Fortunately, there will be a second season of the FX drama starring Denis Leary, since the network has already renewed it.
But fans of the show will find themselves wallowing in cliffhangers and unresolved issues after the first-season finale at 10 p.m. Wednesday on FX.
For those of you tuning in late, Leary plays New York firefighter Tommy Gavin, a man so tortured -- and torturing of others -- that you keep wondering how far down is the bottom Gavin will finally hit.
Gavin has a broken marriage -- and lives across the street from his ex-wife -- a pills-and-alcohol problem and a reckless sex life. His house was fire-bombed by one ex-lover when she realized Gavin had never bothered to learn her name. More recently, he took up with a firefighter's widow in blatant violation of the firehouse code.
He has also talked to the dead, who are much on his mind, both because of his failed attempts to save some fire victims and because of 9/11, in which he lost friends and co-workers.
He was, of course, not alone in feeling the pain of the terrorist attacks, which was also part of the stories of other firefighters on the show. But like Leary's short-lived but much-loved series The Job, Rescue Me found enormous comedy in its characters' agony, and never let their lives be defined by just one thing.
Of course, it could also take bizarre turns, especially when it came to Gavin's Uncle Teddy (Lenny Clarke, another alum of The Job) and Teddy's horse-whispering friend Arlo (Tony Cox). Then, just as you were giggling over one twist, another would tear your heart out -- and there's some of that tonight.
The season finale is not perfect. A couple of the plot developments have been telegraphed in previous episodes, and one of those feels as if it was borrowed from another FX series, The Shield.
But Gavin's personal and professional decline makes fascinating viewing. I can't wait to watch him fall some more -- and maybe find his way back up.
Related:
- Leary Takes Firefighting To The Edge in 'Rescue Me'
- 'Rescue Me' Picked Up For Second Season
- 'Rescue Me' Captures The Feel Of Firefighters' Pressured Lives
- NY's Bravest Front and Center in Leary's New TV Drama
- Shocks Early and Often in "Rescue Me"
- Leary Stars in New FDNY Series
- 'Rescue Me': A Blaze Of Glory
- Official "Rescue Me" Home Page
- Leary Foundation Presents Communications Vehicle to the FDNY
- Leary Firefighters Foundation
