the job and rescue me

Yeah, I agree rock. There are cast members who came over to RM from TJ, too (Lenny Clarke and Diane Farr though she has since moved on from RM). Rescue Me is Leary in a more confident mode. He knows the ropes of series now, is a producer, writer, and actor. You can tell that Leary is more at ease plus the whole series is marked by an uptick in pace. Rescue Me moves along much quicker than The Job. The things that Leary tried out in The Job he kept if they worked and tossed if they didn't. But basically, it's the same show. Leary is really the same guy in both shows, but the intensity level in Rescue Me is way up there, not quite at the level of The Shield which is about the fastest, scariest, best hour on TV outside The Sopranos, but it's up there. It's good to rent TJ as a kind of primer to Rescue Me. A bit of modern TV history (TJ only lasted 18 episodes before it was cancelled). But only if you're a Leary fan because it's all about him. He's in every damn shot.

One other great show that I thought was similar was Third Watch. I hated that that show was cancelled.

rescue me is better in *almost* every way - but one... it's not as funny

if rescue me is a dramady, the job is an outright comedy... it started to become more drama-y as the season went on, and rescue me really sort of picked up where the job seemed to be heading, drama wise

but while rescue me is pretty damn funny at times, the job is outright hilarious

For those who think Rescue Me is better (I just discovered it on DVD, and I think it's one of hte best series EVER), how much of the difference do you think RM being on cable makes compared to the network platform for The Job?

I can't IMAGINE trying to do Rescue Me on broadcast TV.

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I really like RM at the start, but have decided The Job was better, but they are different so you're not really comparing like with like. Rescue me is a drama as much as comedy, where-as The Job was out-right max-cynical comedy, less PC, less emotional, more character-based and just plain funnier. A lot of people may prefer RM for these reasons, but for me TJ is more what I want from comedy.

Not that it matters so much, but RM was good in it's first two seasons. I don't bother to watch it any more, especailly since the shark-jumping travesty that was the season 3 finale - the finale ends with Tommys brother getting shot? Then the long-lost deaf sister shows up at the funeral which becomes an impromptu wedding? RIDICULOUS UNREALISTIC CRAP!