Wow. I came to Rescue Me out of curiosity, and whilst I really enjoyed the first season far more than I honestly expected to, this second run is a serious step on. If you rate the Sopranos and West Wing, then Rescue Me won't necessarily hit quite those highs, but believe me when I say it's not far off. Leary's co-writing is sharp, slick and vibrant, and shows that all those years of quick-fire stand-up matured in him the ability to tackle the complexities, demands - and lets be honest, the challenges - of quality modern, multi-strand drama in an already crowded market.



Yet, even though Leary co-writes, co-created and co-execs, this is in no way a vanity piece. Granted, the ensemble that was forged around Leary's character in season one seemed (to this viewer) to be at times little more than colour - albeit of a vivid hue. In moving the show on the same supporting crew steadily gain greater importance, take on major dramas of their own, all meshing together to present a finale that is right up there.



Yes, the drama is more male-centric than most shows, and at times the female characters can fade into the background when they're not interacting with the male leads. However, this is also a positive, as it allows Rescue Me to honestly question just where the average man, be him young or old, fits into 21st century society. None of which is done with anything close to the machismo that so easily could have occured in lesser hands.



But, when it boils down to it, Leary must be heartely applauded for creating in Tommy a truly complex character, who whilst being an anti-hero in the vein of Tony Soprano, is an honest and sincere example of someone attempting to tackle demons.



Not only does his battle to beat alcoholism illustrate the brutal and very real impact of the disease without reverting to cliches and common misconceptions, but in having the courage to do so, Leary is illuminating with humility and warmth the challenges we all face in finding and maintaining hope and faith in the face of life's ceaseless hard knocks.



This is very, very fine TV drama, indeed.