WORK IN PROGRESS
Characters who appear in Rescue Me.
Rescue Me's characters can be separated into three distinct categories: 1: FDNY ("62 Truck", Other FDNY; 2: The Gavin Family, 3: Non-Gavin/FDNY Recurring Characters (Family Characters Non-Gavin, Non-Related Recurring)
FDNY Senior Firefighter Thomas Michael "Tommy" Gavin
- "There's no golden ring at the end of the ride... it's all bullshit."
Thomas Michael Gavin (born December 19, 1960[2]) is a third generation New York City Fire Department Firefighter. He is a tortured character and a often relapsed raging alcoholic, as well as a chain-smoker and prescription-drug addict due to what he saw as a first responder to the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11.
Tommy started his career at a firehouse in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan and has transferred several times to firehouses in both Brooklyn and Staten Island. Tommy is currently the Senior Firefighter of New York City Fire Department Ladder Company 62, also known as "62 Truck", located in the northern Harlem section of Manhattan.
Tommy's fire company, Ladder 62, lost four men during the attacks of 9/11, one of whom was Tommy's cousin, best friend, and fellow firefighter, Jimmy Keefe. Tommy has been a firefighter for over 25 years and is also a motivational speaker/consultant for the FDNY Fire Academy, as seen in the pilot and final episodes.
Tommy is married to his childhood lover Janet Gavin. The two are "divorced" numerous times, but the announcement is occasionally followed by Tommy stating that they never filed for divorce, making the couple technically still married throughout the series. Their relationship is mostly unstable, however at some points they appear to be united. At the start of the series they have three children, two girls, Colleen and Katy, and one boy, Connor. Connor is killed in a hit-and-run accident, putting further strain on Tommy and Janet's relationship, and causing Tommy to become a fully relapsed alcoholic.
They have a fourth child and second son, Wyatt, however, the child is strongly believed by both Tommy and Janet to be the product of Janet's affair with Tommy's brother, NYPD Detective Johnny, though a paternity test was never done. They also have a fifth child and third son, Shea Gavin, in the series finale.
Tommy is also throughout the series in an off-and-on affair with his dead cousin's widow, Sheila Keefe. The two are seen sleeping together numerous times on the basis of sharing mutual grief over Jimmy Keefe's death, fueled by Tommy's rocky relationship with Janet.Throughout the series, a recurring theme is that of Tommy being visited by "ghosts," deceased people from his past - most frequently his cousin Jimmy - as well as fire victims he could not save. It is left ambiguous whether these are really ghosts or figments of Tommy's imagination.
- Abusive Parents: While some accusations he receives are unfairly thrown at him, selling his possible son/nephew for $500,000 to Sheila DEFINITELY slides him into this territory.
- Ax-Crazy: Not in any murderous manner, but still.
- Because I'm Good At It: While firefighting is dangerous work, he truly loves his job and cannot envision doing anything else with his life.
- Berserk Button: Making light of 9/11. Making MONEY off of 9/11. Messing with his children. Or any children for that matter.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer - For all the trouble he causes and all his flaws, he's still an active firefighter because he's really good at it.
- Cannot Spit It Out - Comes from bottling his emotions after dealing with the deaths of several close friends and family members.
- Catchphrase: "I'm gonna be honest with you..."
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: This tropes should be renamed "Tommy Gavin Syndrome".
- Compressed Abstinence
- Conditioned to Accept Horror - Applies to most firefighters. Even more so for Tommy, as he can deal with the truly horrific situations that freeze up the rest of his crew.
- Crazy Jealous Guy - With Janet.
- Deadpan Snarker: A trait shared by nearly all characters in this show. Tommy is their king.
- Death Seeker: Played with. He has no problem rushing into extremely dangerous situations and the events of 9/11 continue to haunt him. He also suffers from survivor's guilt given how many good men died on 9/11 (his cousin and best friend among them). Several times throughout the series it seems that he would have no problem dying on the job.
