Series synopsis
Rescue Me is an American drama television series that premiered on FX on July 21, 2004. It ended on September 7, 2011. It was created by Peter Tolan, Denis Leary. It stars Denis Leary, Adam Ferrara, Andrea Roth and Jack McGee.
The aftermath of 9/11 has left the firefighters of the NYFD traumatized, and no one more so than Tommy Gavin. Recently separated from his wife and their three kids, Tommy drifts between sorrow and anger as he tries to shake the recurring nightmares of his fallen comrades, especially his late cousin, Jimmy Keefe. Working alongside veterans like Lt. “Lou” Shea, Franco Rivera and Sean Garrity, and rookie Mike Lombardi, Tommy battles alcohol and drugs as he struggles to remain first and foremost a N ...
Premise
The aftermath of 9/11 has left the firefighters of the NYFD traumatized, and no one more so than Tommy Gavin. Recently separated from his wife and their three kids, Tommy drifts between sorrow and anger as he tries to shake the recurring nightmares of his fallen comrades, especially his late cousin, Jimmy Keefe. Working alongside veterans like Lt. “Lou” Shea, Franco Rivera and Sean Garrity, and rookie Mike Lombardi, Tommy battles alcohol and drugs as he struggles to remain first and foremost a New York City firefighter.
Premise: They save us, but who saves them?
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin
- Adam Ferrara as Chief 'Needles' Nelson
- Andrea Roth as Janet Gavin
- Jack McGee as Jerry Reilly
- John Scurti as Kenneth 'Lou' Shea
- Daniel Sunjata as Franco Rivera
- Tatum O'Neal as Maggie Gavin
- Michael Lombardi as Mike Silletti
Supporting cast
- Steven Pasquale as Sean Garrity
- Diane Farr as Laura Miles
- Callie Thorne as Sheila Keefe
- Dean Winters as Johnny Gavin
Guest cast
- Larenz Tate as Bart 'Black Shawn' Johnston
- James McCaffrey as James 'Jimmy' Keefe
- Peter Tolan
- Kaitlin Hopkins as Jennifer's Mom
- James Badge Dale as Timothy Gavin
- Bryan Batt as Photographer #1
- Taylor Dayne as Shirley
- Alexie Gilmore as Dawn
- Andrea Rosen
- Donna Hanover as News Reporter
- Siobhan Fallon Hogan as Phyllis
- Idina Menzel
Episodes
This series spans 8 seasons with 121 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 28 | June 24, 2008 | August 26, 2008 |
| Season 1 | 13 | July 21, 2004 | October 13, 2004 |
| Season 2 | 13 | June 21, 2005 | September 13, 2005 |
| Season 3 | 13 | May 30, 2006 | August 29, 2006 |
| Season 4 | 13 | June 13, 2007 | September 12, 2007 |
| Season 5 | 22 | April 7, 2009 | September 1, 2009 |
| Season 6 | 10 | June 29, 2010 | August 31, 2010 |
| Season 7 | 9 | July 13, 2011 | September 7, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Minisode - Fast Minisode #1. Sean struggles to uphold his fast in the face of adversity, Lou's homemade doughnuts. |
June 24, 2008 |
| 2 |
Minisode - Fantasy Minisode #2. Tommy's dream takes a turn for the worse, delighting his bunkmates. |
July 1, 2008 |
| 3 |
Minisode - Criteria Minisode #3. It's a battle of the bottle, or the broads, when Tommy (Denis Leary) and the guys debate their standards on what makes a good bar. Tommy talks of his bar baited demons, while the guys focus on the beauties behind the bar. |
July 8, 2008 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Guts New York City firefighter, Tommy Gavin, cannot escape the ghosts of those who have died around him as he faces the everyday challenge of saving lives while trying to fix his own. |
July 21, 2004 |
| 2 |
Gay When a retired gay firefighter makes a published claim that several firemen who died in 9/11 were closeted gays, Chief Reilly is determined to set the record straight. While attempting to mask the pain of losing his wife and kids, Tommy does Jimmy a favor and spies on his widow which leads to a surprising discovery. The probie must deal with the unexpected repercussions of being a hero after making his first save in a fire. |
July 28, 2004 |
| 3 |
Kansas Tommy decides to make life a living hell for his wife's new boyfriend by wreaking havoc on his business and finances. Meanwhile, Chief Reilly faces possible suspension as the result of an altercation with a fellow firefighter and Lou decides to share his poetry. |
August 4, 2004 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Voicemail In the opener to the second season, troubled Tommy Gavin is having a difficult time adjusting to life at his new uneventful firehouse after the volatile split with his old crew. On top of this he is still looking for his missing wife who has kidnapped his three children and he has to come to terms with the fact that his dead cousin’s wife is pregnant with his baby. His frustrations come to a head and he has a meltdown with a street vendor selling 9/11 memorabilia. |
June 21, 2005 |
| 2 |
Harmony In an effort to get more time off to search for his wife and kids, Tommy joins the new firehouse’s Barbershop Quartet. Meanwhile back at the old station, Lou and Chief Reilly conspire to get Tommy back, but the rest of the crew has grown fond of his replacement. |
June 28, 2005 |
| 3 |
