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UK Premier Date : 13th January 2005
US Premier Date : 21st July 2004
Episodes : 13
The first season of began on July 21 2004. It began by introducing the members of a New York City fire station and exploring their lives, both home and in the firehouse. It focused on main character Tommy Gavin as he dealt with the effects of September 11, 2001 attacks, which, for him, include seeing the ghosts of his cousin Jimmy Keefe as well as various people he failed to save. At the same time he and his wife are separated and, from across the street, he has to watch her begin to date again and concocts a "secret evil plan" to get her back and prevent her from taking his children and leaving the state.
In other stories; Chief Jerry Reilly attacks a gay former firefighter in a bar after the guy 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 (many) ex-girlfriends, which leads to Franco finding out that he has a daughter with the woman, whom he takes in after the mother's overdose death. Tommy also gets involved with Jimmy's widow Sheila, and "Probie" Mike Silletti begins to date a "fat chick" named Theresa (Ashlie Atkinson), which he keeps secret. Lt. Kenneth Shea deals with 9/11 by writing poetry, and then starts to have an affair.
After fireman Billy Warren dies in a fire, the city sends Laura Miles to replace him. She clashes with the guys in general, who don't want a woman on their crew, and with Tommy in particular, whom she is watching and believes is growing dangerous as he takes more and more seemingly unnecessary risks on the job. The season comes to a close with Tommy's mistake at a fire causing Franco to get hurt, and Tommy's eventual transfer out of the house after the rest of the crew find out he's been seeing Sheila and gotten her pregnant. In the final scene of the final episode he shows up at his wife's house, only to find her and his children missing, along with everything in the house.
UK Premier Date : 26th February 2006
US Premier Date : 21st June 2005
Episodes : 13
Season 2 begins with Tommy at a new firehouse on Staten Island. He is transferred back to his old house after the crew find out his replacement Sully is a cross dresser.
Tommy and his brother find out that their father had an affair and that they have two half-siblings, a boy and a girl. Tommy also finds out that Janet took his kids to Ohio. He gets them back and the two reconcile for a brief time. Toward the end of the season, Connor Gavin is killed by a drunk driver. When it is suspected the drunk driver will not face prison time Tommy's uncle, Teddy decides to kill him.
In other plotlines, Chief Jerry's wife is gradually deteriorating from Alzheimer’s and he is forced to place her in a long-term care facility. Laura, the only female in the unit, leaves Franco and the firehouse. Lt. Kenny "Lou" Shea is conned by a prostitute, resulting in him losing his entire life savings and forcing him to relocate into a tiny apartment just to make ends meet. He falls into depression and turns to alcohol to hide his shame and to distort the reality of what he has done.
UK Premier Date : 28th November 2006
US Premier Date : 30th May 2006
Episodes : 13
The third season begins with Tommy and Janet have re-separated after the death of their only son while Tommy's uncle, Teddy, is in jail for murder. Tommy finds out his brother is sleeping with his ex-wife, which Tommy discovers after seeing the two holding hands and rubbing feet at his fathers birthday party, Tommy gives his brother an extremely vicious beating for his betrayal.
The crew gets wary of Lou, and suspects that something is wrong. Lou yells at Tommy when he comes up to talk to him, and continues to hide the conning of season two.
At the end of one episode, Mike arrives home upset, and cuddles up to his male roommate while watching a hockey game.
Tommy ends up raping his ex-wife. The act, along with his post-coital attitude and the suggestion that she may have enjoyed it led to much controversy. Many have accused the show of glorifying rape while others have praised the show for portraying Janet's enjoyment as a refreshingly realistic view of the sexual dynamics of relationships.
After Tommy is seen canoodling with Johnny's ex-wife, Angie (Marisa Tomei), Sheila revenges Tommy's rape by mixing Viagra and a date rape drug, both formerly found in her son's room, and putting them into Tommy's drink. She then has sex with his unconscious body. Afterwards, she chalks her actions up to frustration over the death of her husband, and tries to cover her tracks and pass off Tommy's state as a result of his obsession with the bottle.
Things only seem to get more out of control for Tommy when his estranged brother approaches him to tell Tommy that Janet is pregnant. When Tommy confronts her about the surprising news, she wants to have the pregnancy to replace their late son Connor. The confrontation elevates into a tense standoff with Tommy beaten senselessly.
