Season Five of FX’s firefighter dramedy Rescue Me finally kicks off tomorrow night, April 7, at 10pm ET with the premiere “Baptism.”

Onboard as the central guest star is Family Ties and Spin City icon Michael J. Fox, who plays Janet’s latest man-friend and the predictable root of much consternation for Tommy, who’s still dealing with his father Michael’s (Charles Durning) death in the fourth-season finale “Yaz.”

Follow the jump for a few preview photos of the season opener featuring the show’s very special newcomer. The best thing of all? Fans have 22 fifth-season episodes, extending into September six months from now, to enjoy once Rescue Me is officially back in action. Kinda makes the 19-month wait worth it.

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Season Five cast photos for Rescue Me are out and they are nice. Love the imagery, love the poses, and, most of all, love the cast. Large and in charge.

As fans probably know by now, Denis Leary’s FDNY firefighter dramedy returns to FX on Tuesday, April 7, at 10pm ET with the season premiere “Baptism.” It’s been a long, hard, bone-dry spell since the last new episode, the fourth-season finale “Yaz,” aired on September 12, 2007.

Of course, we had the minisode series last July and August to tide us over, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The upside to the whole dearth of Rescue Me, then, is that the fifth season includes 22 episodes total instead of the customary shorter cable run of just 13.

Better still, the series has already been renewed for a sixth season of 18 more episodes. Together, that sorta makes up for the ultra long hiatus due to the 2007–2008 writers strike.

Now follow the jump for those smokin’ cast photos. Wish I could buy a few in poster format.

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Why is this man smiling so darn hard? Because he just heard the great news. Not only has FX announced the April 7 premiere date for the fifth season of his smokin’ series Rescue Me, but also the network’s order for a sixth season of 18 hot episodes.

Also revealed in the press release is the launch of star Denis Leary’s 11-City live Rescue Me Comedy Tour, which will stop by New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall on Thursday, April 2, to benefit The Leary Firefighters Foundation and present a screening of Rescue Me’s Season Five premiere. The tour will also feature performances by Leary and his fellow comedians and Rescue Me co-stars Adam Ferrara and Lenny Clarke, as well as other stand-up comics.

Fans can purchase premium VIP tickets and packages for the comedy tour through The Leary Firefighters Foundation at learyfirefighters.org or by calling 212-343-0240. Visit denisleary.com for a full comedy tour schedule.

So, mark those calendars! Season Five of Rescue Me will kick off at 10pm EST on April 7 with the first of 22 scheduled episodes. Check out the show’s 2007 fun minisode series before the big launch day.

I would love to be around on set when the naughty Rescue Me cast is at work, and last week, two days before Christmas, that’s just what some photographers got to do near 145th Street in New York City’s Harlem.

The lucky bystanders managed to catch star Denis Leary and his colleagues John Scurti (Kenny Shea) and Mike Lombardi (Mike Silletti) as they filmed a few really authentic-looking scenes. One photo features Leary’s Tommy Gavin, in full firefighter gear, leaning out of a building’s open window while smoke surrounds him. We’ll learn what fire they put out — and which ones are on the way — when the FX dramedy returns for its fifth season, currently projected to begin on March 10.

If you’re really jonesing for Tommy and the rest of his boys, though, you can always check out the fun minisode series they released last July and August. How kind of the network and showrunners to keep the ten shorts online this long to help fans feed their appetite for the show during its hiatus.

Follow the jump for those on-location photos, as well. In the snap with Leary holding his controversial new book titled Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid, notice the cover identifies him as Dr. Denis Leary.

Denis a doctor? Yeah, right!

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Bravo! Bravo! Rescue Me rocks, and so did this summer’s very entertaining minisode series.

Last night’s tenth installment “Smoke” is also the final installment, at least for now, and it ended the series of shorts on a high. In slow motion and without a single word uttered throughout aside from musical vocalization, “Smoke” has nothing to do with what you’d assume given the title and the main characters’ occupation. Yet, the 4½-minute mini-masterpiece still manages to go from being initially terrifying to ultimately funny.

I really hope Denis Leary & Crew give us another round of minisodes in the future. And it wouldn’t hurt if somebody threw the run that just ended on a DVD for a few bucks. I know I’d buy it without hesitation.

Check out the fine minisode finale “Smoke” after the jump.

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Heads-up, Rescue Me fans. Tonight’s 10pm EST installment of the first ever summer minisode series, “Smoke,” is the last of the bunch. I really enjoyed the weekly five-minute-or-less sagas, so I hope the Rescue Me team puts together more of the video shorts in the future.

For those who missed any of the earlier minisodes or just want to rewatch them, here’s a complete list of the videos here at Comedy Centric. Of course, you can also find them at AOL Video, Crackle, Hulu, Joost, Sprint TV for mobile devices, Tidal TV, MySpace, and YouTube.

Rescue Me Minisodes — Summer 2008

1. Fast
2. Fantasy
3. Criteria
4. Juiced
5. Spelling
6. Supreme
7. Sandwich
8. Clue
9. Sweat
10. Smoke

The latest Rescue Me minisode is called “Sweat,” and it’s the second one in a row that didn’t strike my funny bone in the right places. Admittedly, I did enjoy it more than last week’s “Clue.”

This time around, Tommy and his fellow firefighters try to get a drink of fresh water while they’re cleaning up on the scene after a recent fire. Too bad for them it was slow Mike’s turn to refill the water supply, and he forgot or didn’t bother.

When Mike suggests his colleagues quench their thirst at a sidewalk hydrant instead, this leads to accusations of hydrant water being contaminated with AIDS (don’t ask, just watch), which in turn leads to the men storming an ice cream truck for treats when it happens by.

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Call me a party pooper or whatever, but the latest Rescue Me minisode “Clue” didn’t quite do it for me.

I mean do firefighters really hang out in the burning buildings they’re supposed to be securing and talk crap while waiting to take a crap? Is that even what’s actually going on in the piece? Or is this another one of Tommy’s bizarre dreams, minus all of the usual hot babes who want him so badly? I’m confused, and it doesn’t get any better the more I think about it.

If you missed the minisode, take a look at the video after the jump and see how well this four-minute epic works for you.

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I was under the impression that the Rescue Me webisodes wouldn’t appear online until they first premiere on FX Tuesday nights at 10pm EST. But I watched the latest installment on Hulu a couple of hours before that time, and then it was taken down. Boo-boo? Limited time offering? Who knows?

The August 5 entry is back online now, though. It’s another good one called “Sandwich,” which refers to the food that Lou repeatedly attempts to eat, and his frustration when he can’t complete that simple task prompts him to give his fellow firefighters a choice word or two. Check out the video after the jump.

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The July 29 installment of the Rescue Me minisode series is the sixth, and it’s called “Supreme.” I waited and waited and waited some more last week for the Web version to get posted online, to no avail, and I finally gave up.

The plot this time around focuses on Denis Leary’s Tommy, who’s gone back to that familiar deep, dark place in his mind where every woman he wants wants him back. I guess it’s good to be Tommy … until you inevitably wake up from your fantasy.

“Supreme” follows the jump.

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