Last summer, it was announced that Jared Padalecki was joining Season 3 of Fire Country, and it was a massive deal! To this day, he’s one of the biggest names to join the cast of the CBS drama, and his character Camden has the potential to spin off into his own show. Now, I’ve been wondering if the Supernatural star will return during the second half of the fire procedural’s junior season, and showrunner Tia Napolitano has opened up about the actor’s future on the show.
Now, take a deep breath folks, and prepare for the not-ideal answer. During an interview with TV Insider, Tia Napolitano confirmed that Jared Padalecki will not return as Camden this season. So, as Fire Country Season 3 finishes out its run on the 2025 TV schedule, we’ll be without the new captain, as the showrunner explained:
We won’t see him this season, but the door’s definitely not closed. He was just a delight of a human, just a wonderful person and a wonderful actor. And that character was so fun. I thought he really brought something special to the show.
Sigh…so no more Casey Camden this season. That’s a bummer too, because I really dug the conflict between him and Bode that led to both of them growing. Plus, I really want to know more about the captain, the loved ones he lost on the job and his life in SoCal.
I’m also slightly disappointed about this because I know Max Thieriot and Padalecki are pals in real life, and the role of Camden was written specifically for the Walker star. So, there’s a personal connection there. The character was created specifically for this actor, and I thought he was great in the role during his three-episode arc on Fire Country.
However, while it’s not ideal that he won’t be back during Season 3, that does not mean he’s gone for good. In fact, he probably isn’t. Like Morena Baccarin’s Sheriff Mickey, a spinoff could be in sight for Padalecki and his firefighter Camden.
So cross your fingers and knock on wood that all this happens.
I adored Camden’s little arc in this season of Fire Country. He brought a totally new vibe to the show, he helped Bode’s story as a free man advance, and it introduced us to a super interesting and complicated character. So, here’s hoping that his spinoff gets confirmed or this SoCal firefighter returns in the early episodes of Season 4 (if it gets renewed), because I’d like to see him back sooner rather than later.
While we wait for more Jared Padalecki on Fire Country, you can go back and watch his three episodes from Season 3, which are episodes 5, 6 and 7 specifically, with a Paramount+ subscription. Meanwhile, to see what happens next in Edgewater, you can catch the second half of Fire Country on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS starting January 31.
