It sounds like crossovers between CBS’ Fire Country and its spinoff series, Sheriff Country, won’t be easy — but what exactly is making it so challenging?
The town of Edgewater was originally introduced when Fire Country premiered in 2022 with inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) returning home and volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program during season 1 of the hit show. By season 2, a backdoor pilot set up the world of Sheriff Country, which received a straight-to-series order with Morena Baccarin at the helm.
“I know there’s a limit to the amount of Country [shows] we can have. I think there’s also a certain point where it’s, like, quality over quantity,” cocreator Thieriot, 36, exclusively told Us Weekly in April. “So the most important thing is that we’re always nurturing Fire Country — and now Sheriff Country — and making sure that they are getting all the attention that they should be getting so that the audience gets what they deserve. That’s, to me, the most important thing. But outside of the Fire Country universe, my wheels are always turning — sometimes to a fault.”
While some Fire Country and Sheriff Country stars have teased crossovers, the reality is a little more tricky. The spinoff is filming in Toronto, which is more than 2,000 miles east of Fire Country‘s set in Vancouver.
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Thieriot recently told TVLine that crossovers “will be challenging [but] they are still something we plan to do.” The Fire Country lead and executive producer of both shows clarified that while it “definitely” will be difficult to figure out crossovers while shooting “on opposite ends” of Canada, “nothing is impossible.”
Baccarin, 46, also addressed how location played a role in her accepting the job offer.
“I said to them, ‘This is a no-brainer for me, but I cannot shoot in Vancouver,’” she explained on the Tuesday, July 22, episode of Michael Rosenbaum’s “Inside of You” podcast. “There’s, like, no way that my family survives, with three kids in New York City. [There’s no way] that this could work.”
The actress, who lives in New York City with husband Ben McKenzie and their kids, made it clear she couldn’t live a five-hour flight from her home. It was ultimately decided that Sheriff Country would be filmed in Toronto, which is a one-hour flight from New York.
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“I was shocked,” she noted. “Because you know how these negotiations go.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Baccarin teased Sheriff Country‘s 20-episode order for its first season, adding, “I haven’t done network TV in a while [since NBC’s The Endgame] because … the 20-episode thing is really tough on everybody. But I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m really excited about the series.”
She continued: “It’s a great premise. It’s a great character. I really, truly love the people that I’m working with who are creating the show. Bruckheimer TV has been incredible in the process, and it’s been smooth sailing.”
Fire Country returns Friday, October 17, on CBS at 8 p.m. and Sheriff Country premieres at 9 p.m. before streaming on Paramount+.
