Release Date:
06/03/2008
The Skinny: This went from being one of our favorite TV shows to a bit of a mess. It's still funny, brutally honest, and exceptionally crude (just like us), but something's missing. Denis Leary is still great as hard-ass firefighter Tommy Gavin, a recovering alcoholic who's still haunted, literally, by 9/11 and all the people he couldn't save. Sadly, this 13-episode season loses focus and has way too much filler, making it at times as annoying as a malfunctioning smoke detector.
The Good: It still has moments of greatness, especially any concerning Chief Reilly's fate. Plus, Jennifer Esposito added real spark as the toughest, sexiest character the show has featured to date. (Sadly, her part lasted only three episodes.) Overall, this is still better than 90 percent of the rest of what's on TV, but we expected much more.
The Bad: Gavin's late cousin's wife, Sheila, was the most annoying character on TV until the show started devoting time to his sister, Maggie. These women make The Sopranos' Janice seem tolerable. Plus, there are too many outlandish soap opera subplots. We pray they fix it for Season 5 (airing in 2009), because it's starting to feel like a chick show.
Best Extra: There are plenty of deleted scenes and featurettes, but the must-see extras are "Firehouse (Real Stories From America's Bravest)" and the gag reel.
The Good: It still has moments of greatness, especially any concerning Chief Reilly's fate. Plus, Jennifer Esposito added real spark as the toughest, sexiest character the show has featured to date. (Sadly, her part lasted only three episodes.) Overall, this is still better than 90 percent of the rest of what's on TV, but we expected much more.
The Bad: Gavin's late cousin's wife, Sheila, was the most annoying character on TV until the show started devoting time to his sister, Maggie. These women make The Sopranos' Janice seem tolerable. Plus, there are too many outlandish soap opera subplots. We pray they fix it for Season 5 (airing in 2009), because it's starting to feel like a chick show.
Best Extra: There are plenty of deleted scenes and featurettes, but the must-see extras are "Firehouse (Real Stories From America's Bravest)" and the gag reel.