Jared Padalecki’s Spin-Off May Be Uncertain, But He Needs to Return to ‘Fire Country’

Fire Country‘s third season started with a bang and didn’t let up for the whole 20 episodes. But at the front-end of Season 3, the series introduced Jared Padalecki‘s Camden Casey, an edgy fire captain from Southern California who made it his life’s mission to break Bode (Max Thieriot) into the very best CalFire operative he could be. While his methods were a bit unorthodox and his attitude needed some serious adjustment, the truth is, I’d love to see Casey make his way back to Edgewater in Season 4. Even if he isn’t always the best thing for Bode, this is a character with loads of potential — and it’s so fun watching Padalecki play the part.

Jared Padalecki’s Camden Casey Still Has Real ‘Fire Country’ Potential

At the beginning of Season 3, it was really easy to hate Camden Casey. The character wasn’t exactly the most likable, and his cocky, intense personality made him quickly butt heads with everyone around him. More than that, he was a bad influence on Bode, who was trying to walk the straight-and-narrow after finally being released from Three Rock. However, as Bode realized, Casey was on edge after having lost his younger brother Patrick in a major fire along with the rest of his crew. It was a tragedy in every sense of the word, and one that taught Casey to trust his gut rather than his superiors.

Although he departs Edgewater amicably, he was a bit of an antagonist in his brief time on Fire Country. Still, those three episodes (though it felt like more, which speaks to the effectiveness of the character) proved that Jared Padalecki could fit well with the Fire Country cast. Since we’re about to see that cast decrease heading into Season 4, I think the next best move could be to bring him back for more, especially because his arc doesn’t feel quite finished.

The change in Casey’s point of view heading into his Fire Country departure, seeing the value in balancing following the rules and trusting his gut, felt like the beginning of a larger struggle. As we’ve seen with Bode on the show, there are ups and downs to every pursuit of personal advancement and betterment. While Casey’s appearance here was no doubt meant to garner interest in a potential Fire Country spin-off — currently titled Fire Country: Surfside — that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for him here on the flagship series.

Currently, it appears that Surfside may not happen at all, and if that’s the case, moving Casey up to Edgewater (at least for some time) could be an interesting way to deal with his own trauma. The massive loss of his brother and his crew is not something one can just easily get over, and it’s possible that someone like Bode, who has also lost a sibling, could help him carry that load.

Also, as a fan of Padalecki’s previous series, Walker, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that I felt cheated that we never got any interaction between Camden Casey and Eve’s (Jules Latimer) brother, Elijah Edwards (Jeff Pierre). Padalecki and Pierre had previously worked together on the gone-too-soon Walker, where they had exceptional on-screen chemistry, so for the two of them to appear in multiple episodes together without ever interacting felt like wasted potential. If Casey makes his way back to Edgewater, it would be great if he and Elijah became pals — or perhaps even found themselves at odds. I’ll take whatever I can get.

With So Many ‘Fire Country’ Cast Members Gone, Jared Padalecki Could Lighten the Blow

Admittedly, Jared Padalecki may just be too busy for another Fire Country appearance, but I hope that will change in the future. Between reuniting with his former Supernatural co-stars for The Boys, re-teaming up with his former Walker producer Anna Fricke for a new medical drama, and the possibility (however slim) of this Fire Country spin-off, there’s no denying that Padalecki is in high demand these days. Nevertheless, with the CBS drama losing two of its biggest stars going into Season 4, there will be big shoes to fill by the time the firefighting soap comes back this fall. If the series really wants to raise the stakes and heighten the drama, bringing Casey back as a potential replacement for Vince (Billy Burke), and therefore putting him at odds with Jake (Jordan Calloway), would be quite an electric route for the show to take.

Even if there is no CalFire drama and Casey returns on his own for other reasons, the fact remains that it would be nice to see Padalecki return. Especially in the wake of Vince and Gabriela’s (Stephanie Arcila) exits, Station 42 receiving the additional CalFire support may be crucial during this time. Plus, since we all know that Bode is going to blame himself for whatever happens to his dad, maybe Casey would be just the right person to snap him out of it. Maybe his time in Edgewater did him some good, and maybe now he can come back to return the favor in Station 42’s hour of need. CBS, if you’re reading this, make it happen! We’d love to see Jared Padalecki on the show again.