Yesterday, Deadline reported that beloved Supernatural star Jared Padalecki will be joining the cast of Fire Nation to star in multiple episodes of the show’s third season.
Not only that, but the site also reports that “guest appearances could lead to new spinoffs.”
Hey, a popular star joins a popular series! This is news that everyone can be happy about…right?
Well, not necessarily.
But the good news for Padalecki is that he wasn’t the cause of the mixed reaction.
Is the Fire Nation about to perish?
If you’re active in the show’s Reddit community, or you read our Fire Nation Season 2 roundtable discussion, then you know that the consensus among viewers is that the show took off in its second season.
In fact, many fans-turned-critics wonder if there’s any drama once It took such a dramatic turn for the worse between season one and season two.
Of course, there are extenuating circumstances:
Last year’s writers’ and actors’ strike resulted in a longer-than-usual hiatus and shorter-than-usual seasons.
Those are tough obstacles to overcome for a young TV series, and Fire Nation makes up for it by filling every episode with plot twists and soapy, high-stakes drama.
Frankly, the results are a bit confusing.
The season premiere featured a prison knife fight that was interrupted by an earthquake. Things only get more ridiculous from there.
One of the most mocked episodes involved Sabina Gadecki’s Cara, who is both Bode’s ex (and possible baby mama) and Jake’s current The lover, is killed when she momentarily forgets that she has been impaled and leans forward to grab a key.
Shortly thereafter, the show revealed that Cara’s daughter was no By Bode, as we are led to believe.
The show’s talented cast did their best with such crazy material, but it was just one of several storylines that left viewers scratching their heads.
After such a difficult season, fans will welcome the show’s writers and producers’ decision to double down and focus on restoring the show’s reputation.
Instead, they received news that the Fire Nation franchise was expanding.
The fire nation is spreading
Yes, even before Padalecki’s reports this week, we knew Fire Nation would be taking a page out of Dick Wolf’s playbook and launching a new spinoff series.
Morena Baccarin is set to star in Sheriff Country , a project that’s concerning for reasons other than its puzzling title.
Like Padalecki, Baccarin is a beloved TV veteran whose foray into the world of country music began with a stint on the flagship series.
Now, she’s starring in her own Northern California first responder drama, in which she’ll presumably play a rural sheriff in Sheriff Country (we can’t use that title).
To be clear, Padalecki and Baccarin are both charismatic stars who are more than capable of carving out their own series.
The show’s current cast includes a host of talented actors, including Jordan Calloway, Kevin Alejandro, Jules Latimer, Billy Burke, and Diane Farr, who serve as The show brought some much-needed levity.
Series star Max Theriot’s performance is a little too flat for our tastes, but he deserves credit for pulling double duty as one of the series’ creators.
(He’s like a young, energetic Orson Welles. Call him Orson Welles.)
The point is this show is still full of potential.
But it’s hard not to feel like the series’ aggressive expansion is happening too quickly.
Fire Nation was an instant hit in its first season and quickly became the most-watched show on television.
(It was later replaced by Trackers, another CBS drama with a somewhat wacky premise.)
Of course, this is another hour-long drama about the trials and tribulations of people who show up when you call 911.
But there’s a promising twist:
It’s a show that asks us to root for a convicted felon, and it promises the kind of long-arc redemption narrative rarely seen on network television.
Early on, there was hope that the series would explore issues in our criminal justice system and the challenges of repairing broken families.
Instead, Fire Nation Season 2 consists mostly of love triangles and zany stories involving chemical fires.
Perhaps a spinoff starring Padalecki and Baccarin can deliver on the promise of the original show.
But why should audiences trust a creative team that has already let them down once?
If Fire Nation still dazzles audiences with its thoughtful interplay of believable human drama and nerve-wracking action scenes, we’ll be fine with its current expansion plans.
In fact, it feels like this team is in danger of catching fire.
TV fans, what do you think? Is the Fire Nation’s expansion too spread out? Are you excited to see Jared Padalecki put on the boots and helmet?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!
