Rescue Me (American TV series)


Rescue Me is an American comedy drama television series that aired on FX from July 21, 2004, to September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters.
The protagonist and focal point of the series is veteran New York City firefighter Tommy Gavin. The series follows Tommy's troubled family and co-workers as they deal with real-life issues, such as post-9/11 trauma or their own domestic problems. Tommy struggles with the loss of his cousin and best friend, firefighter Jimmy Keefe, as well as 59 other firefighters whom he knew who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Jimmy frequently visits Tommy in ghostly dreams.
Tommy is an impatient, self-loathing, hypocritical, manipulative relapsed alcoholic who suffers with severe survivor guilt and posttraumatic stress disorder as a result of 9/11. In the pilot episode, he and his wife Janet have already separated, although they are technically still married, and Tommy has moved across the street. Most of Tommy's actions as a firefighter are heroic and brave, but his family members and fellow firefighters view him as selfish, despite his concern for others and passion for the job.
Rescue Me was created by Leary and Peter Tolan, who also serve as executive producers and head writers, and is produced by Cloudland Company, Apostle, DreamWorks Television, and Sony Pictures Television.

Series overview

Season 1

Season 1 of Rescue Me debuted on July 21, 2004, and began by introducing the members of New York City Fire Department's fictional Ladder Company 62—aka "62 Truck"—quartered with the fictional Engine Company 99 and the Chief of the 15th Battalion in a firehouse in northeastern Harlem, New York City. Tommy Gavin deals with the effects of the September 11, 2001, attacks, which, for him, include seeing the ghost of his cousin, Firefighter Jimmy Keefe, who died on 9/11, as well as the ghosts of various people he failed to save over the years. Gavin and his wife Janet are separated and, from across the street, he sees her begin to date again. He plans to get her back and prevent her from leaving the state with his children. Janet separated from Tommy several months prior, due to his failure to commit to his family and open up about 9/11.
15th Battalion Chief Jerry Reilly attacks a gay former firefighter in a bar after the former FDNY member speaks to the press and claims that at least 20 of the 343 men who died during the 9/11 attacks were gay. Sean Garrity begins to date one of Franco Rivera's numerous ex-girlfriends, which leads to Franco's discovering that he has a daughter with the woman; Rivera later takes the daughter in after the mother fatally overdoses. Tommy begins a love affair with Jimmy's widow Sheila, and Probationary Firefighter Mike Silletti begins to secretly date a "fat chick" named Theresa. Lieutenant Ken Shea, Tommy's superior officer, deals with 9/11 by secretly writing poetry and then starts to have an affair after learning his wife is preparing to leave him anyway.
After firefighter Billy Warren dies in a fire, the city sends Laura Miles to replace him. She clashes with the men and Tommy in particular. She begins to believe that Tommy is becoming dangerous as he takes more unnecessary risks on the job. Tommy's mistake at a fire causes injury to Franco; this coincides with Tommy's transfer out of the house after the rest of the crew discovers he has been seeing Sheila and they're expecting a child. In the final scene of the season finale, Tommy shows up at his wife's house to find her and his children missing, along with everything in the house. While consuming a bottle of vodka he finds in a cupboard, he uses a baseball bat to destroy anything that's left in the house.

Season 2

Season 2 premiered on June 21, 2005.
Tommy is at a new firehouse on Staten Island and his replacement at 62 Truck, Sully, becomes everyone's favorite. While responding to a fire at an underground sex club, they discover that a "woman" they rescued is Sully in a black leather skirt and bustier. The next day, Sully requests a transfer because he knows the crew will never let him live that down. This clears the way for Tommy to return.
Back in the old house, Tommy shifts his focus to finding his family and dealing with his father, who took an unannounced vacation and came home with a new, wealthy wife, Jenny Ng. Sheila has a miscarriage, but lies about it to keep Tommy close. Later on, Sheila begins a relationship with a woman named Debbie who turns abusive towards her. Tommy and his brother Johnny Gavin learn that their father, Michael Gavin, had a long, ongoing affair during their childhood, which produced two children. Eventually their new-found half brother, who is a priest, is arrested after they discover he is a pedophile.
Silletti stalks his ex-girlfriend after she dumps him. Chief Jerry's wife gradually deteriorates from Alzheimer's, and he is forced to seek help from his estranged son before placing her in a long-term care facility. Laura and Franco begin dating, but Laura eventually leaves Franco and the firehouse. Lieutenant Shea is conned by a prostitute named Candy, resulting in his losing his entire life savings. Jenny Ng dies, but the expected financial windfall for Tommy's father never happens. Tommy's estranged sister Maggie re-enters the lives of Tommy and his father.
Tommy and his family reconcile for a time, but when their only son Connor is killed by a drunk driver, it is too much for Janet to handle, and she blames Tommy. Matters worsen when Johnny learns that the driver is well-connected and may not be sentenced, so Tommy's uncle Teddy murders the man in public.