Balls Tommy's fate in the firehouse depends on vote by the crew. Tommy reunites with his dad. Franco and Laura's relationship grows. |
July 5, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Devil Janet decides to meet with Tommy after not speaking with him for months since the sudden death of their son. Uncle Teddy refuses to allow anyone to help him get out prison. Tommy is shocked when he accidentally discovers just who his nephew has been sleeping with. |
May 30, 2006 |
| 2 |
Discovery During a night out, Franco and Tommy meet two women. Tommy is finding himself bribing his daughter Colleen before she tells their mother about his indulgent treatment of her sister Katy. Jerry visits his wife Jeannie in her expensive nursing home and soon goes to Lou for financial help. Meanwhile John Sr. insists on having his 83rd birthday at a restaurant that no one else likes. |
June 6, 2006 |
| 3 |
Torture Franco begins to fear he's becoming Alicia's boy toy, while Tommy finds a way to end the fling between Damien and his science teacher. The rest of the crew also face their own problems - Lou is becoming real unstable emotionally, the chief has financial problems, and Sean is afraid of Tommy finding out who he's been sleeping with. |
June 13, 2006 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Babyface Janet has given birth to a baby boy---whom she fears prefers Tommy to her. But Tommy has a bigger problem: He's suspected of starting the beach-house fire. Meanwhile, Jerry's son asks him to be his best man at his commitment ceremony; Richie wants Franco to marry Natalie; Lou and Theresa get distracted in church; and the volunteer firefighter who rescued Tommy from the beach house takes an interest in him---and isn't shy about letting him know. |
June 13, 2007 |
| 2 |
Tuesday Sheila lies to Tommy when he confronts her about the beach-house fire. But they present a united front to the insurance investigators, as embarrassing as it is for Tommy. Meanwhile, Lou is determined to get a basketball ringer (Larenz Tate) to be 62 Truck's new probie; Uncle Teddy is released from jail; Colleen runs away with her rock-musician boyfriend; and Mike's mother has a deathbed request. |
June 20, 2007 |
| 3 |
Commitment Tommy encounters Colleen's boyfriend and sparks fly; Jerry learns he flunked his physical and is given a desk job; Uncle Teddy, hiding from Ellie, breaks into prison guard Lenny's apartment; Sheila goes out with the man who pulled her from the beach house, while Tommy keeps avoiding Nona (Jennifer Esposito), the volunteer firefighter who rescued him from the blaze; and Mike seeks Tommy's advice on how to deal with his dying mother's request that he kill her. |
June 27, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Baptism Tommy copes with the loss of his father and a new man in Janet's life. Sheila finds a different way to deal with her issues while Sean, Franco, and Mike concoct a surefire way to get rich and laid. |
April 7, 2009 |
| 2 |
French An exotic visitor sparks mixed reactions in the firehouse. Tommy deals with the possibility of expulsion from the FDNY and a new sponsorship role in AA. As Mike and the guys renovate their new bar, Sheila learns that being a big sister isn't always easy. |
April 14, 2009 |
| 3 |
Wine The calls from Tommy's AA sponsee increase as Tommy attempts to navigate a touchy issue with Colleen. Genvieve's interviews spark controversial viewpoints in the firehouse concerning the political and religious implications of 9/11-viewpoints which Mike will not tolerate. |
April 21, 2009 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Legacy A terrifying vision of the afterlife leaves Tommy shaken as he attempts to reconnect with his friends and family back on the outside. At the firehouse, the crew’s fate hangs in the balance when the department decides to cut costs. |
June 29, 2010 |
| 2 |
Change Tommy comes to terms with his nightmare and tries to do right by those around him, but his plans fall by the wayside when the gang gathers at the bar post save. |
July 6, 2010 |
| 3 |
Comeback Tommy's first day back on the job is a busy one as the crew races from call to call. By the end of the shift, the guys are all exhausted, but it's Lou who feels it the most. |
July 13, 2010 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Mutha With Damian confined to a chair and a new baby on the way, Sheila and Janet join forces and shake-up Tommy’s family life. |
July 13, 2011 |
| 2 |
Menses The guys go stir crazy waiting to catch a job. Lou fakes his physical, a news team memorializes Jimmy, and Tommy is saved by an unfamiliar face. |
July 20, 2011 |
| 3 |
Press Tommy swoops into action, putting an end to Kelly's dull date and to his spell of uselessness. Lou becomes godfather, Colleen finds a dress, and Tommy sits down for his interview. |
July 27, 2011 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | FX |
|---|---|
| First aired | July 21, 2004 |
| Last aired | September 7, 2011 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Wednesday at 22:00:00 |