After being delayed for one year, Sheriff Country finally premieres this fall.
Since Fire Country came out swinging in 2023, it was only a matter of time before CBS tried to capitalize on this success.
Television history has taught us that just because one show is successful, it doesn’t mean its spinoffs will be.
Viewers are usually apprehensive about being manipulated into dedicating their time to a subpar show, just because they like its predecessor.
Sheriff Country has the potential to flop, joining a myriad of spinoffs that never took off, such as The Blacklist: Redemption, The Rookie: Feds, and Freeridge, among others.
But conceptually, Sheriff Country is a great idea, and the more I read about the show, the more I’m convinced that it’ll be better than Fire Country.
The Side of Edgewater Never Before Seen
Small towns often present a particular image, where everything is slow, people enjoy life, they enjoy each other, and are very kind.
However, anyone who has lived in one knows that, while they might not be as frequent, these towns also experience the darker side of humanity.
Fire Country has explored conflict in Edgewater, but not in the manner that Sheriff Country promises to.
“It is very much a salute to small towns,” showrunner Matt Lopez said in an interview with TV Insider. However, it’s not just about the happy, shiny image that small towns project.
“I don’t discount the focus on community, but starting in Episode 2, one of the things we will do in Sheriff Country is show viewers some of the darker corners of Edgewater that [viewers] may not have seen before on Fire Country,” he added.
While Fire Country delivers some of the best stories based on emergencies, the nature of emergencies doesn’t allow for an exploration of intent because many are accidents.
Sheriff Country is a police drama that, in combination with its small-town setting, explores unique stories from small-town America. For example, one of the earliest cases Sheriff Mickey works on involves a massive conflict between two brothers who have just lost their mother.
This allows for deeper, more human stories that Fire Country can never achieve.
Sheriff Country has a Great Main Character
In the few instances that we’ve seen Morena Baccarin in Fire Country, her character seems like someone you actually would like to watch.
Now, we shouldn’t celebrate too early because even Bode seemed like a great character until later, but I’m willing to bet that Mickey is an upgrade.
As a mother and someone in a position of power, she does not have the luxury of going off script like Bode does, so she might not be as aggravating to watch.
She is methodical and focused, which is what you want from your sheriff.
“Mickey Fox is perfectly willing and able and prepared to use a peacemaker, but she’s also, when the situation calls for it, able to be a peacemaker,” Lopez said of the character.
And at this rate, anyone is an upgrade from Bode.
For viewers who love Fire Country’s soapy side, the spinoff also teases some soapiness as Mickey’s fractured family comes into the picture.
There is Skye, the daughter, who seems unable to stay out of trouble, and the ex-husband from an influential family.
There is also some more drama to anticipate, the nature of which is being kept close to the vest, but it is pretty explosive.
Sheriff Country promises everything we love about Fire Country, but with extra spice.
Will that happen? We’ll have to tune in when the show premieres on Friday, October 17.
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