Rescue Me is an American television drama series created by Denis Leary and Peter Tolan which focuses on the professional and personal lives of New York City firefighters after the trauma of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The series aired in the USA on FX from 21 July, 2004 to 7 September, 2011. There are 93 hour-long episodes in seven seasons.
Rescue Me originally premiered in South Africa on M-Net on Thursday 3 February, 2005. It moved to DStv's actionX channel (now called M-Net Action) for Seasons 3-5 and to M-Net Series for the final two seasons (6 and 7).
The series later began airing on DStv's Sony Entertainment Television (SONY) channel in November 2007 and on StarSat's (formerly TopTV) Fox FX channel in September 2011. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 3 premiered on Fox FX on Monday 7 April 2014, at 20h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 13 episodes in the third season.
Season 1
From the creators and executive producers of The Job comes Rescue Me, a dramedy that centers on the inner workings of Engine 62, a New York City firehouse, and the personal and emotional battles of its members in a post-9/11 world.
The show focuses on Tommy Gavin, the senior firefighter whose life is in turmoil as he copes with the stresses and fears of his job as well the separation from his wife Janet.
Tommy moves into a house across the street from her to stay close to their three children and keep an eye on her.
The stresses and fears of his job are manifested through conversations with his dead cousin Jimmy Keefe, a former firefighter, as well as the haunting memories of people he has watched perish on the job.
The remaining heroes of Ladder 62 include Chief Jerry Reilly who, despite being called "The Good Chief," has a serious gambling problem and bets on everything, even Tommy's divorce.
Sean Garrity is a young, handsome guy who is easier to look at than hold a conversation with.
Franco Rivera, a cocky, Puerto Rican ladies man, is Tommy's confidante who lives life in the fast lane.
Lt. Kenny "Lou" Shea is a man's man who secretly writes poetry and uses it as a way to release his emotional frustrations.
Mike Silletti, "the probie," is subject to numerous initiation pranks as he starts his career as a firefighter.
Season 2
Rescue Me returns for a second season to continue following Tommy Gavin - a recently divorced fireman with New York City's Truck Company 62 – struggling to handle the fact that his wife Janet is moving on with her life without him and with the ongoing effects of 9/11.
The season begins with Tommy having nightmares about Franco's injury while Janet is in the midst of selling the house and preparing to leave with their kids.
Experiencing ongoing premonitions of his own death, Tommy now lives alone in an illegal sublet in the East Village after being transferred to Staten Island.
Tommy realises that he is going to have to get his life back in order so he can find a way to get back to Truck Company 62.
Season 3
Returning for a third season, Rescue Me is a weekly one-hour drama that revolves around the lives of the men in a New York City firehouse.
In a third season of looking into the personal lives of the crew that's manning New York City Fire Department's 62 Truck, Rescue Me examines the fraternal nature and relationships of firefighters, tackling the daily drama of the job's life-and-death situations as it explores the dark humour the fighters use to protect their true emotions.
At the end of Season Two, Tommy Gavin's life was in turmoil. His marriage, which had been magically – and clandestinely - resuscitated with the aid of his wife Janet's anti-depressants, was once again shattered when their son Connor was hit and killed by a drunk driver while under Tommy's watch.
Not up to mounting a protest when Janet left with the kids, Tommy entrusted his brother Johnny to look after them in his absence. Once Tommy's shock over the accident finally wore off, however, it was replaced by rage.
Using information provided by Johnny's friends inside the police department, he conspired with his dad and Uncle Teddy to avenge Connor's death. While waiting for Teddy to pull the trigger, a sudden crisis of conscience prompted Tommy to attempt to abort the plan.
But it was too late - Teddy had already fired the fatal shot, killing the drunk driver who took Connor's life.
At 62 Truck, Tommy's co-workers were having problems of their own. Franco Rivera's brief romance with Laura unraveled when he was caught cheating … again.
Feeling that she had compromised her standing in the firehouse by getting involved with Franco, Laura transferred out.
