Fire Country Season 4 Faces A Bigger Story Problem Than Losing Both Vince & Gabriela

The CBS drama Fire Country could be facing a bumpy road ahead upon its return for season 4. The action-packed drama has a major story problem, especially after losing major characters, Vince Leone (Billy Burke) and Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila). The upcoming season might have a challenging time in its crossover event with the spin-off series Sheriff Country.

With a life-or-death stakes-driven show like Fire Country, there's bound to be heavy losses for the Station 42 firefighters to deal with. Season 3 left Station 42 reeling in a state of shambles after two heavy departures. During the Fire Country season 3 finale, Vince was caught in a fiery building collapse. Although Gabriela didn't meet an untimely end, she decided to leave the town of Edgewater after a near-death situation with a stalker.

With these two characters missing in action, explaining their whereabouts might be tricky with Fire Country's upcoming crossover with Sheriff Country. Not only are the two dramas actually set in the same fictional town, but the main characters also share a connection.

Sheriff Mickey Fox (Baccarin) happens to be somewhat related to Vince's wife, Sharon Leone (Diane Farr), who is her estranged half-sister. With these two shows in the same universe, will their next confrontation runs the risk of being bogged down by too much exposition and not enough action.

Fire Country Season 4's Crossovers With Sheriff Country Will Be Trickier To Pull Off

It's Strange That Sheriff Mickey Wasn't Involved In The Fire Country Storylines

Interactions between the major characters have not happened more frequently because, although the two shows are set in Edgewater, the actual filming takes place in different locations in Canada. Baccarin, the former Gotham star, shared the big reason why her spin-off show films in Toronto instead of Vancouver, where production of Fire Country is shot.

“I said to them, ‘This is a no-brainer for me, but I cannot shoot in Vancouver.' There’s, like, no way that my family survives, with three kids in New York City," Baccarin said."There’s no way that this could work. I was shocked, because you know how these negotiations go.”

While Vince and Gabriela's departures can be chalked up to creative decisions, the crossover also appears to be missing out on the requisite drama. Story-wise, it's odd that Sheriff Mickey wouldn't have gotten involved in the building collapse that took Vince's life. It's odd that Mickey wouldn't have investigated the stalker who was preying on Gabriela.

Why Fire & Sheriff Country Need More Crossovers Than Your Typical Franchise Shows

This isn't the typical crossover event where superheroes from parallel Earths meet for the first time to tackle a common enemy. Although one episode will continue the storyline thread into the next, these are grounded characters dealing with real stakes.

Crossovers can be a ratings gimmick, but Fire Country and Sheriff Country share something in common. These characters might not live to see the next day because of their dangerous jobs.

Because these characters are living in the same small town, it's difficult to believe that Bode, Sharon, and Mickey are not fully aware of each other's adventures. Especially since the events are particularly big ones, it doesn't make much sense that all three aren't involved more often with cross-department jobs.

On a personal level, if Bode and Sharon are in emotional distress, it's strange that neither of them has turned to Mickey for help. Even if the sisters are estranged, it's hard to believe that Mickey would really ditch Sharon after she lost her husband.

As such, Fire Country faces a big challenge when the show returns for its fourth season. Although the characters live in the same town as Sheriff Country, audiences might wonder why they aren't involved in each other's lives. Hopefully, these shows will give their audience what they deserve and deliver meaningful interactions among the cast.