The show’s third season was full of drama and action, and is regarded as one of the show’s strongest seasons, with Padalecki’s guest arc and early-season highlight. The character of Camden proved popular enough with viewers that there was even talk of Padalecki fronting a spinoff series, but viewers may have to wait a while for more Camden.

Per Collider, Napolitano has given a blunt update on Padalecki’s (and his character’s) future on the show, and confirms he has no updates to provide on when the character might return, but she did tease that the new season will bring a lot of new faces to Edgewater. Check out Napolitano’s comments below:

Quote: We love Camden Casey. I don’t have any updates on his return to Edgewater, so far. We’ll see a lot of new faces in Edgewater this season. There are a lot of people coming through to shake things up, including people from our characters’ past. We’ll get a new glimpse into Sharon’s family. You’ll see a lot of new faces in Edgewater.

While this does not definitively rule out Padalecki’s future return, it does suggest this isn’t really something Napolitano has thought about, or planned for. The fact that Padalecki has been busy filming for The Boys season 5 has also likely had an impact on the fact that he won’t return for Fire Country season 4, due to scheduling conflicts.

Camden left Edgewater following his training, but stated he had unfinished business in Southern California, surrounding coming to terms with the death of his brother years prior. This is an angle that could be explored for future Cam arcs on the show, but for now, he is a character who can drift back into Fire Country when the narrative suits.

What’s more intriguing is the much-talked about spinoff, enthusiasm for which seems to have faded. Fire Country has already introduced the spinoff show Sheriff Country, starring Morena Baccarin, via a backdoor pilot, so there is clearly interest. And it could simply be that Padalecki’s schedule hasn’t allowed for development to start yet.

Though there is no definitive confirmation yet that Padalecki’s Fire Country spinoff is dead in the water, there has not been as much hype surrounding it as there was. It might wind up being the case that Padalecki returns to Edgewater in a later season, and from there the franchise pivots into his spinoff, but a lot will depend on his schedule.