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Vince may be dead, but Billy Burke is featured in this week’s episode of Fire Country after an interesting update from CBS. In a totally unexpected turn of events, Fire Country season 3 finale spelled the definitive death of Vince. Despite being one of the main characters in the hit first-responder show, Billy Burke was written out of the show. The decision was chalked up to the writers wanting to evolve the series, although there is still some skepticism about it.

The Leone patriarch’s death was due to a rescue gone wrong, as he attempted to save his father from the fire that engulfed his home facility. While Walter survived, his son didn’t, effectively making Sharon a widower and Edgewater without its Battalion Chief. Fire Country season 4 opened with the funeral for the character, and since then, his death has loomed over every episode as those closest to him attempt to move on. Interestingly, however, the first-responder’s episode this week is able to bring back Vince but with a caveat.

CBS Is Rerunning Fire Country Season 3 Episodes This Week

In light of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, CBS is airing a repeat of the Fire Country episodes: “My Team” and “Death Trap.” Since both episodes are from season 3 of the CBS series, they will feature Burke’s Vince, and quite heavily, too, considering that they include the return of his ex-girlfriend and an important conversation he had with Sharon about Walter’s cognitive decline, respectively.

Doing reruns during hiatuses is normal for network TV. It allows broadcasters to highlight certain offerings that they are particularly proud of. Aside from that, it also gives people the chance to catch up on episodes that they may have not seen, as they wait for new episodes. That said, what’s curious in the case of Fire Country‘s upcoming rerun is that it is airing outings from season 3 and not anything from the 2025-2026 TV cycle.

When the NCIS franchise went dark back on Tuesday, November 25, CBS’ Super Tuesday block re-aired the groundbreaking NCIS season 23 and NCIS: Origins season 2 crossover. Rounding up the three-hour block is NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 3, which featured the appearance of Young Ducky. Elsbeth season 3’s rerun tonight, November 27, is “Doll Day Afternoon,” which is the second outing of its ongoing year.

What’s curious now is if the decision to air these specific episodes from Fire Country season 3 is an indication that their events will have an impact on what’s to come in season 4. Right now, the show is in a soft rebuild, given all the characters that it has lost, so anything can happen in it.

Can Billy Burke’s Vince Still Return In Fire Country In New Material?

Until now, Burke has remained mum on his departure from Fire Country. It’s worth noting that he wasn’t the only original character who was written out in season 4, as Stephanie Arciala’s Gabriela also left at the end of the premiere. The actor has made it clear that it wasn’t her decision to leave the show, which may actually also be the case for Burke. Unlike Gabriela’s open-ended fate, however, Vince’s death is definitive, so any future appearances from him will require some creativity.

There are two obvious ways to do this — via flashbacks or visions. For now, either can work for Fire Country. However, it’s curious if the mystery surrounding the letter in Vince’s guitar case can lead to flashback sequences that would reveal what it actually means. Arguably, that’s a much better way to pay off the storyline than any expository dialogue.

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