 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Rescue Me
Common Sense Media says
Complex, mature show isn't meant for younger viewers.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Rescue Me is an unflinching look at the lives of firefighters. These rough-and-tumble men -- and the occasional woman -- put their lives on the line when they go to work, and their language is as rough as the situations they face. When they're not fighting fires, they're usually crass, sometimes violent, often drunk, and always looking for either sex or love, though not always at the same time. In short, they're very human, very flawed, and very real.
What's the story?
Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) has problems. He's an alcoholic who's hardly trying to control his drinking, his ex-wife hates him even more than most divorcees hate their former husbands, and he sometimes finds himself having conversations with dead friends and family members. The one place where Tommy, the senior firefighter at a busy New York firehouse, feels on solid ground is at work. Though this compelling and realistic drama centers on Tommy and his complicated life, his co-workers are also important characters with plenty of their own problems -- and helping his fellow firefighters sort through their issues helps Tommy (and viewers) realize that everybody's life can sometimes get pretty messy.
Is it any good?
Though the firefighting scenes are exciting, the strength of RESCUE ME is that the characters' problems and crises are all very believable; watching Tommy and his pals try to figure out what to do with their lives feels like it could be anyone trying to muddle through life. Viewers might be put off by the language; firefighters can't really be expected to watch their words when battling a blaze, and the station house seems much like a lived-in locker room, but these guys are incredibly foul-mouthed by any standard. There's not a bad word ever coined that they don't use liberally, and they make up plenty more that are creatively explicit.
Still, Rescue Me goes a step beyond the standard hospital or police station ensemble drama because its characters have more going on in their lives than what happens at work. That said, the level of complication and complex shades of gray in those lives make the series iffy for all but the most mature teens.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how they would react to some of the conflicts that Tommy and his pals face. The show creates extreme but realistic situations that require the characters to make difficult choices. In one important storyline, for example, Tommy, his father, and his uncle take justice into their own hands. What do teens think they would do in a similar situation?
Do the ends ever justify the means? What can people do when they believe the law has failed them?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
FX Strikes Gold Again!
Rescue Me is rated TV-MA for strong crude language, strong sexual content including nudity, and some violence.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Could be a promising parent child conversation starter
I wish there was an easy way to rate this but there isnt... I am a twenty one year old college student who began watching this show with my parents from the moment it came on the air. My family unlike many others is brutally honest and open (that is what you get for being half italian half redneck). My father was a fireman and i obviously idolized the man i was named for, so watching this show gave me a way to be closer to him. The language in the show is often crass and rude but is used most often to either deliver the message or to gain a laugh. Despite the shows graphic sex scenes (graphic for standard cable) and violent moment, it offers something most TV shows are too afraid to deliver, REALISM. This show covers everything from discovering sexuality (the probie's homosexual experimentation), respecting sexuality (the captain's son being openly gay), alcoholism (Tommy), adultery (Tommy), loss (every cast member), and so on.
This show can be an amazing talking point IF, and I mean IF parents are willing to sit down and talk to their children about the show. The topics are virtually limitless and present the parents an easy opening to possibly difficult conversations to have.
My recommendation is that parents take the time to consider this as a show to watch with their children at around age 14+. Especially because this is the age at about when most kids will be personally introduced to most if not all of these topics in the real world, if they havent been already.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 12 years old
April 30, 2009
AGE
rescue me review by critic07
It's a creepy show it's really bad. It's O.K., i think if you like really brutal show's you'd love it!
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 12 years old
June 19, 2009
AGE
Interesting.
Nothing really bad in this show. Some Cursing, but not constant. Discussion of sex.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
