Fire Countryseason 4 may need some help to recapture its audience after trending downwards season after season, andone hit show has the blueprint that the procedural needs to follow. ThroughoutFire Country’srun, it’s proven to be one of the most intense procedurals on the air, but it’s trended down for audiences, losing viewership numbers year over year.
While the show has been a continued success for CBS,Fire Countryseason 4has a lot to prove. After the pivotalFire Countryseason 3 finale saw the show bidding farewell to Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila) and potentially losing Leone family patriarch Vince Leone (Billy Burke) in a tragic fire,the show could potentially reset itself completely moving forward.
For seasons,Fire Countryhas moved awayfrom the more intricate ins and outs of firefighting and toward a more melodramatic fire-of-the-week style plot. Despite knowing that one of the biggest draws of the show was the portrayal of firefighters in a densely fire prone area, the series has shifted.Fire Countrycould use another hit show as the blueprintfor a reset.
Fire Country’s Ratings Have Declined Each Season
The Show Hasn’t Been Growing Viewership
WhenFire Countrybegan, the show was one of the most buzzed-about new series of its season. With a fascinating look at a team of firefighters who were working within one of California’s densest wildfire zones, the decision to include a group of firefighters whowork within the California Conservation Camp Program was a frech new take on the concept.
With the firefighters on screen training for an eventual spot within Cal Fire’s team and in hopes to shorten their incarceration sentence, the stakes were high and viewers were quickly invested. Unfortunately, the way thatFire Countryhas rolled out their plotsand moved through their character arcs has shifted viewers' expectations of the show in general, losing viewership each year.
Fire Country Has Gotten Too Far Away From Its Original Firefighting Premise In Favor Of Melodrama
The Plots In Recent Seasons Have Been Less About The Show’s Premise
Throughout the first season ofFire Country, it was clear that the world of the show was unique and allowed for viewers to feel grounded in a place with specific characters. As the show has moved forward, however,it’s felt far less rooted in reality with each passing season. Instead,Fire Countryhas turned to melodramatic plotsto keep things going.
Rather than investing in the realities of living in a place where wildfires are frequent and devastating,Fire Countryhas placed more emotional weight on the way their difficult jobs can impact characters' personal lives. Sometimes, the melodramatic plots carry far more weight than the fires themselves, which seems to go against the original intention of the show in the first place.
The Pitt Offers A Blueprint For Fire Country To Reset & Become A Better Show
Its High-Energy, Realistic Syle Could Be Good For Fire Country
WhileThe Pitt, created by R. Scott Gemmill, and executive produced by John Wells & Noah Wyle, may feel like the furthest thing fromFire Country, the CBS series could reset itself using the fresh hit.The Pitttakes itself seriously, which is refreshing for a medical procedural. Allowing for human moments, weighty plots, and accuracy,The Pittis uniquein its genre.
IfFire Countrycould take something fromThe Pittgoing into its next season,the show could find a way to bounce back from the melodrama it’s swathed itself in. WhileThe Pitthas an entirely different tone thanFire Country, the CBS series should take cues of realism and intensity from the streaming series, bringing itself back to life.
