Disney+ Dark Comedy Made A Leading Man Out Of Legendary Comedian
In the post-9/11 era, many popular TV shows such as 24 and Homeland focused their attention around battling terrorism and stopping future attacks before they happen. Meanwhile, shows like Rescue Me took a different approach to 9/11 and explored the haunting concept of shared trauma in the wake of the worst terrorist attack in American history. The outrageously dark comedy is unlike anything else on Disney+ with its dark and all-too-real themes paired with a legendary brash comedian who turned into a surprisingly compelling leading man.
Rescue Me’s Conception
Less than three years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Rescue Me made its television debut in July 2004. The series was the brainchild of comedian Denis Leary and writer Peter Tolan, who each set out to create a realistic and down-to-Earth portrayal of life inside a New York City firehouse.
While not centered around the 9/11 attacks specifically, or the events that immediately followed, the series uses the terrorist attacks as an emotional backdrop for its characters and weaves the process of overcoming trauma throughout the show’s 93-episode run.
The Story
Rescue Me tells the story of Tommy Gavin (Leary), a firefighter with Ladder Company 62 inside the New York City Fire Department. Tommy is often emotionally volatile who struggles with a dependence on alcohol to help him through the grief of losing several friends in the 9/11 attacks.
Tommy is also infrequently visited by the ghost of his late cousin, Jimmy Keefe (James McCaffrey), who also died in the attacks.
The Cast
In addition to battling alcoholism and chatting with occasional talkative apparitions, Tommy also struggles to juggle his crumbling personal life, including a failed marriage, all while trying to keep his cool fighting a number of the fires throughout New York City.
Alongside Tommy inside Ladder Company 62 are firefighters Sean Garrity (Steven Pasquale), Franco Rivera (Daniel Sunjata), Lou Shea (John Scurti), and Mike Silletti (Michael Lombardi). While Tommy battles his fair share of demons, he is not alone in his struggles, with each firefighter dealing with their own personal and professional issues.
Reception
Rescue Me notched eight Emmy nominations over the course of its seven-season run, with Michael J. Fox securing the show’s only Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2009. Despite never winning any other major awards during its time on TV, Rescue Me still holds a critic score of 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 90 percent audience score to go along with it.
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Although the show always made time to crack a joke or commit to a running gag, I applaud Rescue Me for its attempt to tackle some very heavy issues in a time when many people were unsure about the future.
There have not been many shows released in the last 20 years that can say they wrote intimate scenes detailing the pain and ongoing struggle with dealing with trauma, all while its main character talks to ghosts and sleeps with his dead cousin’s widow.
I can’t really point to many shows that were so unafraid to go after some truly bizarre storylines all while still keeping itself grounded.
It’s been said about a lot of actors, but Leary was born to play Tommy Gavin. His honest portrayal of a tormented firefighter may have been underappreciated at the time, but as years go by it’s clear that his work was top-notch. You can check out Leary for yourself by streaming Rescue Me on Disney+ and Hulu.
