“Not the plan”: Fire Country showrunner opens about the decision to make Manny the battalion chief in Season 4

Fire Country season 4, which premiered in October 2025, had the audience hooked. The plot has a slightly different tone than the other seasons, as this time, the inmates are trying to come to terms with their past choices. It's a journey of survival, but it also focuses on complex themes like battling internal guilt and regrets.

On December 19, 2025, the season aired its fall finale called “Who Owns the Dirt.” In this episode, audiences were kind of disheartened due to the nature of cliffhangers. In fact, their favorite characters were in deadly situations. The effect was way more intense, given that there will be no more episodes scheduled for the year. We will be getting the answers in the 10th episode, in February 2026.

Meanwhile, in an interview with TV Insider, showrunner Tia Napolitano traced the key events of the episode and hinted at what lies ahead for the characters. She even opened up about the decision to make Manny the battalion chief by claiming, 'Not the plan.'

Fire Country Season 4: Fall finale and the showrunner's verdict

After Vince's death (played by Billy Burke) in Fire Country Season 4, Station 42 had been going through a hard time. The former battalion chief's demise had led to a major void in the characters' minds and no one was willing to replace him. But, somebody had to step up and Manny Perez (played by Kevin Alejandro) becomes the new battalion chief.

Fans loved him, no doubt, but the showrunner revealed that it was not the original plan. They have been looking at other character arcs like that of Jake's, completely foreshadowing Manny. Until it struck them that his experience and leadership qualities could make him the ideal battalion chief. She said:

Question:

Love Manny as battalion chief. It makes so much sense, and we’ve been seeing why he’s the right choice. Was that the plan from the moment you knew that Vince would be dying and you’d have to fill that spot?

Tia Napolitano's response:

That was not the plan. There was definitely a universe in which Jake got battalion chief, but in the worst way ever; it’s this thing he always wanted, but it comes out of tragedy. And then it just felt like both we as writers and Cal Fire, in a fictional way, were overlooking Manny, Manny with all of that experience, and how much did we love Manny as a leader in Season 1? And he was a leader of broken men at Three Rock and 42 starts off broken. He is the one to get them through this. It isn’t somebody’s first crack of battalion chief. That’s a hard gig with the former battalion chief having passed away, unfortunately. So it just felt so right and watching Manny rise and take on this responsibility in a way that really starts to ratchet up by Episode 9 and will continue to propel us through the back half of the season felt right.

Jake, on the other hand, was fighting his own demons. But also, he reconnected with his half-brother. So yeah, now that we look back at the plight of the characters in Fire Country Season 4, everything comes back in full circle.

Fire Country Season 4: Fall finale recap

Fire Country Season 4 ended after the 9th episode. The team is set to fight an intense wildfire, which they believe could soon turn into the one that killed Vince. Manny takes charge and motivates the team to give their best. But he is managing multiple emergencies at once.

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Bode and Tyler are caught in the fire, and the stakes are higher than ever. The episode does not conclude on a clear note. No one knows what fate holds for the two. On the other hand, Jake and his half-brother, Malcom truck crash and they are fighting for their lives.

So what happens to them? The answers shall be revealed in the upcoming episode, set to air on 27th February, 2026 at 9 PM ET.

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