T.V. CRAP An E-Crap Exclusive Rescue...Denis Leary? Before I declare "Rescue Me" as the best show on television, I need to make a disclaimer. Due to a dispute with Cablevision (damn you, Jim Dolan), I have been without HBO for the better part of a year. Which means I have not been watching "The Sopranos" (which truly is the best show on television, if not in the history of TV).  I've been relegated to second-class TV citizenship, and frankly I don't watch a lot of "series" TV anyway (certainly not like the other E-Crap TV reviewer who has gone AWOL). I watch mostly movies, sports, documentaries, occasionally some classic sitcoms, and often switch channels vehemently late at night. That is how I came across "Rescue Me." I joined the brigade well into what apparently was the 2nd season. FX must have done an HBO-like thing of repeating the previous season repeatedly just prior to launching this new season. Within about two weeks time, I seemingly caught up pretty much all last season. I'm still not sure what caught my attention. It wasn't Denis Leary, the creator, producer, writer, and star. I've never been a big fan, and his character on this show is totally unlikable. Come to think of it, every character is unlikable.  Sony Pictures Television, which releases the show, describes it as... "centers on the inner workings of a New York City firehouse and the emotional battles of its members in a post-9/11 world."  Leary is the big name, but all the characters piss you off at one time or another. The smug, drunken Leary, the stupid older firefighter who gives his life savings to a scam hooker, the captain who has gambling debts, the gay guy (who claims he's not gay because it's only blowjobs), the stud dating the older woman (Susan Sarandon), the young wimpy one dating Leary's character's sister (played by Tatum O'Neal)... actually the only character I like is played by Callie Thorne. This character is the on/off girlfriend (and fuck buddy) of Leary, and also happens to be Leary's deceased cousin's widow. Hmmm. About equal to Leary screwing Thorne's son's teacher, who was screwing the student (statutory raping) before Leary. Occasionally, a plotline hits home, like the firefighter dating the fat chick, but he was too embarrassed of her to ever leave the apartment. Most of this show is major fiction. The characters are unlikable, the plots extreme fantasy... heck, there's even little drama as far as firefighting. So why do I think it is the best show on television? I don't really know. Only that I now watch it religiously every Tuesday night at 11PM. It actually begins at 10PM, but FX has a winner, so they repeat it back to back each week. Which suits me fine... I'm far too busy to be locked into a 10PM time slot every week. Especially for a show that makes no sense to me. But there is definitely a buzz about the show. Not only does it already feature guest stints by the aforementioned Sarandon and O'Neal, two major heavyweights. The coming attractions for next week show that Marisa Tomei is joining as well. Not bad at all. Listen... do me a favor, write me and tell me why I like this show so much. It's obvious I cannot figure it out myself. Bag