Fire Country season 2: Will Max Thieriot return as Bode Donovan?

Bode Donovan is the backbone of Fire Country. While much of the show relied on its ensemble of characters, Bode is the one we first met in the pilot, and the one who we invested in most over the course of the first season. He’s the closest thing we have to a protagonist, which made his fate at the end of the season so unexpected.

Bode admitted to his parole board that he had relapsed, and is last seen re-entering the prison system he worked so hard to get away from. It was tragic, it was dramatic, it was everything you could want from good television. But will it be the last time we see the character?

Is Max Thieriot leaving Fire Country?

Thankfully, the answer is no. Bode, played by Max Thierot, will be in a much trickier situation that he was in season 1, but he will still play a vital role in season 2. How do we know? The show’s co-creator/producer,  Joan Rater, said as much when she talked about the character’s fundamental appeal to audiences.

“Max is the guy”, she told CinemaBlend. “I think people came to watch Max. They stay because of Max and because of the story. They’re falling in love with this family, with these people. We just have to keep giving them good story.” Rater went on to reveal that Thieriot was vital in the development of the show, as he lived in an area of California that relies on Department of Corrections inmates to put out fires.

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Thieriot, who is also a producer on Fire Country, talked about the importance of pacing the show for maximum enjoyment, and finding the right balance in front of and behind the camera.

“It’s a fine line of, ‘Okay, what can we give now?’ It’s a push and pull, but it honestly makes the process really fun”, he told Collider. “It’s different for me. I’ve been acting for a long time, and the creative process is so different that it’s a lot of work, but it’s also really exciting because I feel like I’m learning and I’m pushing myself.”

Not only will Thieriot be back as Bode, he will be pushing the story ahead, and making sure that Fire Country remains one of the hottest shows on the network.

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