Fire Country officially gets to continue past Season 4, as it was renewed alongside nine other CBS series. However, Season 5 is going to be different behind the scenes, because its showrunner is stepping down. That hasn’t stopped her from reacting to the good news, though.
One week before Fire Country got picked up for Season 5, it was reported by Deadline that Tia Napolitano would be leaving the show after Season 4. She’s been the showrunner and an executive producer since the series premiered in 2022, so the news of her exit was shocking. However, her love for the program is not wavering. When it was revealed that the series would continue beyond the 2026 TV schedule, she posted the following message on Instagram:
Season 5! I could not be more proud, more grateful, or happier for our phenomenal crew and cast. All of my gratitude to [Tony Phelan, Joan Rater, Max Thieriot, KristieAnne Reed, CBS TV and CBS Studios]. Forever a fan, I will be cheering for this show from the sidelines next year. #firecountry forever.
Napolitano is a vital part of Fire Country. She’s been leading this show since it began, and she’s overseen it as it became a massive hit and turned into a franchise. Case-in-point, as she continues to run it through Season 4, its spinoff, Sheriff Country, is also finding success and has already been renewed alongside Boston Blue, which is the other series that airs on CBS every Friday.
It’s worth noting that the showrunner’s exit marks another major departure for the series. At the end of Season 3, it was announced that Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke would be leaving, marking the first exits of original cast members. The Gabriela actress did appear in Season 4’s premiere, and her character is alive, so there’s potential for Arcila to return. However, Burke’s character, Vince, died, making his return significantly less likely.
All around, those two exits were big deals and have changed the show. Currently, Sharon and her family are mourning Vince and working to move forward. Meanwhile, Bode seems to be moving on with his love life in the wake of Gabriela’s exit. Considering Napolitano’s history with the series, I’d imagine that her departure will also change things behind the scenes.
However, I am thrilled that she’s still supporting the show and seems to be leaving with no bad blood. She’s made it clear that she very much adores Fire Country. And as it continues into its fifth season, she’ll be watching alongside us viewers.
Fire Country will return on Friday, February 27 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, and you can stream it the next day with a Paramount+ subscription. Meanwhile, we’ll keep you posted on behind-the-scenes updates as we wait to learn who will take over for Tia Napolitano when the fire drama returns for Season 5.
