Actor and comedian Denis Leary uses real-life events and personal tragedy as fodder for Rescue Me, a new one-hour Dramedy about firefighters which airs on FX at 10 PM Wednesdays. In addition to being the creator and executive producer of the show, Leary plays Tommy Gavin, a senior firefighter with the FDNY. Tommy is in the midst of a divorce, but has a house across the street from his wife and kids so he can be close by.
Leary founded the Leary Firefighters Foundation after several firefighters perished in his hometown of Worcester, MA, including his cousin and good friend. In Rescue Me, Leary's character engages in conversations with his dead cousin who perished trying to rescue others on 9/11, so there are real-life parallels that Leary is drawing upon for episodes.
One thing that Leary notes is that firefighters are usually "tough guys". Instead of seeking therapy after 9/11, many firefighters chose to self-medicate. In fact, there's currently a backlash in NY over firefighters getting arrested for drunk driving or testing positive for drugs. Rescue Me shows the humanity of the firefighters as they deal with their personal demons, as well as the ghosts of 9/11.
Many are saying that Rescue Me will do for firefighters what The Shield, also airing on FX, did for cops. The Shield is a superb, in-your-face police show set in L.A., and stars Michael Chiklis. It will begin its third season in 2005.
The stars of Rescue Me:
Denis Leary - Tommy Gavin
Mike Lombardi - Mike Silletti
James McCaffrey - Jimmy Keefe
Jack McGee - Chief Jerry Reilly
Steven Pasquale - Sean Garrity
Andrea Roth - Janet Gavin
John Scurti - Lt. Kenny "Lou" Shea
Daniel Sunjata - Franco Rivera
The Shield - The Complete First Season
