Denis Leary says firefighters’ darkest days after 9/11 helped bring hit show ‘Rescue Me’ to life

Denis Leary saw grief and laughter collide inside FDNY firehouses in the devastating aftermath of 9/11 – an emotional whiplash that ultimately helped inspire "Rescue Me."

That collision of heartbreak and humor would become central to "Rescue Me," with Leary drawing from the firefighters he knew and the raw moments he witnessed inside their firehouses in the months after 9/11.

"A lot of the guys I knew that had survived, I was spending time with them and in their firehouses as they...