Jared Padalecki Lined Up A New TV Show (That Isn't The Rumored Fire Country Spinoff), But I'm Still Pumped About It

Jared Padalecki wearing a Dodgers jersey talking with his hands in Fire Country.
(Image credit: Eric Milner/CBS )

So, here’s the thing, I loved Jared Padalecki’s arc on Fire Country, and I’ve been thrilled about the rumors that he might get to lead his own spinoff of the CBS drama. However, we know Camden Casey won’t be back during Season 3, and we’ve heard no updates about his potential new show. Now, the Supernatural alum is developing a new medical drama with Walker’s showrunner, and I have conflicted feelings because it sounds like a program I’d also want to tune into.

This New Show Jared Padalecki Is Working On Sounds Awesome

As we wait for CBS’s lineup to return on the 2025 TV schedule, the wheels are already spinning in terms of planning new shows that will premiere down the line. According to TV Line, Jared Padalecki is working on one of those, as he is set to re-team with Walker’s showrunner, Anna Fricke, for a new medical drama.

Per the report, the series is in the works at CBS, and it would be a medical procedural set in rural Texas, which makes sense considering Padalecki’s Texas roots as well as both his and Fricke’s Walker background. Honestly, based on the official logline, this show sounds pretty awesome as it would follow a:

…devoted country doctor (played by Padalecki) who practices his unique style of improvisational medicine alongside his new protégé, a young doctor running from her past, as they operate a mobile clinic and heal the bodies and souls of their underserved community in the medical desert of rural Texas.

Now, I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a fun series to me! Not only is the premise really interesting – I mean, an unconventional doctor working with another doctor with a secret, sign me up – but, the reunion of Padalecki and Fricke is exciting too.

Anna Fricke was the showrunner on Walker from day one, and she and Padalecki both also worked on its spinoff, Walker: Independence. They collaborated for years on those two shows – as the flagship series ran from 2021 to 2024 – and I’m excited about the prospect of them doing another program together.

So, all of that put together makes for a project that I'm already anticipating. However, it has me wondering about the other prospective series Padalecki was possibly going to lead, his Fire Country spinoff.

However, What Will This Mean For His Rumored Fire Country Show?

At the moment, there’s no confirmation about if the Gilmore Girls actor will lead his own spinoff of Max Thieriot's series. Also, as TV Line pointed out, before his show could even get off the ground, Morena Baccarin’s spinoff, Sheriff Country, has to premiere first, and that show is slated for the 2025-2026 season. So, I can see why he’s moving on with another series.

However, this all makes me a tad disappointed, because I really dug his Fire Country character. I was so curious about his backstory, and I thought it’d be fascinating to see how fighting fires in SoCal differs from the work Station 42 does in Northern California. Plus, I could feel that care was put into the part too on both sides, as both Max Thieriot and showrunner Tia Napolitano told me that Camden was written specifically for Padalecki and he brought so much to the role as well. By leading another show, the idea of him playing Camden in a bigger way seems to diminish a bit, and it makes me think we might not get to learn about his background and life outside of Edgewater.

On the bright side, both the actor’s new procedural as well as his future with Cal Fire are up in the air. His new show was only just announced, and it does not have a title yet. Meanwhile, his Fire Country spinoff is not confirmed. So, there’s still a lot to learn, and maybe, somehow, they can make it all work, because I’d like to see both shows.

At the very least, I hope Jared Padalecki returns to Fire Country as a guest star while he works on this other CBS show. That way, we can have the best of both worlds in a realistic way. But in the meantime, while we wait for more updates, you can go back and watch his three-episode arc on Fire Country with a Paramount+ subscription.

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.