- Domestic Abuse: No mention to any abuse while together, but Tommy definitely abuses Janet after they break-up. From pushing her onto the hood of a car after she tries and stop him from attacking his brother, after discovering that the two of the them had been sleeping together behind his back to raping her
- Is also on the receiving end of this in emotional abuse from nearly every romantic partner he has had, especially Janet. Is also sexually abused by Sheila and one or two other temporary partners.
- Drowning My Sorrows - The primary cause of his alcoholism and a major issue he must overcome.
- Extreme Doormat: Takes a myriad of abuse from his family. Tends to forgive them pretty quickly or brush it off all-together.
- Fearless Fool: Often cause for trouble for Tommy.
- Functional Addict: Tommy is a raging alcoholic and later gets hooked on painkillers and psych medications. He sobers up, falls Off the Wagon, and sobers up again repeatedly.
- Guilt Complex: This is a major source of most of his issues. He starts off the series with survivor's guilt from 9/11, mostly related to his cousin Jimmy's death, and he gains more things to beat himself up about over the course of the series, some of which are outlined in the
Iron Woobie entry over on the YMMV page. - Heroic BSoD: Is constantly battling with himself to avoid having one of these. Due to the universe really wanting Tommy to experience this. he is nearly always one second away from BSOD.
- In Harm's Way: Truly loves his "curse".
- Leeroy Jenkins: Narrowly averts this trope, most of the time, due to sheer dumb luck, when he pulls all-balls-no-brains stunts on fires. Franco, unfortunately was there when Tommy's luck ran out.
- Love Hungry: As emotionless as he is perceived by his family and friends, Tommy spends most of his free time trying to get or stay in his family’s good graces. His fight against his alcoholism is fueled by this.
- Love Martyr: His devotion to Janet after her emotional treatment of him.
- Lust: Tommy can't turn down sex, ever. Causes some issues with his wife and Sheila.
- Married to the Job: Reason for his separation from Janet.
- Massively Numbered Siblings: Has six younger brothers and sister.
- Mood-Swinger: When going through emotional turmoil can be this.
- Noble Bigot with a Badge: Has unflattering things to say about just about every race and religion (including his own), but will risk his life without a moment's thought or hesitation to rescue any fire victim regardless of color or creed.
- No Social Skills: The reason his retirement doesn't last.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot
- Papa Wolf: Mess with one of his kids and he will come after you. To an extent this also applies to the younger firefighters he works with
- Rebellious Spirit
- Revenge Before Reason:After hearing a French writer criticize America's thirst for revenge over 9/11, Tommy fully admits to wanting revenge for 9/11.
- Schemer: Thinks up many schemes to try and get back together with his wife.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: A non-military example. Though he'll try to deny it, his experiences on 9/11 have irrevocably changed him. Throughout the series he has nightmares and flashbacks of that day and even by the end of the series, he hasn't fully come to terms with it. It's not just, 9/11 either, as Tommy is haunted (literally and otherwise) by many terrible things he’s seen throughout his career.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Tommy is a rough son of a bitch who swears his ass off every other goddamn word, and will tell you to your pansy-ass face that he doesn’t give a shit if you’re a pussy who doesn’t like it.
- Socially Awkward Hero: No fear of burning buildings, hates social conventions.
- Stopped Caring - Wants people to think he is this. In truth, he cares very deeply, and his issues stem from his inability to process the tragedies he witnesses almost every day.
- The Tell: He closes his eyes when he's lying or bullshitting.
- Toxic Friend Influence: Becomes this in Season 5, when he gets Teddy, Mick, Ellie, Eddie, and Derrick Off the Wagon.
- Trash Talk
- Trauma Conga Line: Have a look at the Iron Woobie entry on the YMMV page. That's just the season highlights. Each episode usually has him go through a minor Conga as well.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Reveals he constantly wanted his father's approval.
- What You Are in the Dark: Has many inter-mind moments of him acting on his suppressed urges, often resulting in Arson.
