‘Fire Country’ Season 4 Trailer Confirms Main Character’s Death, Teases Shawn Hatosy’s New Role

CBS isn’t going to make viewers wait until the Oct. 17 premiere to find out who survived the massive fire on “Fire Country.” On Tuesday, the first trailer for Season 4 revealed that Vince (Billy Burke) died in the burning building that the finale ended with, while both Sharon (Diane Farr) and Walter (Jeff Fahey) survived — and Bode (Max Thieriot) seemingly had to be locked in the truck in order to save him too.

In the trailer, Jake (Jordan Calloway) won’t allow Bode to run back inside; he yells, “I will never forgive this.”

After the fire, the trailer cuts to Bode giving a eulogy at his father’s funeral. “I’m going to spend the rest of my career protecting my father’s town, my father’s station, and my father’s mission,” he says. Later, it’s revealed that he feels that means he should be battalion chief, telling Jake (who, more qualified, wants the role), “It’s my birthright.”

The show’s creators opened up about the decision to kill off Vince, telling TVInsider that on a show about firefighters, it felt “truthful to the work that these people do” to have a death.

“Last season was about legacy — Vince dealing with the legacy of his father and using that as a lens to look at what his relationship with Bode was. And as we were talking about the end of the season, we felt like the thing that was really going to shake up the show and shake up our characters in the best way possible and force them to really reassess where they were and what they were doing was this kind of loss,” Tony Phelan said. “And so at the same time, we want to be very respectful of the character of Vince, of how important he is to the show, and how important Billy was as a presence on the show. So, the loss of Vince is going to echo through the entire season, and we are going to see our younger firefighters really have to begin to grapple with growing up and what is the next step for them.”

Elsewhere, the trailer previews a grieving Sharon telling the 42 they’re suspended from active duty and Audrey (Leven Rambin)’s return; plus, Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) tells Bode she still loves him. Though back for the premiere, Arcila is exiting the series after the episode.

Emmy winner Shawn Hatosy also joins this season and can be briefly seen visiting the firefighters in the trailer. He’ll be portraying a new character who helps firefighters deal with loss.

Watch the trailer below: