Northfield’s Jay Hayden, who spent seven seasons fighting fires on ABC’s Station 19, joins CBS’s Fire Country next Friday, Oct. 30, in a recurring role. That means a character who keeps coming back over several episodes rather than a one-night guest spot.
TV Insider broke the news this week. Hayden plays Mason, a former pro baseball player from one of the most powerful families in Edgewater, the fictional Northern California town where the show is set. According to TVLine, CBS describes Mason as “confident and charismatic.” He comes home to turn his family’s old paper mill into a new business and to catch up with his old teammates Bode (Max Thieriot) and Jake (Jordan Calloway). He also has a secret agenda that could help the town or hurt it.
A hometown kid comes back with big plans for an old mill building. Anyone who has sat through a Vermont selectboard meeting knows this script, though usually without the secret agenda. Usually.
The twist
After seven seasons in turnout gear as firefighter Travis Montgomery, Hayden finally lands on a show called Fire Country, and he isn’t playing a firefighter. Mason does stop by the firehouse, Station 42. TV Insider’s first-look photos show him there.
There’s a second twist. Mason’s sport is baseball. Hayden’s was soccer, and he was good enough at it to earn a college scholarship to the University of Vermont, where he majored in English.
From Northfield to Hollywood
Acting wasn’t the plan. Hayden told Tell-Tale TV in 2018 that he grew up in a very small town with no drama program at his school. The show he remembers doing was The Wizard of Oz, his sophomore year of high school.
He moved to Los Angeles after UVM. His early credits include:
A pool player on How I Met Your Mother, his first on-screen role
Kip in The House Bunny, alongside Anna Faris and Emma Stone
Danny Yoon on ABC’s The Catch
Recurring parts on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, SEAL Team and One Day at a Time
Then came Station 19, the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff, where he played Travis in all seven seasons, from 2018 to 2024. After that show ended, he played Agent Tyler Booth in Season 4 of CBS’s FBI: International.
He isn’t the first Station 19 actor to land in Edgewater. Parade notes that castmate Brett Tucker had a recurring role on Fire Country last season.
What to expect
Hayden’s first episode is titled “Winners and Losers.” In the CBS synopsis, a growing controversy puts Station 42 under scrutiny, and Bode and the volunteer firefighters face a test that leads to an unexpected rescue. CBS hasn’t said how many episodes Hayden will appear in, but the first-look photos are from Episode 6, so he’ll be around for at least a few.
How to watch: Fire Country airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on CBS, which is WCAX for much of Vermont. Hayden’s first episode is Oct. 30. You can also stream it live on Paramount+ Premium, or the next day on Paramount+ Essential. Earlier seasons are on Paramount+ if you want to catch up first.