Fire Country is ready to return for a fourth season after impressing with its offbeat premise, but it seems that two major stars, Billy Burke, who portrayed Cal Fire chief, and Stephanie Arcila, who portrayed Gabriela Perez, will not return to the series. Fire Country co-creators and executive producers Joan Rater and Tony Phelan recently spoke about this departure. Executive producer and showrunner Tia Napolitano also joined them in the interview.
Why Stephanie Arcila’s Gabriela Perez left Fire Country
There were rumors about Stephanie Arcila’s departure after how her story ended in Season 3. However, the showrunner and executive producers seem to have a different take on why she needed to go.
Napolitano spoke about this in a recent interview with Deadline. She explained that the cast shakeups were a part of maintaining the show’s realistic approach. She explained, “Especially in the beginning, we felt like we had lightning in a bottle. It just was magic, the chemistry with this cast. Season 2 was obviously very short because of the strike, and at this time, Season 3, leaning into the authenticity of the real-life heroes that our characters are playing, people die, they leave.”
She continued to elaborate, “That’s a reality, there’s danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes. Again, coming from a show like Grey’s Anatomy for years and years, that’s how it works with character-driven dramas. You want the opportunity for that door to open, for someone to walk out of it, or for someone to walk into it. We’re really leaning into that aspect of the show as well as honoring the authenticity.”
This revelation suggests that Arcila’s Gabriela left mainly for narrative reasons. However, Phelan confirmed in the interview that the story of Bode and Stephanie does not end here.
“It was really a decision that came out of the dynamic between Bode and Gabriela; we felt like those two characters needed a reset,” Phelan said. “We love Stephanie, and we are committed to saying that the Bode-Gabriela story does not end here; it goes on,” he added. They’re hoping to bring that character back. Phelan said that this is because “we think that they have such great chemistry, and the audience is really invested in the two of them.”
So, it seems clear that Perez’s role has not come to an end permanently. But it has also come to an end for now.
Fire Country Season 4 is currently dropping new episodes every week.
