‘Fire Country’ casts ‘Juno’ star as show’s first-ever series regular for Season 5
CBS's firefighter drama 'Fire Country' has made some exciting changes ahead of its next season. The series premiered its Season 4, featuring 20 episodes, from October 17, 2025, to May 22, 2026. Co-created by Max Thieriot, Tony Phelan, and Joan Rater, the hit drama series was renewed for a fifth season in January. It is set to return this fall with a shorter 13-episode installment, but an official release date has not been announced yet. The show's lead star recently shared that production for the upcoming season has already begun. On Monday, Deadline exclusively reported that actress Olivia Thirlby will join the next season of 'Fire Country' as a series regular, in a highly unusual move for a broadcast television show.
The 39-year-old actress is set to play Cecilia Jade 'CJ' Ryan, a sharp, no-nonsense urban firefighter with a mysterious past. Soon after arriving in Edgewater, she runs into the show's protagonist, Bode Leone (Max Thieriot), who offers her a job at Station 42 despite her lack of experience dealing with woodland fires. CJ gradually settles into the rural setting of Edgewater and makes a new start in life, leaving her troubled past behind. Her casting makes her the show's first-ever series-regular addition, so there is excitement to see how her entry changes the established dynamics among the show's main characters.
Fans may remember Thirlby as Leah from 2007's coming-of-age drama film 'Juno.' She has also played Natalie in the sci-fi thriller 'The Darkest Hour,' Judge Cassandra Anderson in 'Dredd,' and Lilli Hornig in Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning biopic, 'Oppenheimer.' Moreover, she starred as Lucy Kittridge in the legal drama 'Goliath,' and played Hero Brown in 2021's post-apocalyptic drama 'Y: The Last Man.' She also has recurring roles in shows like 'The L Word: Generation Q,' 'Law & Order: Organized Crime,' and 'Wonder Man. '
Furthermore, she is not the only new addition to Season 5 of 'Fire Country.' In March, Eric Guggenheim was announced as the new showrunner and executive producer for the show's next installment, following Tia Napolitano's exit after four seasons. Guggenheim is known for helming other CBS dramas like 'Magnum P.I.' and 'Hawaii Five-0.' The hit procedural drama has mostly maintained its main cast since the series began in 2022. Billy Burke, who played Bode's father, Vincent 'Vince' Leone, exited the series at the end of Season 3, and Stephanie Arcila, who played Bode's love interest, Gabriela Perez, left at the end of Season 4.
Max Thieriot leads the series as the inmate-turned-firefighter Bode Leone, alongside Diane Farr as Sharon Leone, Kevin Alejandro as Manuel 'Manny' Perez, Jordan Calloway as Jake Crawford, and Jules Latimer as Eve Edwards. 'Fire Country' will return with Season 5 this fall at 9 p.m. ET on Friday nights on CBS and will stream on Paramount+.