- Workaholic
FDNY Lieutenant Kenneth "Lou" Shea
- "Ask yourself this, Tom: If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to see it or hear it, would you still be such an asshole?"
Affectionately called "Lou" on account of his rank, he is among the smartest of the crew as well as the resident "philosopher" of the group. Lou is known as the "King of The One Liners" for his sarcasm.
- Awful Wedded Life: Phyllis shows no particular interest in his feelings. When she catches him composing poetry on the computer, she assumes that he’s looking at internet porn and berates him for it. When he admits what he’s really doing, she mutters, "God, why couldn’t it have been the porn?"
- Cosmic Plaything: Lou's personal life gets worse with every season.
- Deadpan Snarker: Lou is happy to share his snarky take on everything under the sun.
- Honorary Uncle: To the Gavin kids.
- Interrupted Suicide: Contemplates killing himself by grabbing the energized center rail of a subway track. He stops when another man contemplating the same thing insists that they can’t, because people will think they had some kind of gay suicide pact.
- Kavorka Man: Gets with women who are waaaay out of his league.
- Unmanly Secret: He's an amateur poet, though not a very good one.
FDNY Firefighter/Lieutenant Franco Rivera
- "Yeah, it's a science, and I'm the mad scientist."
One of the most skilled and reliable members of the crew. Franco is of Puerto Rican/Mexican descent as well as Tommy's former protégé within the main group of firefighters. As the resident ladies' man of 62 Truck, he finds out that he has a 5-year old daughter named Keela, whose mother died of a cocaine overdose in a nightclub. Franco gets injured after a ceiling collapses over top of him, while trying to help a disoriented Tommy. This causes conflict between Tommy and Franco, which was eventually solved when Tommy transferred back to 62 Truck. While injured, fellow firefighter Laura Miles helps Franco with Keela. This leads to a romantic relationship between the two. When Franco and Laura break up later in the season, Laura quietly transfers out of 62 Truck, causing Franco's emotional breakdown in front of her old apartment. Sometime later, Franco loses custody of Keela to a wealthy former girlfriend. when she finds out that he had custody of Keela despite signing away his parental rights.
After Needles and Lou see Franco in the basement pounding on a punching bag, they recruit Franco for the department's underground boxing organization. During this time, he starts dating a fellow female boxer who later turns out to be a lesbian.
Franco also helps out Janet with the kids and around the house while Tommy is hospitalized after Teddy Gavin shot him. Franco becomes close to Janet to the point where the two almost kiss. This leads to conflicts with both Tommy and "Black Shawn", with Franco and Shawn having a physical altercation.
Later on Franco is a little more fearless and outspoken towards his fellow firemen, including his superiors. As Lou's health is failing, Tommy is suspended for cursing on national television, and Chief Needles appears to be doing nothing to change things, Franco steps up and suggests he would be a better leader. After one more disagreement between Lou and Franco, Lou (out of anger) suggests that Needles appoint Franco to Acting Lieutenant.
Even though Franco has the house cleaned and well-organized, he shows poor judgment during a call. Lou tells Franco that he's not ready to wear the lieutenant's shirt, and Franco's temporary leadership role ends. Despite this, Franco passes the Lieutenant's exam, and waits for his new assignment. After Lou dies in an arson fire, Tommy is initially promoted to Lieutenant but then resigns from active duty. Franco takes over the Lieutenant's post permanently, much to Tommy's respect as the two salute each other at the end of the series. Franco's final moment in the series is drilling the newly-graduated probationary firefighters, shortly after Tommy gives them a speech about life lessons after 9/11.
- The Casanova: Easily the most successful ladies’ man on the crew.
- Conspiracy Theorist: Is an outspoken "9/11 Truther."
- It's All My Fault: After becoming addicted to painkillers, he finds his little girl unconscious after she took some. He rushes her to the ER, where she is saved, but Franco is wracked with guilt and resolves to get clean.
- Lady Killer In Love: Happens a few times during the show, but every girl he falls for leaves eventually because Status Quo Is God.