Season 3

Season 3 premiered on May 30, 2006.
Tommy and Janet have re-separated, and Teddy is in jail for murder. Janet begins sleeping with Johnny Gavin, and Tommy attacks Johnny at their father's 83rd birthday dinner.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Shea, still smarting from getting conned, becomes testy with everyone on the crew and slowly spirals downward. Janet wants to talk to Tommy about their settlement, but a heated argument ignites and Tommy rapes Janet.
Mike Silletti, no longer a Probationary Firefighter, begins a sexual relationship with his male roommate, and Tommy falls back in love with Sheila. Sheila, desiring Tommy to stay away from Janet completely, begins to drug him with rohypnol and Viagra in order to rape him. Maggie soon finds herself dating Sean Garrity, among others.
Janet gets pregnant with either Johnny's or Tommy's baby, and announces she wants to keep it to replace Connor. The crew learns about Mike's possible homosexuality, and Tommy comes to his defense out of fears over the fire crew breaking up. Franco starts to date Alicia, a wealthy older woman who eventually takes his daughter from him.
Lieutenant Shea moves in with Tommy and begins seeing Theresa, a soon-to-be ex-nun with whom he plans on moving to Florida to be first mate on his cousin's boat. Chief Reilly tries to meet his wife's increasing health care costs by taking a second job at a bar. Later, he suffers a heart attack after having sex with Karlene, an illegal Jamaican immigrant who is a caretaker at the long-term care facility where his wife now lives.
During a stakeout, Johnny is killed by someone who was contracted to stop him from testifying against a powerful drug dealer Johnny had arrested months beforehand. During his funeral, Sean and Maggie decide to get married at the cemetery. Tommy, Johnny, and Maggie's long lost sister Rosemary Gavin is introduced; she is deaf and had been shunned by her parents, but reconciles with her father.
Uncle Teddy, still in prison, receives numerous letters from a woman named Ellie, who is proud of the action he took upon Connor's killer. The two begin a relationship and get married, which allows Ellie to meet with him for conjugal visits.
With the 62 Truck crew seemingly breaking up, Tommy decides to retire and move in with Sheila in her new home on Long Island. He changes his mind after talking with Janet about her pregnancy and discovering that his crew will remain together after all. Jerry defends his crew when several officials visit his firehouse.
While at Sheila's new house, Tommy tells her he is not retiring from the FDNY. Distraught, she drugs him again and accidentally starts a fire. The fire spreads while the frantic Sheila is overwhelmed by frustration, and the finale closes without making it clear if Tommy survives.

Season 4

Season 4 premiered on June 13, 2007.
Tommy and Sheila are apparently rescued by volunteer firefighters, but are then accused of arson and insurance fraud. Janet has given birth, and while Tommy has come to accept it as his own, the baby's hair finally comes in and it is "jet black" in color, leaving them to now believe that it is Johnny's son, instead.
Teddy is released from prison and immediately abandons his new wife Ellie in a coffee shop. Colleen runs away from home and moves in with her boyfriend, Tony, leaving her parents enraged.
Depressed after being told that he can no longer serve in active duty due to his poor heart, Jerry takes a desk job. After using his position behind a computer to tamper with evidence, effectively clearing Tommy of the arson charges, Jerry commits suicide. As a result, the firehouse brings in a new chief.
Janet suffers from postpartum depression and is deeply affected by her inability to bond with her new son. The baby cries constantly, and his crying seems to worsen when Janet holds him. Getting wind of this, Sheila hounds Tommy about giving her the baby, offering $500,000 in payment. Seeing how his wife is suffering, how the baby is being neglected and seemingly rejected by everyone in the family but himself, Tommy reluctantly begins to reconsider Sheila's offer.
Tommy decides to give the baby to Sheila after contemplating dumping him into the Hudson River at the request of Johnny's ghost. After Tommy confesses this to Janet, she leaves with their youngest daughter Kathy. Janet sends Katy up to Sheila's apartment to steal the baby back. Meanwhile, Tommy has a breakdown in which all of his ghostly visitors, including Jimmy, tell him they are fed up with his selfishness.
Tommy then shares custody with Sheila by bribing his daughter Colleen with a no limit credit card. Colleen gives the baby to Tommy whenever she has him, so he can in turn give him to Sheila. After Tommy learns that Colleen's boyfriend, Tony, used the credit card to buy a wedding ring, Tommy attacks him in his recording studio. Tony tells Tommy the ring wasn't for Colleen, but for another girl. Relieved, Tommy apologizes to Tony and wishes him and his new girlfriend the best of luck. When Tony explains this to Colleen, he says he left her because Tommy scares him, which makes Colleen hate Tommy even more.
Maggie Gavin and Sean Garrity are on-again and off-again throughout the season, with Garrity pretending to be an alcoholic like Maggie to spend more time with her, leading to the two divorcing.
The Gavin family starts their own AA meetings due to the high number of alcoholics in the family. Michael Gavin, Tommy's father, refuses to attend meetings, but contacts Tommy and ironically tells him that he's going to be sober to "keep his friends close and his enemies closer."
Tommy also begins seeing a woman named Valerie, who can't be touched after she orgasms. She and Tommy are on and off due to Tommy's periodic desire for his ex-wife Janet. Janet has taken a job, where she begins dating her much-younger boss.
A new firefighter named Bart joins the house, after Lou and Franco negotiated to get him for their basketball team. Bart says he goes by his nickname, Shawn, so the crew decides to call him "Black Shawn" to distinguish him from Sean Garrity. Black Shawn is not happy with this. Using the basketball team as leverage, Shawn expects to not be referred to as "Probie" and to be absolved of any probie work. This initially angers Garrity, Mike, and Tommy. However, after Black Shawn shows himself worthy in the face of a raging fire, the entire crew accepts him, and even Tommy pays him grudging respect.
The season concludes with Tommy, Lou, Sean, Michael Gavin, and Uncle Teddy attending a Newark Bears minor league baseball game at the request of Michael while Colleen attends a picnic with Black Shawn. Tommy tries to show Michael a hit, but he doesn't respond. Tommy realizes that his father has died, wraps his arm around him, and continues to watch the game.