‘Rescue Me’ Gets Series Finale Date

The long-running FX drama Rescue Me, created by and starring Denis Leary, will come to an end on September 6th of this year – only five days before the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks that inspired the show.

Over its seven season run, Rescue Me followed the story of New York City firefighter Tommy Gavin (Leary) dealing with post-traumatic stress from the September 11th attacks, which killed his cousin/best friend, as well as personal problems such as alcoholism and other family struggles.

Initially, Rescue Me‘s gritty aesthetic, as well as Leary’s critically-acclaimed performance, made it one of FX’s most popular shows and helped the cable channel craft its identity as a network for great original programming. In its later seasons, one could argue that the show’s myriad plot developments became somewhat convoluted, but that’s up for debate.

Given that the events of September 11th are what drove the majority of the characters’ decisions over the course of the show, the decision to close the series the week before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is fitting and certainly a better decision than airing it on September 11th. As FX president John Landgraf explained in this article from The Hollywood Reporter,

“It seemed appropriate not to air it on the day because there are more solemn and appropriate things to do on the day. The weeks surrounding the day seemed to be the appropriate place to do it.”

As I said at the top of the post, Rescue Me (along with The Shield) helped define FX’s legacy as a top quality network for original television, paving the way for later shows like the popular crime drama Sons of Anarchy. While it’s still not at the quality of its cable rival AMC, or premium cable juggernaut HBO, FX has consistently been one of the best networks on TV, and Rescue Me is a testament to that fact.

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Rescue Me returns Summer 2011, on FX.

Source: THR

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‘Boardwalk Empire’ Season 1 Finale Earns Strong Ratings

Stroll down to the speakeasy and pop open the champagne, the freshman season of Boardwalk Empire is a success!

The first season finale of HBO’s hit series had 3.3 million viewers Sunday night, and another 900,000 tuned in for the encore showing. According to HBO, each episode has averaged 10.5 million views across live, on-demand and recorded audiences. This makes Boardwalk Empire their second-most popular series behind True Blood, and the best opening season for an HBO show since Six Feet Under.

Some viewers have criticized the show’s relatively slow pace in its opening episodes (a ‘flaw’ shared by AMC’s successful Mad Men), but the show has picked up quickly in the last few episodes and delivered a satisfying conclusion. Fans will be happy to know that Boardwalk Empire has been renewed for a second season, and barring a catastrophic drop in viewership, a few more years of prohibition-era drama seems like a certainty.

Like The Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire will take its time coming back: new episodes aren’t expected until the fall. The pilot drew the highest viewership of the season, due in no small part to the promotion of Martin Scorsese’s involvement. It has been noted that Scorsese may be directing future episodes, time permitting.

The show’s mix of real and fictional gangsters, politicians and G-men is a potent one. Combined with typically top-notch period piece production design and casting from HBO, (not to mention a healthy advertising campaign) it’s no wonder that Boardwalk Empire has caught on so quickly. The show’s hair-trigger tension and quasi-historical Atlantic City setting make it compelling television – you’d be hard-pressed to find anything like it on TV, now or in the last ten years. The episodes are lighter on action than the trailers would indicate, an observation that has irked some viewers.

Steve Buschemi, who is used to small supporting roles in big pictures, has drawn favorable reviews for his character “Nucky” Thompson. Expectations for Stephen Graham’s portrayal of a young Al Capone are high, especially considering his other gangster roles in Public Enemies and Snatch. If the show writers are accurate (and smart) they’ll allow the iconic gangster to slowly gain underworld momentum over several seasons.

Boardwalk Empire season 2 will premiere fall 2011, on HBO

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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