- Mr Fan Service: The most handsome and fit firefighter on Ladder 62, also the most likely to be seen shirtless. Franco is completely aware of this and happily makes use of it to get laid.
- Real Men Get Burned: When Tommy freezes up during an apartment fire in season 2, Franco is trying to snap him out of it when the ceiling collapses on him. He survives with a nasty burn to his neck that leaves him scarred for the rest of the show.
- Surrounded by Idiots: That's what happens when you're in a room with Garrity and Siletti.
FDNY Firefighter Sean Garrity
- " It's like my dick is some sort of weapon of mass destruction."
A young firefighter who is known for his dim-witted yet kind-hearted nature, but he is very intelligent and brave when it comes to the fire alarms. Garrity dons a EMT patch on his bunker jacket, hinting that he is EMT trained. It was revealed in a minisode that Garrity was the probie of 62 truck before 9/11. He begins a relationship with Tommy's sister Maggie in Season 3, ultimately marrying her despite her antagonistic personality (only to divorce later).
It is heavily implied that he is sexually aroused by the female Gavins. Subsequent back problems ultimately lead to the revelation that Sean has developed renal carcinoma (kidney cancer), most likely 9/11-related. In fear that he will be discharged from the FDNY if he uses the department insurance, Sean skims off the bar profits to pay medical expenses. He has since recovered. Later, he develops a romantic relationship with a woman that turns out to be a post-coital flatulater, as Sean smells a terrible stench after their moments of sex. Sean asks her to marry him and she says yes. After the big fire at the end of the series, Sean puts in a transfer request.
However, after Lou's postmortem letter that requests that the crew stays together, Sean stays with 62 Truck.
- Awful Wedded Life: With Tommy's pathologically-insane hellbitch sister Maggie.
- The Ditz: Albeit not as much as Siletti.
- The Heart: Garrity is a Nice Guy, and will go out of his way to help others, albeit sometimes in bizarre ways that sort of make sense in context.
- Hidden Depths: Fluent in American Sign Language.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: A remarkably good pistol shot, though only demonstrated in recreational shooting.
- Mistaken for Gay: Posing shirtless for that calendar really didn’t go the way he thought it would.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: This trope could easily be renamed "Sean Garrity Syndrome," and the same could be said of Digging Yourself Deeper.
- Secretly Dying: Gets diagnosed with kidney cancer in Season 5, though he eventually beats it.
- The Un-Favorite: Sean's mother dotes on his older brother Terrence, who still lives with her and can't hold a down a job. Despite Sean having a successful career and a place of his own, any conversation with his mother will include her frequently talking up how smart Terrence is.
FDNY Probational Firefighter/Firefighter Mike Siletti
- "Nothin'"
- Butt-Monkey: Granted, the Probie is supposed to be this, but it continues even when they get a new Probie.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Can be this.
- The Ditz: Easily the dumbest guy In the FDNY. Possibly the dumbest guy on Earth. He has to call his mother to ask her how old he is at one point!
- Mama's Boy: Very much. In his own words, "I’m a grown man and I don’t know how to use a dryer!"
- Metro Sexual
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: his gay/bi experimentation is discovered, nary an episode goes by without the whole crew giving him shit for it.
FDNY 15th Battalion Chief Jerry Reilly
- "What in the sweet chocolate Christ is a metrosexual? "
- Da Chief: The Chief of Battalion 15.
- Driven to Suicide: Losing his wife to Alzheimer's, then being forced into a desk job following his heart attack, is more than Jerry can bear.
- A Father to His Men: Loves his firefighters as family and can’t live with being forced into retirement.
- Like Father, Like Son: Confides in Tommy that his father, an NYPD cop, attempted suicide following retirement because he loved his coworkers as family and "couldn’t live without his family." Jerry goes the same way when forced to retire, but unfortunately nobody is there to stop him.
- Parents as People: His relationship with his son Peter is rocky, defined by the internal conflict between Jerry's love and pride for his son and his issues with Pete's homosexuality. Love wins out in the end.
