Fire Country Spinoffs Teased By CBS Exec: 'We're Doubling Down'

Fire Country is guaranteed to be spreading, in the form of NCIS-like spinoffs.

Season 1 of the Max Thieriot-led firefighter drama averaged 8.4 million total viewers and a 0.8 demo rating (with Live+7 playback), ranking fifth in audience among the 14 dramas CBS aired this TV season, while tying FBI for No. 1 in the demo.

Fire Country also easily reigned as the TV season's most-watched and highest-rated freshman series.

"We are focused on mass-appeal franchises," CBS president and CEO George Cheeks told our sister site Deadline at the Banff World Media Festival on Tuesday. "This season's No. 1 show was Fire Country, which completely lends itself to building out a whole new universe."

And it sounds like an idea or two was already bandied about as the freshman drama burned hot this TV season. 

"It became very clear that not only was the show special, it really felt like this could be a great example of us building together a franchise from scratch," Cheeks said. "And so I'm like, 'You guys, congratulations, you got your back nine [full-season order]. Now let's start talking about ideas for new extensions.' They've already come up with some great ones."

The CBS exec though stopped short of saying that, like, Fire Country: Chillicothe would hit the airwaves during the next, WGA strike-delayed season. Or that it would necessarily land on CBS proper.

"We're not necessarily looking at next year. We're looking when they're ready," Cheeks said. "That's the beauty of the gestation process. We know that we're doubling down on this one, so let's get it right. And whether that that means three years down the road or whether that means a Paramount+ original or a CBS original, we'll see where it lands."