“Nobody likes Richards. He’s such a jerk,” Shawn Hatosy says about his Fire Country character. Might his next episode, airing on March 13, change that?
TV Insider has an exclusive first look at Hatosy’s return as Battalion Chief Brett Richards, and the photos, which you can check out above and below, have us thinking something’s going on with him. Plus, see Richards with Bode Leone (Max Thieriot), Manny Perez (Kevin Alejandro), and Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway).
In this episode, titled “Life of a Firefighter,” CBS teases, “As Station 42 battles through a relentless shift, the unexpected return of Battalion Chief Brett Richards (Shawn Hatosy) throws the crew off balance and forces Manny to confront his growing self-doubt.”
Shawn Hatosy came on at the beginning of Season 4 as 42’s new battalion chief following Vince Leone’s (Billy Burke) tragic death — and no one liked him, especially Vince’s wife Sharon (Diane Farr). He left once he knew that the station was ready for a permanent battalion chief in Manny (Jake had been hoping for the job).
Sergei Bachlakov/CBS
When we spoke with executive producer Tia Napolitano about the fall finale in December 2025, she teased, “I would say Richards has more than one reason to return to Edgewater.” We’re intrigued, especially since now the episode description teases his return is “unexpected.”
It should also be interesting to see what he thinks of how 42 has changed in his time away, as Manny has settled into battalion chief and Bode has started stepping up into a mentor role with the son of a high school classmate (Alona Tal‘s Chloe).
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When TV Insider spoke with Shawn Hatosy recently about his role on The Pitt, he told us, “What I like about playing Richards is I think he’s funny. I think his intentions are pretty good, and I think he has a way of communicating with Sharon that he speaks in riddles, and then it drives her crazy, which I love. I also think he seems like a dick in the first episode when we meet him, but he really does care because he knows that Vince, his presence is important to this place, and he understands that family is kind of the key to this firehouse staying together. And ultimately, he’s a family guy, and it’s just taking him a minute to be accepted in, and hopefully, this next time we see him, they’re going to let him in.”
What are you hoping to see from Shawn Hatosy’s next episode as Chief Richards? Let us know in the comments section below.
Fire Country, Midseason Return, Friday, February 27, 9/8c, CBS
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