In the first episode of RESCUE ME, just about every racist epitaph is used, and Donald Trump appears on a "to kill" list a firefighter makes in case a prognosis comes back with bad results. It's almost 15 years after its July 21, 2004 premiere, and as modern as the show looks, it's moments like that when you feel the weight of time.
I watched RESCUE ME pretty religiously for the first four seasons on DVD before dropping off for one reason or another. (Does it count as "religiously" if it's on disc only? Is it like attending mass through TV?) That led me to watch Denis Leary's previous show, THE JOB, which had a fair amount of actors that would end up on the latter show. Though it was a half-hour sitcom, Leary playing a cop in New York City with some of the same co-stars made it a strangely great companion piece that I recommend if you enjoy the muscular humor of RESCUE ME but prefer more laughs and less drama.
When I first put the first disc in, I was incredibly impressed by the clarity of the picture quality. However, obvious compression issues started popping up almost immediately: In some scenes, it almost "flickers" in the background. While it undoubtedly looks better than it ever had, this isn't a crystal-clear 4k restoration. The style of the filming doesn't help: The steel, cool-toned colors and constant smoke and fire effects don't hide many sins. Still, it's a show that looks as gritty as it frequently feels, and the eye gets accustomed to it quickly.
Every episode of all seven seasons (93 episodes in all, each one running roughly 45 minutes) is included. The set comes inside a semi-transparent design sleeve that covers a fairly sturdy box and two very thick cases: there's no disc-stacking here, and it's an attractive and easily accessible set throughout. The first contains seasons 1-4 on 8 discs, with 6-7 episodes on each disc. The second case contains seasons 5-7 also on 8 discs, with 4-6 episodes on the discs.
Highly recommended for people who love gritty dramatic stories with dark humor that turns absurdist pretty often. It's also a fascinating (though heightened) look at New York City was only a few years after the terrorist attacks.
Subtitles: Yes (English only)
Disc One Special Features: Episode 1 commentary with Leary and Tolan / Over 7 minutes of deleted scenes
Disc Two Special Features: Tolan & Leary commentary on the season one's season finale / Deleted scenes / Gag Reel / Behind-the-scenes featurette
Disc Three Special Features: Deleted Scenes / Gag Reel
Disc Special Four Features: Deleted scenes / Behind-the-scenes featurettes
Disc Five Special Features: Deleted Scenes / Location tour
Disc Six Special Features: Deleted scenes / Gag Reel / Behind-the-scenes featurette
Disc Seven Special Features: Deleted scenes / Gag Reel / This Is Not A Drill: Breaking Down "Seven"
Disc Eight Special Features: Deleted scenes / Behind-the-scenes featurettes / Set visit / Firehouse: Real Stories from America's Bravest
Images of the set. Click for the full size!