FDNY 15th Battalion Chief Ron "Grinch" Perolli
- Jerkass: Not the nicest of guys.
- Jerk Ass Has A Point: He May be a prick, but Perolli is usually right, especially when calling out Tommy's bullshit.
- Put on a Bus: Disappears after Season 3
FDNY Probational Firefighter/Firefighter Bart “Black Shawn” Johnston
- " She said you said somethin' about Bill Clinton. ... I just find that shit, very, very disturbing."
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": His given name is Bart. He hates it and refuses to use it, hence "Black Shawn."
- Nice Guy: Although he comes off as a bit of an asshole at first, Black Shawn soon proves to be a pretty good guy who is very loyal to his crew and to Colleen.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Shares this status with Franco, and for the same reason.
- Token Minority: Invoked when he remarks that he was the only black guy in his probie class.
FDNY 30th Battalion Chief William “Needles” Nelson
- "No, I'll talk to him. Dick, I'm not your old pal, which means I don't have to sit here and eat your shit sandwich with a big smile on my face."
A recently-promoted chief who replaces Jerry Reilly.
- Deadpan Snarker: Even more so than Lou.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Gives an epic speech to this effect after Franco's 9/11 conspiracy theories provoke a fistfight with another crew, then announces that he's done being a nice guy.
- The Gadfly: Loves pranks.
FDNY 75th Battalion Chief/Deputy Chief Sidney "The Jew Chief" Feinberg
- " I know we got a couple of bad apples. I'm not gonna deny that."
- Badass Boast: "Who the hell are you to talk to me like that, asshole? I stack my medals up, they're twice as tall as you!"
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: Feinberg is legendary for his freakishly-large Johnson. So legendary that the crew actually go out of their way trying to verify if it’s true or not.
- Cool Old Guy
- Chief Feinberg the Veteran: Vietnam vet.
- Dirty Old Man:
- A Father to His Men: Feinberg's ultimate priority is to ensure all of his firefighters get home safe. Putting them at risk is his Berserk Button.
- In the Blood: His father was also an FDNY battalion chief.
- Senile Senior: Becomes increasingly forgetful in Season 6, and gets belligerent when anyone brings it up.
- Token Minority: Invoked when he recalls being the only Jew in a Probie class made up of Irish and Italians.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: Often slips into this.
FDNY Probationary Firefighter/Firefighter Laura Miles
- "I know you guys are talkin' about my tits and my ass. Just in case you are wondering, I'm a 34-C cup, my nipples are slightly larger than average and stand up like top-hats when aroused. My ass is tight as a snare drum but still soft to the touch. Any more questions?"
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Doesn’t much appreciate how she gets treated, and rightly points out the hypocrisy of assuming (based on her gender) that she’s the weak link while turning a blind eye to Tommy's Leeroy Jenkins stunts.
- Put on a Bus: Transfers out after her relationship with Franco sours and she's had enough of the rest of the crew's crap.
FDNY Firefighter Billy Warren
- "It wasn't the camera I minded....it was the crew..."
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He’s a bit...off, but he’s an excellent fireman.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Billy is a bit strange.
- Killed Off for Real: In the Season 1 finale.
- Posthumous Character: Comes back as one of Tommy's ghosts.
FDNY Firefighter/Chauffeur Niels Jorgensen
- Black Shawn: "Neils Knows?"
- As Himself /
Cast the Expert: Niels Jorgensen is his real name, and he’s a real-life FDNY firefighter who also worked as one of the show's technical advisers. - Drives Like Crazy: When Lou tells him to haul ass, his reply is, "Okay. Hold on to your nuts!"
- Nice Guy: He’s a big softy.
FDNY Senior Firefighter James "Jimmy" Xavier Keefe
- "The fact that you even have a face repertoire makes you... suspect."
