Sheriff Country premiere review: Fire Country spinoff is a hit

SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 1.

The Fire Country spinoff Sheriff Country arrives with a pilot that successfully explains why it exists. It’s easy to turn a hit show into a franchise, but hard to make it a good franchise. And while the Sheriff Country premiere is very much a first episode, it comes with a lot of talent and plenty of potential.

The CBS series spends the bulk of its opening act dumping exposition and also trying to establish witty banter. For those who missed the backdoor pilot that aired last season, Sheriff Country protagonist Mickey Fox is the stepsister of Fire Country‘s Sharon Leone. Fire Country star and co-creator Max Thieriot — also credited as a co-creator on Sheriff Country — makes a guest appearance as Bode, giving life advice to Mickey’s wayward daughter Skye. But once the spinoff can cut through all the chaff, there’s enough here to appeal to people who haven’t seen the other series. The characters stand on their own.

Morena Baccarin (Homeland) exudes the right amount of confidence as Mickey, although sometimes the script makes her a little too snarky. And Mickey’s attitude is mostly balanced out by the people around her. It’s a pleasure to see Matt Lauria back on television after the…