![]() ![]() Tim Edwards, the president of Cal Fire’s union, Local 2881, added on to Tyler’s message with a mass email of his own: “I want to emphasize that we were not involved in the creation or production of the show, and we do not endorse the series,” he wrote in that email. “This television series is a misrepresentation of the professional all-hazards fire department and resource protection agency that Cal Fire is,” Tyler wrote in an email to the department in May, just after the show’s initial trailer was released. “Fire Country” is the top new program on prime-time TV, which means plenty of people seem to like it, but its fans do not include Cal Fire’s director, Joe Tyler. With a rural setting and the inspiration of Cal Fire’s inmate firefighter program, ‘Fire Country’ sets itself apart - sort of - from the competition. Television How CBS turned Northern California ‘Fire Country’ into a soap opera with pyrotechnics The show had just received a full season order, and things were in full action-program swing, as they often are for Thieriot, who does double duty for CBS by also starring as a Navy SEAL in “SEAL Team.” “It’s a little bananas up here,” he said by way of apologizing for the weird hours. It was 7:30 p.m., and Thieriot was calling in from his “lunch break” on the Vancouver set of “Fire Country,” the CBS series he co-created and stars in and which takes place in Edgewater, a fictional town based on Occidental. Speaking of the dynamics of a small town like his, he said, “It’s kind of messy. de Young, the co-founder of the San Francisco Chronicle, co-owns an Occidental winery called Senses.) “I knew that this place that I live was not totally normal,” he recalled recently. (Thieriot, whose great-great-grandfather was M.H. The area is a bit of a getaway destination - Tom Waits and the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart are said to live nearby - and the type of place where you can order a glass of wine that was made walking distance away. I'm going to miss it and all of those folks.The actor Max Thieriot grew up in the quaint Sonoma County town of Occidental, a former logging hub nestled among towering redwoods with a current population of around 1,000. "Watching scenes of characters talking about (Clay) dying, it was like watching them reflect on me dying. ![]() Cast members have texted Thieriot snippets of upcoming episodes showing the painful fall-out, and the team supporting Clay's family. It's touching as well as strange for the actor. There was no time for a celebration afterward. I actually got on a plane and flew up to Vancouver to work on 'Fire Country.'"Ĭlay's "SEAL Team" death will reverberate as a major emotional chapter for stars David Boreanaz (Jason Hayes) and Neil Brown Jr. "I reminded the crew that they should be very proud because they work their butts off to create a great show. "I gave a little speech and I cried a little myself," Thieriot says. So as much as I didn't want to go, maybe this gives another opportunity to show that here."Īfterward, Thieriot spoke during a subdued cake farewell on the set. "'SEAL Team' tells impactful stories about the devastating side," Thieriot says. "It shows the good, the bad and the ugly. I don't think Clay would ever have imagined going down that way."īut the circumstances around the tragic death do highlight the plight of veterans dealing with the psychological scars of war, a key theme in the drama. "Like, you go around the world and take down some of the baddest terrorists on the planet, and that's how this guy goes down. "The idea was to show the sad truth," Thieriot says. After defusing the situation, and taking away the gun, a security officer mistakenly shoots Clay.Ĭlay Spencer in the final moments of the "SEAL Team" episode. At one point, Clay and his university professor wife, Stella Baxter (Alona Tal), giddily discuss starting their lives over in a new town.īut the conversation is interrupted by a call from distressed veteran Ben (Joey Pollari), and Clay finds him with a gun outside an Air Force recruiting center. Sunday's episode even suggested that Clay, who has been dealing with his leg amputation from a Season 5 finale battle explosion, might have a sunset ending. We thought about having Clay ride off into the sunset, but that just isn't the show." But once it was clear, it became a question of how. "I love Max and this character, which has been a big part of me for five years. "SEAL Team" executive producer Spencer Hudnut made the tough call of ending Clay's character in dramatic fashion. But is there a part of me that wished that somehow I could have done both? Of course there is." "Frankly, I didn't imagine that it would take off so quickly. "'Fire Country' is my baby and something I've poured my heart into," Thieriot says. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |