Justified Renewed for a Second Season!

FX original series, and Don’t Touch That Dial favorite, Justified has been renewed for a 13-episode second season!

According to Entertainment Weekly, Justified has averaged a strong 3.4 million viewership. It ranks as this year’s number one new series on basic cable among men 18-49 (1.1 million).

The show airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX. The season 1 finale will air June 8.

The Smoking Men of Rescue Me

Recently, a friend and mine have been watching the FX original series Rescue Me all the way through, from season one up through season five (season six beings in June). We love it so much that it has become ALL we can talk about.

Since my recent obbsession began, I have wanted to do a post that honors the gorgeous men of this show. Rescue Me revolves around a team of firefighters in NYC and their various personal and professional problems. Below, meet the gorgeous men that make up the show. (Note: These are not the only characters on the show. Others include Kenny “Lou” Shea, Jerry Reilly, “Needles” Nelson, etc.)

*POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS*

Tommy Gavin

Portrayed by show creator Denis Leary, Tommy Gavin is the star of the show and seems to have the most issues to overcome. To name a few? He’s an alcoholic, his wife and he separated, she took the kids and ran away without telling him, he started sleeping with his dead cousin’s (who died in 9/11) widow, his only son was killed by a drunk driver, his wife started sleeping with his brother (see below), who was then killed, and his wife also had a baby and they don’t know if the father is Tommy or his brother since they were both sleeping with said wife at the time. Yeah, its crazy. But! He somehow works his way to keep his head up the whole time, and looks good doing it.

Franco Rivera

Franco Rivera, as portrayed by Daniel Sunjata, is the ultimate player on a team of players. In the first season, he discovers he has a daughter, Keela, that he didn’t know about. When Keela’s mother dies, Franco begrudgingly takes her in, but learns to take care of her like a good father. In the third season, a wealthy girlfriend of Franco’s (Susan Sarandon) finds out that Franco has custody of Keela even though he signed away his parental rights, so she takes Keela and decides to raise her as her own. Franco really is a man’s man, and always takes care of business.

 

Sean Garrity

Sean Garrity (Steven Pasquale) is classified as the dumb guy on the team. He is always the first to say something stupid, get confused, or get his facts messed up. Sean really is the dumb guy with a heart of gold, but he’s adorable while doing it. He begins a relationship with Tommy’s messed up sister Maggie (Tatum O’Neal), and Sean and Maggie marry (just to divorce later). His close friendship with Mike (see below) makes the two a great “Dumb and Dumber” type pairing. In season 5, Sean finds out that he has kidney cancer (probably 9/11 related) but gets treatment for it and turns out OK.

Mike Silletti

Mike Silletti (Michael Lombardi) comes onto the team as the rookie – the “probie.” He is a new fireman who has to work to earn the respect of others. Similar to a frat house, the guys make Mike do all the grunt work – clean the house, clean the truck, do errands, etc. When its time for Mike to be made a full-on firefighter, he feels he is unappreciated in the house and wants to transfer out. However, rumors fly that he is gay (which, despite a few experiences he claims he’s not) and in a profession that is “old school” in its way of thinking, this doesn’t sit well with the guys on the other truck he wants to transfer to. Mike ends up staying where he is, and when they get a new probie, he finally makes his mark with the other guys.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Johnny Gavin

Be still my beating heart! Johnny Gavin (Dean Winters) is by far my favorite Rescue Me character. Younger brother to Tommy, Johnny is a cop with the NYPD who helps Tommy get out of trouble when he needs it. Johnny has an ex-wife Angie (Marisa Tomei) and two daughters that are never seen. After Tommy and his wife, Janet,’s son Conner is killed by a drunk driver, Johnny hooks up with Janet. Tommy is furious when he finds out, beating Johnny up and down the street. Tommy tries to get Johnny pissed by dating Angie, but Johnny doesn’t buy it. Johnny says he’s loved Janet since she and Tommy met in high school, and it’s assumed that he picked Angie as second best when Janet married Tommy. Janet gets pregnant and doesn’t tell Johnny she has also secretly been with Tommy, so Johnny believes it’s his. At a stakeout one night, Johnny is shot to death. He is definitely my favorite character – being so tough yet so sweet – and I love him for it. (Check out clip of him below.)

Mickey Gavin

Mickey Gavin (Robert John Burke) is Tommy’s cousin. He was a priest, but then left the church for reasons unknown (he does have a girlfriend, so that may be a reason). Mickey brings Tommy to AA meetings and acts as Tommy’s sponsor. He tries to keep Tommy in line, making sure his drinking and everything is settled correctly. Mickey seems to be one of the more moral Gavin family members, always trying to get everyone’s drinking (everyone in the family pretty much has a problem with alcohol) under control. (Side note: Robert John Burke who plays Mickey is probably best known, for me anyway, as playing Bart Bass on Gossip Girl.)

So there you have it. Those are the men of Rescue Me that deserve to be in GQ Magazines everywhere. (Side note 2: Desmond Harrington, famous on Don’t Touch That Dial for portraying Jack Bass on Gossip Girl, Bart’s brother, has a guest spot on Rescue Me where he plays Troy, a firefighter that admires Tommy to an almost creepy extent.)

Check out these clips below. WARNING: Contains mature content.

It was Justified.

“I’m giving you 24 hours to get out of town or else I will shoot you on sight.” – Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens

Only three episodes into its first season, and already this show has gotten exceedingly high ratings and has stolen my heart.

Oh? The show? 

It’s called Justified and its on FX. The show revolves around Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (pictured above) and his return to his home state of Kentucky after a…mishap…in Miami. (Basically, he shot a guy straight up in public and the higher ups didn’t appreciate it.)

Of course, Givens isn’t excited to go home. When he gets there, he has to deal with a misfitted bunch of characters. They include his new boss, Art Mullen, and two other deputies, Tim Gutterson and Rachel Brooks. Given’s past also comes to light in the form of his ex-wife, Winona; her new husband, Gary and Given’s high school crush Ava, who is the only witness to Givens’ shooting of his old buddy Boyd Crowder.

Crazy, right?

Oh, and there’s also a bunch of crime stuff as well. The second episode focuses around a prison escapee who escapes to find the money he stashed from a bank robbery 15 years ago. Givens has to find him and then works security detail, transporting criminals across state.

Bottom line, the show is great fun. It’s dramatic, subtley comedic and action packed. The Givens character is based on books and short stories written by Elmore Leonard. Givens is a modern cowboy, always wearing boots and a cowboy hat, along with hip holster that he uses only with the intention of killing. He’s a hero to all and I am so excited to have found this new series.

So watch it! Every Tuesday at 10 p.m. on FX.