- Brick Joke: The only identifiable remains of Jimmy found at the World Trade Center was a single finger. Whenever Jimmy's ghost appears (as opposed to Tommy remembering him before his death), said finger is held onto his hand with duct tape and is nonfunctional.Jimmy: Dammit, it would have to be my beer-opening finger.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Does Tommy really see Jimmy's ghost, or is he a side effect of Tommy's alcoholism and Survivor Guilt? Sometimes it seems like the latter, but sometimes Jimmy appears when Tommy is in trouble to get him out.
- Posthumous Character: Jimmy died on 9/11, but continues to haunt Tommy as a ghost.
Lieutenant James "Jimmy the Jew" Kelly
An officer trying to recruit Black Shawn to his crew, and by extension his station's basketball team.
- Blackmail: Lou gets him to withdraw his offer to Black Shawn in exchange for not revealing Kelly's affair with another fireman's wife.
- Ironic Nickname: Kelly is an outspoken anti-Semite, and his nickname was specifically chosen to piss him off.
Lieutenant John "Stack" Stackhouse
A friend of Tommy’s since Probie School. Stack gets badly injured in a gas explosion in season 3.
- The Big Guy: Stackhouse is a mountain of a man.
- Big Guy Fatality Syndrome: Zigzagged. Stack lives, but is horribly maimed. He eventually dies in the burn center.
- Body Horror: Upon visiting him in the hospital, Tommy is horrified to discover that both of Stack's legs have been amputated.
- Retirony: Mrs. Stackhouse tells Tommy that Stack has been contemplating retirement when he got hurt.
Firefighter Greg Kelly
THE Big, Screwed-Up Family, a group of alcoholic angry emotionally repressed Irish family. They are an old New York family, legacies by the FDNY, the NYPD, and the New York section of the Catholic Priesthood.
- Dysfunction Junction: Nobody in the Gavin family is mentally healthy or well adjusted.
Janet Gavin
- "He's a Gavin. He was born to hate. You know, come to think of it, I think he's all Gavin."
- Domestic Abuse: Emotionally abuses and manipulates Tommy.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite being a bitch of epic proportions, Janet is insulted when Tommy mistakenly thinks that she disapproves of Colleen's relationship with Black Shawn because he's black. She actually has a problem with his profession, not his race.
- Hypocrite: Constantly berates Tommy over his affairs with other women, despite the fact that said affairs only started after she had already said she wanted to split up, had moved out, and was sleeping with somebody else.
- It's All About Me: Extremely selfish and not above using her children as pawns. She often complains about Tommy never being around, and is dismissive when Tommy points out that he wasn’t around because he had to take two side jobs so that she could be a stay-at-home mom.
- Jerkass: Janet is dishonest, manipulative, two-faced, capricious, and often downright nasty. Generally speaking, if she accuses Tommy of something, it's a fair bet that she's guilty of it herself.
- Never My Fault: Tommy is hardly a model husband, but Janet will never admit her own responsibility for anything. She blames Tommy for everything, regardless of how much she sleeps around and is generally a bad influence on the kids.
Sheila Keefe
- "Oh, shit. I don't need to reach mid-life to have a crisis. That kicked in after the time I lost my virginity."
- Broken Bird: You could fill an encyclopedia with the full list of Sheila's issues, but they all stem from her grief over her husband's death.
- Cute and Psycho: Sheila is at least as crazy as Tommy.
- Flat "Yes": Tommy asks if she’s on drugs. Her reply: "Shitloads!"
NYPD Detective Johnathan "Johhny" Gavin
- " You might wanna pick up someone else's blood on the way. Yours is probably still flammable."
Oldest of Tommy's younger brothers.
- Deadpan Snarker: Never passes up an opportunity to remind Tommy how fucked up he is.
- Dirty Cop: Downplayed. Johnny abuses his authority to help his brother (and occasionally for the hell of it), but is otherwise not corrupt.
- Hot-Blooded: Not as much as Tommy, but still.
- Killed Off for Real: Murdered by a hired street thug to prevent him from testifying against a gang leader.
