Fire Country cast shakeup: Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke leave after three seasons

Express Tribune

26-04-2025

CBS' Fire Country will head into its fourth season without two of its original cast members, marking a significant change for the firefighter drama.
The show, which has kept its main seven-member cast intact since its premiere, will part ways with Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke. Arcila played Gabriela Perez, a firefighter and paramedic who shared an on-and-off romance with Bode Leone (Max Thieriot), while Burke portrayed Vince Leone, the Cal Fire Battalion Chief and Bode's father.
The news comes after a possible exit storyline for Jordan Calloway's character, Station 42 Captain Jake Crawford, was hinted at earlier in the season. However, it will be Arcila and Burke who are leaving the series, with Arcila confirmed as a former series regular. While the departure of Burke has not been officially confirmed by the show's creators, they have refrained from commenting to keep fans intrigued about the future of the character.
The announcement comes after a tense season finale that left fans on edge. In the April 25, 2025, two-part Season 3 finale, the show ended with three key characters — Vince, his wife Sharon (Diane Farr), and his father Walter (Jeff Fahey) — trapped in a collapsing building engulfed by wildfire. Despite the fiery chaos, Gabriela survived a recent stalker arc, which had raised concerns for her fate. The finale also featured a cliffhanger, leaving the characters' lives in the balance.
In a joint interview with Deadline, Fire Country co-creators Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, along with executive producer Tia Napolitano, explained that the decision to part ways with Arcila and Burke was creatively driven rather than financially motivated. Rater stated, "It really just comes down to what's the best creatively," with Napolitano adding that the show wanted to honor the dangers of the firefighter profession by increasing stakes and authenticity.
Arcila's character will not be fully written off. The producers expressed their commitment to keeping her involved in future episodes as a guest star. Napolitano added, 'We hope to see her back very soon, to give her a proper not goodbye, but see you later.' Arcila herself expressed openness to returning, stating, 'I never say never.'
Burke, meanwhile, has taken on a guest role in Peacock's M.I.A. and is believed to have been offered reduced episode counts for the upcoming season, a move that many cast members reportedly rejected earlier this year.
The show remains one of CBS' most popular series, and Fire Country continues to hold its place as a significant part of the network's Friday lineup, with a spinoff, Sheriff Country, starring Morena Baccarin, set to premiere in the fall.
Fire Country follows Bode Leone, a young convict seeking redemption by joining a prison-release firefighting program in his rural Northern California hometown. The series is inspired by Thieriot's experiences growing up in fire country and co-created with Phelan and Rater.