EXCLUSIVE: When the CBS series Sheriff Country premieres its second season, recurring stars Amanda Arcuri and Ian Quinlan will be newly minted series regulars.
The Fire Country spinoff series follows straight-shooting sheriff Mickey Fox (Morena Baccarin), the stepsister of Cal Fire’s division chief Sharon Leone (Diane Farr of Fire Country). She investigates criminal activity while she patrols the streets of small-town Edgewater, contending with her ex-con father, Wes (W. Earl Brown), who is an off-the-grid marijuana grower, and a mysterious incident involving her wayward daughter.
Since Season 1, Arcuri has played Skye, the daughter of Sheriff Mickey Fox and her ex-husband, Travis Fraley (Christopher Gorham). A sensitive young woman with a quiet inner strength, Skye is on a path to reclaim her life, emerging from under a cloud of suspicion for the murder of her boyfriend to join her Aunt Miranda (Kelli O’Hara) in working for the Fraley family business.
Quinlan’s character is Han, a brash, impulsive deputy with a sharp sense of humor and a friendly, if intense, rivalry with Deputy Cassidy Campbell (Michele Weaver). Hank proves to be a loyal and capable ally as Cassidy investigates the disappearance of several young women whose fates may have been met at the hands of a serial killer who is using Edgewater as his hunting ground.
The series also stars Matt Lauria in a series regular role.
Both Sheriff Country and Fire Country have helped anchor CBS’ Friday night lineup, winning their time periods in total viewers after seven days, per Nielsen Big Data + Panel. Sheriff Country, which took over its slot from SWAT, is up 52% in that window versus its predecessor to become the second most-watched new series on broadcast TV this season, following Marshals (also on CBS). The series tracked audience growth for six consecutive weeks post-premiere, boosting it among the most-watched broadcast series of the TV season.
Sheriff Country is executive produced by Max Thieriot, Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, Matt Lopez, and Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed for Jerry Bruckheimer Television.
Katie Campione contributed to this report.