- Standard Cop Backstory: Stressed out, burned out, divorced, and alienated from his kids.
Frmr. FDNY Firefighter Theodore "Teddy" Gavin
- "Goddamn it! I'm alive. Shit!"
Tommy's uncle, Michael's youngest brother.
- Big Fun: Teddy is a large man who loves to party
- Dirty Old Man: Often blows his money on hookers.
- Uncle Teddy The Veteran: Teddy fought in Vietnam, where he knows for certain he killed two men.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: After Ellie dies in a drunk-driving wreck.
- Interrupted Suicide: The source of his quote above. Teddy tries to asphyxiate himself via running his car inside the garage, but Tommy finds him before it goes far enough.
- Off the Wagon: Thanks to Tommy in Season 5.
- Sympathetic Murderer: When Johnny finds out that the drunk driver who killed Connor will get off with a wrist slap, the Gavin men agree that they can't live with that. After much discussion, it gets decided that Teddy will be the one who pulls the trigger. Mothers Against Drunk Driving agrees with Teddy’s action, and eventually petitions the state to have him released early.
Former Father Michael "Micky" Gavin
- "Time for a meetin'."
Tommy's cousin, also his priest and AA sponsor.
- Deadpan Snarker: A necessity for survival in the Gavin clan.
- Good Shepherd: Even after leaving the priesthood, Mickey doesn’t give up his faith and still tries hard to give good religious/spiritual advice.
- Off the Wagon: Thanks to Tommy in Season 5.
- Recovered Addict: A recovering alcoholic who’s very active with AA. He faces a constant uphill battle trying to keep his relatives off the sauce.
Colleen Gavin-Johnston
- "Blow jobs were so last year, c'mon Dad, catch up."
Tommy and Janet's oldest daughter.
Frmr. FDNY Firefighter Michael Thomas Gavin
- "Shut your hole! Now, I'm warnin' each and everyone of ya right now, anyone who comes up with that happy birthday bullshit, I'm droppin' my pants and taking a leak on this cake and walking the hell outta here."
Tommy's father.
- Dad the Veteran: Fought in Europe in WWII, landed at Normandy and helped liberate a death camp. He knows for certain that he killed five Germans, including one in hand-to-hand combat.
- Which is also true of Charles Durning in real life. Durning earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart during the war.
...And I apologize to the five nazi pricks I killed in the war. -
- Outliving One's Offspring: First loses his grandson Connor to a drunk driver, then his son Johnny is murdered.
Probationary Firefighter Damien Keefe
- " I'm bangin' my science teacher."
Maggie Gavin-Garrity
- "Oh, don't pump sunshine up my ass Tommy. Johnny is scared shitless of me. Always was."
Oldest of Tommy's younger sisters.
- Axe-Crazy: Makes Tommy and Sheila look well-adjusted by comparison.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": Her name is actually Peggy Sue, but she despises it.
- Hates Everyone Equally: No ethnicity is safe from Maggie's barrage of racial slurs, including her own.
- In Love with Your Carnage: After Garrity punches out one of her other boyfriends while under the influence of sleeping pills, she decides that she is aroused by seeing him get violent. She immediately starts getting Sean into fights when they go out, much to his dismay.
- Must Have Nicotine: Enough that it stands out in a show where Everybody Smokes.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Tommy's intervention is her idea, and she is disgusted when it backfires and puts the rest of the family Off the Wagon.
Eddie Gavin
- "I'm not a drunk." [Maggie laughs]
Tommy's cousin, an assistant district attorney.
- Off the Wagon: Thanks to Tommy in Season 5.
Ellie
- "All these goddamn faggotty politically correct assholes with their goddamn bibles, and their bumper stickers and their girl power bullshit. Nobody's accountable anymore. You get a drunk driver who kills a kid, it's not his fault 'cause he drank, it's his parents fault because they bullied him when he was a kid. I'm so sick of the people not facing up to the facts. Black people like fried foods. Chinese people, lousy goddamn drivers. Mexicans think that a pick-up truck holds 27 goddamn people. And that's just what I think."
