. For example, Tommy talks to ghosts, including the ghost of his cousin Jimmy Keefe (James McCaffrey) throughout the whole series. In his first scene, Jimmy basically trolls Tommy for mentioning him during a talk to firefighters in training. Tommy also has to deal with the fact that his wife Janet (Andrea Roth), whom he’s estranged from in the pilot, is dating again. He lives across the street from her to be closer to his three kids.
Years after the tragedy at the World Trade Center Tommy has nightmares and isn’t coping well at all between the stress of his job and the weird dynamics that come with living across the street from his ex. He’s a relapsing alcoholic with anger issues. It’s not the same, but equally as messy as the fact that at the beginning of “Fire Country,” Bode is a former addict and a convict at fire camp who is estranged from his family after a tragic accident he was in with his sister. The men are on different journeys with overlapping themes, and both series infuse reality into their stories better than similar shows.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websiteor contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
SEAL Team
If Max Thieriot is the main reason you watch “Fire Country,” you might want to give “SEAL Team” a try. Thieriot stars on the show, which was led by David Boreanaz (who plays Jason Hayes) and aired on CBS and Paramount+ for seven seasons from 2017 to 2024. The show focuses on a team of elite Navy SEALs planning, training for, and executing dangerous missions for the U.S. government.
Thieriot plays Clay Spenser, a second-generation Navy SEAL who has a complicated relationship with his father, not unlike Bode at the start of “Fire Country.” Clay eventually marries Stella Baxter (Alona Tal), and must learn to balance his dangerous job with his family responsibilities when they have a son. “Fire Country” cast Tal as Bode’s love interest, Chloe Mackenzie, starting in 2025. If you ship Bode and Chloe but are hesitant to start a military show, their chemistry might lure you in.
Military missions and war are a different type of challenge than fighting fires, but there are overlapping themes in “SEAL Team” and “Fire Country.” Dangerous jobs might cause tension in families, but both stories prove that they force team members to forge strong bonds with each other. And both professions are centered on serving the community at their core, although the scales are often different.
