It sounds like Fire Country will soon become Fire Universe. In a new interview, CBS Entertainment boss George Cheeks hinted that the hit firefighter drama, which wrapped its chart-topping debut season on May 19 and was swiftly renewed for Season 2, is ripe for a spinoff: "Not only was the show special, it really felt like this could be a great example of us building together a franchise from scratch."
"We are focused on mass-appeal franchises," CBS Entertainment President George Cheeks told Deadline at the Banff World Media Festival on June 13. "We started with expanding universes, reimagining, but also creating new franchises. And again, this season's number one show was Fire Country, which completely lends itself to building out a whole new universe. So it is really important for us to double down on a franchise focus."
Fire Country, which follows a group of inmates working alongside a team of elite firefighters to extinguish massive blazes across California, topped this year's ranking of new shows. Co-created by and starring Max Thieriot (CBS' SEAL Team), the gritty drama was the most-watched new TV series of the 2022-2023 season, averaging 8.3 million viewers per week. The knockout first season included a buzzy cameo by country star Kane Brown, and all-new original songs from Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley.
Sergei Bachlakov/CBS
It's no surprise, then, that CBS would seek to expand the series with multiple spinoffs, à la the network's perennial ratings juggernaut NCIS.
"It became very clear that not only was the show special, it really felt like this could be a great example of us building together a franchise from scratch," Cheeks continued. "And so I'm like, 'You guys, congratulations, you got your back nine. Now let's start talking about ideas for new extensions.'"
According to Cheeks, the Fire Country team has "already come up with some great" ideas for franchise extensions — things like spinoffs, sequels and prequels. But the studio isn't rushing the process:
"We're not necessarily looking at next year. We're looking when they're ready. That's the beauty of the gestation process. We know that we're doubling down on this one, so let's get it right."
Cheeks went on to describe a Yellowstone-style interconnected universe of shows. The flagship Taylor Sheridan drama, which airs on the Paramount Network and streams later on Peacock (due to an old studio deal), has led to Paramount+ spinoffs 1883 and 1923. Fire Country airs on the CBS network and streams next-day on Paramount+, which is where any streaming spinoffs of the series would go.
"Whether that means three years down the road or whether that means a Paramount+ original or a CBS original, we'll see where it lands," Cheeks concluded.
All episodes of Fire Country Season 1 are now streaming on Paramount+.
READ MORE: 'Fire Country' Season 2: Everything Fans Need to Know About the Firefighter Drama