On the heels of his divorce, Lt. Kenny “Lou” Shea gave every penny he had to Candy, a hooker with a heart of gold, on the promise that it would get her out from under the thumb of her pimp. By the time Lou discovered that she was really a con artist, Candy had already skipped town with all his money.
And for Chief Jerry Reilly, fighting a losing battle against his wife's Alzheimer's forced him to put her in a special care facility.
Season Three finds the crew of 62 Truck collectively licking their wounds. Tommy has been negotiating divorce terms through Johnny and his lawyer, Cousin Eddie.
With help from his cousin Jimmy's widow, Sheila Keefe, Tommy is also caring for his ailing father, who serves as a constant reminder that since Connor died, the Gavins have no male heir to carry on the family tradition in the FDNY.
Mike “the Probie” Siletti is anxiously anticipating the end of his status as a probationary firefighter and considering a transfer to a firehouse where he's shown a little more respect.
In an attempt to secure a better future for his daughter Keela, Franco is studying for the lieutenant's exam, a move that would also require him to transfer.
Still reeling from losing everything to Candy, Lou is out drinking every night and living in a dumpy basement apartment, while Jerry faces his own money troubles when the facility that cares for his wife raises the rent.
And Sean Garrity has gotten deeply involved with a mystery woman who challenges him to quit smoking - a challenge that is also accepted by the rest of the guys in the firehouse.
So, with his own family in shambles, Tommy begins to realise that his crew is the only family he can still save, and makes it his mission to keep 62 Truck from breaking up.
Season 4
In Season 4, Tommy survives the fire set by his ex girlfriend, Sheila, who has been fighting to get him back by drugging him, but hazy memories of that night's events put him at the centre of an arson investigation.
Facing the loss of his job and even jail, he delicately arranges for Sheila to have custody of his ex-wife Janet's baby.
The men of the firefighters' club face trials that include Lou's romance with a nun, Sean's stormy marriage to Maggie Gavin, and a disappointing return to duty that ends in suicide.
And when Mike is transferred to a crew with a reputation for drinking on the job, Tommy tries to keep him out of harm's way by secretly joining them on calls dressed in his dead cousin Jimmy's bunker jacket.
Season 5
At the start of the fifth season, Tommy finds himself in a relationship with Valerie that has already burned out, with a hole in his life where his emotionally inaccessible father used to be, and facing a possible expulsion from the firehouse for reckless behaviour on the job.
Nevertheless, Tommy's grasp on his sobriety appears firm and his dedication to a greater good unswerving.
However, when a foreign reporter brings an international perspective and a collection of 9/11 footage to the firehouse, things begin to unravel.
Soon, neither Mickey's words of wisdom, nor the constant prodding of the young man he is attempting to sponsor can keep Tommy from slipping off the wagon.
To make matters worse, Tommy must navigate "no-strings-attached" relationships with Sheila and Janet, both of whom have hidden agendas.
Meanwhile, with Katy off at boarding school and Colleen out of the house and living with Black Shawn, Janet begins dating a new man who pushes life and Tommy to their limits.
Franco takes up boxing as a way to vent his frustrations with the official story of 9/11. In the gym, Franco may have finally met his match when he falls for a hard-nosed female boxer. But when the rest of the crew finds reason to question Carla's sexuality, Franco discovers that his toughest bouts will be outside the ring.
The guys convince Mike to use his inheritance to buy a bar. After a rocky start, Mike's bar becomes a hotbed for debauchery and a venue to facilitate Mike's quest to become a rock star.
Money, chicks, and booze - things couldn't be going any better until a rag-tag pack of outsiders infiltrate the premises and put a halt to the festivities.
When Tommy disapproves of Lou's motivations for his newfound interest in writing, Lou calls into question Tommy's fundamental values as a friend. Tommy's skepticism grows when Candy, the prostitute who ripped him off in season two, returns and attempts to re-ignite an old flame in Lou.