Meanwhile, Mike's possible homosexuality and potential firehouse transfer is revealed in the house to the guys, who take jabs at it. But a surprising Tommy comes to Mike's defense, only to later turn on him by revealing these things to an old colleague at the house Mike plans to transfer to.
At the end of episode 11 Tommys brother Johnny is shot in the back 3 times and is killed.
Chief Reilly has a heart attack after taking viagra and the peron he is with leaves him to die the crew turn up when he fails to show up for work and find him lying face down, he also turns out to be alive.
The season final sees all the crews plans for going their seperate ways fall apart. The crew also visits the 9/11 memorial at house 10, ladder 10.
The end of the episode sees Tommy tell Sheila that he did not hand in his papers, she then drugs him with the date rape drug. While he is out Sheila accidently starts a ire and is unable to wake him, he does wake up but soon passes out with all the smoke with Sheila next to him. The house then explodes.
The third season has also seen Susan Sarandon plays Franco's new girlfriend.
Dean Winters has been added to the main credits as a full-time character to replace Diane Farr
UK Premier Date : 2008, Airing Delayed Due To WGA Strike
US Premier Date : 13th June 2007
Episodes : 13
Tommy and Shelia are rescued by firefighters, but are then accused of arson and insurance fraud. Janet has given birth to the baby and Tommy has come to accept it as his own. Unfortunately, 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 in a coffee shop. Colleen runs away from home and moves in with her boyfriend leaving her parents enraged.
Depressed after being told that he can no longer serve in active duty due to his poor heart, Jerry shocks everyone by taking his own life.
Janet is suffering from postpartum depression and is also 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 has approached Tommy about them giving her the baby; she has offered Tommy $850,000.00 in payment. She continues to hound Tommy about this and Tommy has not told Janet of Sheila's offer. Seeing how his wife is suffering and how the baby is being neglected and seemingly rejected by everyone in the family but himself, Tommy is reluctantly beginning to re-consider Sheila's offer.
Tommy soon decides to give the baby to Sheila after contemplating throwing him off into the Hudson river at the request of his brother's ghost. After Janet learns of what Tommy has done she beats him with a frying pan and runs him down with her car. After she realizes that he is OK, she sends the youngest daughter up to Sheila's apartment and steals the baby back. Meanwhile Tommy has a breakdown in the apartment in which all of his ghostly friends including Jimmy let him know that they are tired of his selfishness and leave him.
Tommy then shares custody with Sheila by bribing his daughter Colleen with a no limit credit card. Colleen gives the baby to him when she has him, so he can in turn give it to Sheila. Colleen's boyfriend uses the credit card to buy a wedding ring. After Tommy learns this, he goes to the recording studio to sort out Colleen's boyfriend and destroys his guitar. The boyfriend tell Tommy the ring wasn't for Colleen, but for another girl. Relieved of this he apologizes to the boyfriend and wishes him and his new girlfriend the best of luck. When the boyfriend explains this to Colleen, he says its because Tommy scares him and that is why he left Colleen, so now of course Colleen hates Tommy even more.
Maggie Gavin and Sean Garrity are on and off throughout the whole season ending with Garrity pretending to be an alcoholic to spend time with Maggie and an eventual final split.
The family starts their own AA meetings due to the high amount of alcoholics in the family. Father Michael Gavin refuses to attend meetings but contacts Tommy and tells him that he's going to be sober ironically at a bar to "keep his friends close and his enemies closer". Tommy struggles to maintain sober the entire season.
Tommy also begins seeing a woman Valerie (Gina Gershon) who can't be touched after she orgasms during sex. She and Tommy are on and off due to Tommy's periodic want for his ex-wife Janet.
The season ends with Tommy, Lou, Sean, Michael Gavin (Tommy's Dad), and Uncle Teddy attending a Newark Bears minor league baseball game at the request of Tommy's dad. Tommy and his father take the close up seats while the rest of the crew take the "nose bleed" seats. Lou explains to Garrity how Baseball is like life, waiting for something to come and not being awake for it to happen, but having enough time for a beer, a hot dog, and maybe a blowjob here and there. Also, Colleen is seen attending a picnic with Black Shawn. The last shot is of Tommy showing his father a hit, and his dad not responding or waking up. Tommy realizes that his father has passed away and puts his arm around him and continues to watch the game.
UK Premier Date : 2009
US Premier Date : 2008, Delayed Due To WGA Strike
Episodes : 22
22 All new episode of Rescue Me to air 2008. Filming is to rumored to begin in March all going well.
