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TV Junkie: 'Rescue Me' Concludes; Mike Royce Scores at 20th
At 10pm tonight the series finale of FX's "Rescue Me" airs. The Denis Leary/Peter Tolan co-created series has taken its characters on quite a journey while maintaining a solid connection to 9/11
Tonight marks the series finale of FX's "Rescue Me," a show that it took me a while to warm up to. Initially I thought that the show was too exploitive of 9/11 and then there's always been the issue of Denis Leary's acting abilities. I loved him in the movie The Ref, but that, along with his role of firefighter Tommy Gavin on "Rescue Me" are simple recastings of the persona he brought public in the early 1990s."Rescue Me" has turned into a good show by bringing in great actors like Charles Durning, Maura Tierney, as well as the revelation that is longtime Boston comedian Lenny Clarke and other guest comedians like Artie Lange, and more. It's a show that has won Emmys but deserves further recognition for its straightforward take on grief, alcoholism, and homophobia, among many topics. Still, 9/11 has always been the touchstone for the series and it's fitting that the series ends a few days shy of the tragey's 10th anniversary. There were laughs, there was high drama, and action - that won't be any different tonight ("Rescue Me" at 10pm on FX).
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It was great to read that "Men of a Certain Age" co-creator, Mike Royce, has signed a development deal with 20th Television - the man is brilliant and we hope to see several new shows from him as part of this multiyear deal.
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Spike TV has announced the nominees and details of their "Scream 2011 Awards" which will tape on October 15 and be broadcast on October 18. The Best TV Show category is composed of the following nominees: "Doctor Who," "Fringe," "Game of Thrones," "True Blood," "The Walking Dead." For this network and awards show, "The Walking Dead" is the no-brainer winner but I wonder how that will change if "Game of Thrones" does well at the Emmys.
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Today's stage of La Vuelta a Espana was epic - try to catch the rerun on Universal Sports either on your cable box or online, the drama on the final hillclimb was unbelievable.
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Jimmy Kimmel's tribute to his Uncle Frank last night was very touching:
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The TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan: "SoCal Connected," "NOVA," "Rescue Me," "Chelsea Lately," "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon". Thursday AM - Vuelta a Espana
8:00pm SoCal Connected KCET - In the Shadow of 9/11 Security issues in Southern California.
9:00pm NOVA PBS SoCal/KOCE - Engineering Ground Zero Architects and engineers plan the construction of One World Trade Center and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
10:00pm Rescue Me FX - Ashes After the fire, the members of 62 truck struggle to pick up the pieces; the new probies receive a familiar speech and stand before a new leader.
11:00pm Chelsea Lately E! - Musician Dave Grohl; comic Chris Hardwick; comic Jen Kirkman; comic Josh Wolf.
11:00pm Conan TBS - Actor Don Johnson; actress Busy Phillips; Band of Horses perform.
11:00pm The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Comedy Central - Dr. Sanjay Gupta guest interviewee
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11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry; actress Sarah Jessica Parker.
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Jay Leno NBC - Actor Chris Colfer; Kristin Chenoweth performs.
12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - Actor Elijah Wood; AWOL Nation performs.
12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actor James Marsden; chef Wolfgang Puck.
12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actress Marion Cotillard; actor Nick Swardson; Anthrax performs.
Thursday AM
7:00am Vuelta a Espana Universal Sports - Stage 18, bicycle racing
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