Passion and heat! The CBS drama Fire Country follows convict Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot) as he joins the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — and finds himself in a sizzling love triangle.
When Bode returns to his hometown and joins Cal Fire in exchange for a reduced prison sentence, he forms a strong connection with Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila), the daughter of fire captain Manny Perez (Kevin Alejandro). However, Gabriela is already in a relationship with firefighter Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway), Bode’s former best friend.
The series premiered in October 2022 and was renewed for a second season in January 2023. Throughout the first installment, the spark between Gabriela and Bode grew — with Jake taking notice of the new dynamic.
“Jake’s going to give a bit of a fight,” Calloway told TV Insider of his character in January 2023. “That’s a tough pill for him to swallow.”
Arcila chimed in that Gabriela wants to take things slowly with Bode to mitigate damage. “She’s being as emotionally intelligent as she can,” the Penny Dreadful alum said.
Thieriot, for his part, who is a cocreator and executive producer of the series, said it’s hard for his character to decide between his new flame and his old friend.
“There’s this undeniable thing that Bode and Gabriela have been trying to fight, but they’re losing that struggle. And he and Jake were best friends. Can they overcome this? It’s all juicy stuff to deal with,” the Bates Motel alum said.
Offscreen, Thieriot is married to Lexi Murphy, whom he met as a teenager. The pair tied the knot in June 2013 and welcomed sons Beau and Maximus in December 2015 and January 2018, respectively.
“Married the most beautiful and amazing woman in the entire world,” the Catch That Kid actor wrote via Twitter after the nuptials.
Thieriot revealed that his wife — along with his SEAL Team costar A.J. Buckley — encouraged him to star in Fire Country during an October 2022 interview with Emmys.com.
“A.J. had been saying throughout the process, ‘Max, you’ve got to star in this. It’s your show,’” the California native told the website. “And then my wife said to me one day, ‘You’re gonna regret it if you don’t.’”
In August 2019, Thieriot wished his wife a happy birthday via Instagram. “I’m reminded every day that I’m the luckiest guy in the world because the first thing I get to see when I open my eyes is your face. Happy birthday to you, my queen!” He captioned a selfie with his longtime love.
Scroll down to see who the Fire Country cast has dated:
