The Story Behind How Max Thieriot Made That SEAL Team Reunion Happen On Fire Country (And The Next Reunion He Wants To Have)

Fire Country’s Showrunner Told Me The Story Behind How They Cast Alona Tal

In the final two episodes of Fire Country

that aired in 2025, Alona Tal’s character Chloe and her son, Tyle (Conor Sherry), were introduced, and it became clear that they’d be important in Bode’s life. In the mid-season finale, Bode and Tyler

were stuck in a fire too, meaning when the show returns on the 2026 TV schedule, their story will start back up at a very tense point.

So, considering the big role Chloe could play moving forward, I asked showrunner Tia Napolitano about how they cast the

SEAL Team alum as Bode’s potential new love interest. In response, she said:

We really loved the idea of Chloe, and while we were searching for her, Max, like a light bulb went, ‘Oh my God. What about Alona?’ And the stars aligned, and we’re so lucky to have her. She feels so different than anyone that Bode’s been with. She feels really fresh, but of course, familiar for our SEAL Team fans. And we, I mean, I just jumped at the chance.

Well, that’s incredible. I love that this was Max Thieriot’s idea. He and Tal were both on SEAL Team (which you can stream alongside Fire Country with a Paramount+ subscription

) for a long time, and played a couple on the show. They were fan-favorites, so seeing them back on screen together has been wonderful.

When I asked Napolitano about how Tal reacted to her casting and working with the Bode actor again, she used the same word to describe it, saying:

Oh, wonderful. And then after her first day of shooting, you know, she and I connected, and she said, ‘It’s just like riding a bike, acting with Max again.’

Their chemistry is pretty effortless, and seeing as Audrey and

Gabriela are gone, I’m looking forward to watching how this new relationship progresses. I’m also excited to see if this opens any doors for more SEAL Team reunions on

Fire Country, and after asking the show’s boss about that, I’m feeling optimistic about the potential.

The SEAL Team Cast Member Max Thieriot Wants To Get On Fire Country Next

After our discussion about Alona Tal joining the cast of Fire Country, I asked Tia Napolitano if there were any other SEAL Team stars they’d like to cast. Immediately, she told me that Thieriot has someone in mind, and I think fans will love this idea. She said:

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I know Max is really interested in A.J. Buckley coming around, and I don’t know, [we’ll have] anybody.

(Image credit: Monty Brinton/Paramount+)

A.J. Buckley starred in 114 episodes of

SEAL Team, where he played Sonny Quinn. He and Max Thieriot’s character, Clay Spencer, were really tight on the military drama, and the death of Clay hit Sonny extra hard

. So, considering all that, it’d be a dream to see these two actors reunite on Fire Country.Clearly, the door is open for something like that, as the showrunner said, she’d be down for “anybody” from

SEAL Team to join Fire Country. Plus, this series has a history of getting great guest stars (I’m looking at you, Jared Padalecki and Shawn Hatosy), so I don’t think it’s far-fetched to hope that Alona Tal will stay, and maybe someday we’ll get to see A.J. Buckley too.

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies — including her personal favorite shows

Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she’s enjoyed every second of it.

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