Sheriff Country Spinoff Casts Mickey’s Dad — Deadwood’s W. Earl Brown to First Appear on Fire Country
The first Fire Country spinoff is starting to take shape.
Eight months after Morena Baccarin debuted as sheriff Mickey Fox on Fire Country, and seven months after CBS formally ordered a Baccarin-led Sheriff Country to series, a second cast member has been signed.
More from TVLine
W. Earl Brown, whose past TV credits include Deadwood, Preacher and Hacks, will guest-star on Fire Country later this season as Wes, Mickey’s dad and Sharon’s (Diane Farr) stepfather. Brown’s guest-starring role comes with the option to be a series regular on Sheriff Country when it premieres on CBS.
Wes is described as a secretive, off-the-grid marijuana grower who lives a semi-reclusive life in the mountains of Edgewater, allowing only a select few to know the location of his operation. His illegal business creates tension with daughter Mickey, who is of course in law enforcement. Wes, though, is kind and generous toward his family, particularly his yet-to-be-cast granddaughter Sky.
Here is everything else we know about the Sheriff Country spinoff….
Why Did Fire Country Get a Spinoff?
Um, hello, did you see Fire Country‘s Season 1 numbers…?
Season 1 of the Max Thieriot-led firefighter drama averaged 8.4 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating (with Live+7 playback), ranking fifth in audience among the 14 dramas CBS aired that TV season while tying FBI for No. 1 — No. 1! — in the demo.
Fire Country also easily reigned as the 2022-23 TV season’s most-watched and highest-rated freshman series.
What Is the Fire Country Spinoff About?
As your friendly neighborhood TVLine was the very first to report in November 2023, Fire Country‘s first offshoot will be “sheriff-centric.”
In the Fire Country episode “Alert The Sheriff” (which aired April 12, 2024), after a fire camp inmate escaped from Three Rock, deputy sheriff Mickey Fox — who came bearing a “surprising connection” to the Leone family — was called to investigate.
The offshoot’s official synopsis tells us that Morena Baccarin “stars as straight-shooting sheriff Mickey Fox, the stepsister of Cal Fire’s division chief Sharon Leone (Fire Country‘s Diane Farr), who investigates criminal activity as she patrols the streets of small-town Edgewater while contending with her ex-con father and a mysterious incident involving her wayward daughter.”
Matt Lopez (Promised Land) will serve as showrunner.
Who Will Star in the Spinoff?
Back in December 2023, CBS/CBS Studios began the process of casting a female sheriff character who would first appear in a Season 2 Fire Country episode.
On Jan. 23, 2024, it was reported that Morena Baccarin (Gotham, Homeland) would pop up on Fire Country as a guest star, with an option for a series regular role in the spinoff if Sheriff Country wound up ordered to series.
Baccarin guest-starred in the April 12, 2024 episode of Fire Country as Mickey Fox, a sheriff’s deputy with 15 years of experience, and who is fiercely protective of her Edgewater, California turf.
In mid-December, W. Earl Brown (Deadwood, Preacher) was cast as Mickey’s father, Wes, an off-the-grid marijuana grower who lives a semi-reclusive life in the mountains of Edgewater, allowing only a select few to know the location of his operation.
Mickey’s daughter Skye has not yet been cast.
Is Sheriff Country Definitely Happening?
Yep!
As part of its full 2024-25 TV schedule reveal on May 2, CBS announced that the Morena Baccarin-led Fire Country spinoff has been officially ordered to series — but it won’t debut until the 2025-26 TV season.
In a TVLine poll, 63% said that they would “definitely” watch Sheriff Country, while 25% said “maybe” (depending on who else gets cast). The other 12% were a big nope.
Could There Be More Fire Country Spinoffs?
As the Magic 8-Ball we played with as kids would sometimes say: “Outlook good.”
CBS CEO Cheeks first teased Fire Country offshoots, plural, back in June 2023, saying the network would be “doubling down” on a show that “completely lends itself to building out a whole new universe.”
Coming off of best-of-freshman class ratings and a highly engaged audience, “It became very clear that not only was [Fire Country] special, it really felt like this could be a great example of us building together a franchise from scratch,” Cheeks said. “And so I’m like, ‘You guys, congratulations, you got your [full-season order]. Now let’s start talking about ideas for new extensions.’ They’ve already come up with some great ones.”
Most recently, Supernatural vet Jared Padalecki had a three-episode arc as Camden Casey, a SoCal firefighter who led Bode through the final phase of his certification to be a non-con firefighter, and work for Cal Fire. A second spinoff centered around Padalecki’s character is a possibility.
Would All Fire Country Spinoffs Air on CBS?
Sheriff Country will air on CBS, during the 2025-26 TV season. But CBS president and CEO George Cheeks, when first teasing spinoffs back in June 2023, allowed for other possible destinations.
“We’re not necessarily looking at [launching the first spinoff in 2024]; we’re looking when they’re ready,” Cheeks said. “That’s the beauty of the gestation process. We know that we’re doubling down on this one, so let’s get it right. And whether that that means three years down the road, or whether that means a Paramount+ original or a CBS original, we’ll see where it lands.”
Want scoop on CBS’ Fire Country, or for any other TV show ? Email [email protected], and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line!
Best of TVLine
Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