Sean is suffering back pain, which turns out to be more serious than he expected. His mother and brother show up to provide emotional support, but Sean must tackle the financial burden on his own.
When he is finally well enough to leave the hospital, the guys find out that Sean's liver is not the only part of his body that has been affected by the ordeal.
Tommy's nephew Damien finishes school and is ushered into the firehouse as the new probie. When Tommy reluctantly takes Damien under his wing at Sheila's request, he puts the rest of the crew in harm's way.
This dynamic quickly wears thin on both Needles and Feinberg, but Needles ultimately takes the firmer stance. From Tommy to Mike to Lou, everyone has a hand in Damien's mentorship.
Season 6
Season 6 opens with Tommy shaken by his vision of the afterlife. Tommy comes home to discover that Janet has been relying on Franco during his absence, and finds their newfound closeness suspicious.
Uncle Teddy confronts Tommy, insisting he utilize this second chance to make things right. Tommy begins reevaluating his priorities both at home and at the station, and after rescuing a priest from a fire, Tommy seeks out his guidance.
Janet and Tommy's relationship is at another crossroads, both torn between putting the past behind them and whether Tommy can really change.
Meanwhile, Feinberg informs the gang that due to the recession, the Mayor needs to close down some firehouses. Given the house's renegade reputation, they're number one on the chopping block, and he insists he's not going down with them.
Damien, still anxious for his first save, finds himself questioning his place in the Gavin firefighting legacy, while Sheila continues pressuring Tommy to talk to Damien about his role in the brotherhood.
Colleen has started drinking more since Tommy's shooting, causing concern that she's following in Tommy's footsteps. Black Shawn stands by her, and further inserts himself into the family.
Garrity is approached by an ailing firefighter and enlists Mike's assistance in fulfilling his friend's last wishes.
Rescue Me stars Denis Leary, John Scurti, Daniel Sunjata, Steven Pasquale, Michael Lombardi, Callie Thorne, Andrea Roth and Adam Ferrara.
The series was created by Leary and Peter Tolan, who along with Jim Serpico serve as executive producers. The show is produced by Apostle, Dreamworks Television and The Cloudland Company in association with Sony Pictures Television.
Seasons
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 3 Feb 2005 | Finale: 28 Apr 2005 | Thursdays, 21h30
Channel: SONY | Premiere: 8 Nov 2007 | Finale: 31 Jan 2008 | Thursdays, 23h00
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 19 Sep 2011 | Finale: 12 Dec 2011 | Mondays, 20h30
Season 2 (13 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 19 Jan 2006 | Finale: 13 Apr 2006 | Thursdays, 21h30
Channel: SONY | Premiere: 14 Jun 2008 | Finale: 6 Sep 2008 | Saturdays, 21h40
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 7 May 2012 | Finale: 30 Jul 2012 | Mondays, 20h30
Season 3 (13 episodes)
Channel: actionX | Premiere: 26 Oct 2006 | Finale: 18 Jan 2007 | Thursdays, 20h00
Channel: SONY | Premiere: 15 Dec 2008 | Finale: 9 Mar 2009 | Mondays, 19h00
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 7 Apr 2014 | Finale: 30 Jun 2014 | Mondays, 20h30
Season 4 (13 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 19 Jun 2008 | Finale: 11 Sep 2008 | Thursdays, 20h00
Channel: SONY | Premiere: 22 Jun 2010 | Finale: 14 Sep 2010 | Tuesdays, 21h20
Season 5 (22 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 25 Nov 2009 | Finale: 21 Apr 2010 | Wednesdays, 19h00
Channel: SONY | Premiere: 14 Sep 2011 | Finale: 8 Feb 2012 | Wednesdays, 22h35
Season 6 (10 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 1 Jul 2011 | Finale: 2 Sep 2011 | Fridays, 21h30
Channel: SONY | Premiere: 12 Feb 2012 | Finale: 15 Apr 2012 | Sundays, 22h40