The woman Teddy marries while in prison for murder.
- Killed Off for Real: While driving drunk in Season 5.
- Off the Wagon: Thanks to Tommy in Season 5.
Connor Gavin
Tommy and Jamet's son.
Katy Gavin
- "Well, I thought it was the stuff that came out of a man's penis during intercourse."
Tommy and Janet's youngest daughter.
Rosemary Gavin
- "Listen, it's all about sex and laughing, right? We can all die tomorrow, happy is the key. You gotta be happy"
Tommy’s youngest sister, who was born deaf.
- The Unfavorite: According to Maggie, their parents sent Rosemary to a private school because they were embarrassed by her disability.
Angie Gavin
- "Don't worry about those frown lines, sweetie. Just keep smiling no one's gonna notice"
Johnny's ex-wife.
Martha Gavin
Tommy’s mother.
Wyatt Gavin
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: There’s a 50/50 chance as to whether his father is Tommy or Johnny.
Shea Gavin
Timo Gavin
Keela Valenzuela
Franco's daughterFirefighter Peter Reilly
Chief Reilly's son, a member of the Boston Fire Department.- The Dutiful Son: Regardless of his dad's issues with his homosexuality, Peter will drop everything to help his parents.
- Straight Gay: Peter is a gay man in a committed relationship, and seems to fit in just fine with his crew. Unfortunately, his father doesn’t accept his orientation.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Peter loves his dad and desperately wants his approval.
Jeannie Reilly
Chief Reilly's wife.
Mike Shea
Phyllis Shea
Lou's wife.Terrence Garrity
Leslie Garrity
Natalie Baker
- "But, I mean, like how close was it? Did I beat her by a half length or was it a photo finish?"
Rich Baker
Danielle "Candy" Callahan
Alicia Green
Sister Theresa Fallon
Nell Turbody
Damien's science teacher.
- Mrs. Robinson: Has frequent sex with underage Damien, only stopping when Tommy agrees to sleep with her in his stead.
Roger Mills
Sean Murphy
Dwight Howard
Janet’s boyfriend in Season 5, a paraplegic.
- Boisterous Weakling: Zigzagged. Dwight can’t walk, which severely limits his abilities when it comes to violence. Nevertheless, Tommy underestimates him at his own peril.
- Drives Like Crazy: In a muscle car converted for a paraplegic driver, while sipping a beer.
- Handicapped Badass: Dwight's upper body strength is considerable, especially his grip strength.
Kelly Mcphee
- Broken Bird: Beneath her bravado and crass humor is a mother who never recovered from her infant daughter's death.
- Secretly Dying: Comes back in Season 6 undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Father Phil Gallagher
Priest of a church that gets damaged in a fire in Season 6. Tommy starts seeking his spiritual advice afterwards.
- Badass Preacher: Unwilling to stand idly by, he helps the crew rescue several kids from a school fire, though he’s obviously quite a bit less skilled at such things than the firefighters.
- Comically Missing the Point: During Colleen's "Booze Baptism," Tommy forgets the words for the Sacrament of Baptism and asks Father Phil, saying that he can't remember despite having seen The Godfather a dozen times. Father Phil, understandably distressed that Tommy is holding his twenty-one-year-old daughter's face down in a baptismal font full of vodka, gin, and whiskey, replies, "I dunno, I only saw The Godfather twice!"
- The Danza: Played by Peter Gallagher
- Foil: To Mickey. Where Mick has become bitter and rather cynical about the Church and left the priesthood, Phil has had a lot of similar experiences but remained with the church. He also has a much more positive attitude concerning the things he doesn't like.
- Good Shepherd: He may be soured on some aspects of Catholic doctrine, but still wants to help people in spiritual and practical matters.
- Serious Business: His parish's statue of the Virgin Mary. He nearly gets himself killed saving it from the fire.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Only slightly less foul-mouthed than Tommy.
