FIRE COUNTRY: Tia Napolitano Previews the ‘Huge,’ ‘Really Ambitious’ Kevin Alejandro-Directed Winter Premiere

[This interview was conducted before the recent Southern California wildfires.]

FIRE COUNTRY returns on Friday, January 31 with the Chezem Valley fire burning out of control and putting virtually everyone at risk.

“I wrote that episode; it’s huge,” FIRE COUNTRY showrunner Tia Napolitano tells Give Me My Remote. “I don’t know that we’ve seen something this crazy on this show before. There’s a huge fire, giant legacy stories…There’s wildlife there. It’s just a very outdoor big, big fire—the DNA of the show, type of fire episode.”

Stepping behind the camera for “Coming in Hot” was Kevin Alejandro, who also plays Manny on the CBS drama. “Kevin’s directed so many beautiful episodes for us,” Napolitano points out. “It’s huge. It’s really ambitious. After we prepped it, I said, ‘Good luck.’”

Knowing the episode would be the midseason premiere and Alejandro would be behind the camera also impacted what the writers scripted for the hour. “We know to write big, we know to slot directors into the slots who can really deliver and we can rely on,” Napolitano says. “He’s also a wonderful leader on set. He’s always grateful. He’s always positive. The crew really looks up to him. So morale-wise, when the work is really hard and challenging, it’s great to have him there at the helm. There’s no one with a better attitude than Kevin.”

FIRE COUNTRY put out a video earlier in the month calling for donations to the Red Cross. For those looking to assist incarcerated firefighters, GMMR recommends donations to the Anti-Recidivism Coalition.

FIRE COUNTRY, Fridays, 9/8c, CBS

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