Denis Leary plays a New York firefighter in FX's "Rescue Me."

		'Rescue Me' When: 10 tonight, FX. Starring: Denis Leary. 'Game Show Marathon' When: 8 p.m. tomorrow and Thursday, CBS. Host: Ricki Lake. Web exclusive Read an interview with actor Denis Leary and producer Peter Tolan of 'Rescue Me' in Rob Owen's Web-only "Tuned In Journal."

FX's comedy-drama "Rescue Me" (10 tonight) returns for its third season as raucous as ever. Not a program for the easily offended, "Rescue Me" revels in pushing the envelope, but in a more down-to-earth and usually funnier manner than its network sibling, "Nip/Tuck."

"Rescue Me" isn't nearly as graphic as "Nip/Tuck," but it's just as filled with sexual innuendo, albeit generally lighter in nature.

When viewers last checked in with New York firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary), he was grieving for his son, Connor, who was struck and killed by a drunken driver. The driver was subsequently murdered by Tommy's Uncle Teddy (Lenny Clarke).

Dark stuff, indeed, but tonight's "Rescue Me," written by series creators Leary and Peter Tolan, rescues itself from the brink of the despairing note it ended on last year. Tommy remains as self-destructive as ever, but the writers pepper the series with enough comedic moments that it never becomes overly bleak. Even Uncle Teddy's incarceration is played for laughs, as the old coot comes to love prison.

"This Murder One is the best diet I've ever been on!" Uncle Teddy says, crowing over his 83-pound weight loss.

In new plots, firefighter Sean Garrity (Steven Pasquale) has an ill-advised affair with Tommy's half-sister, Maggie (Tatum O'Neal); Franco (Daniel Sunjata) pursues a relationship with an older woman (guest star Susan Sarandon); and Tommy's estranged wife, Janet (Andrea Roth), finds a surprising new bedmate.

Amid the lighter plots -- Tommy's cousin's son has an affair with his science teacher -- "Rescue Me" gives exposure to the working class, a stratum of society not frequently seen on television, a medium increasingly obsessed with the affluent. That "Rescue Me" often focuses on the ugly underbelly of working-class life, where conflict is resolved through fisticuffs, makes this engrossing series bolder still.

'Game Show Marathon'

A friend was visiting when I popped in the review disc for CBS's summer best-of game-show series.

"Is this on Game Show Network?" he asked.

"No, CBS," I replied.

"Really?" he said, sounding incredulous. "It's so bad."

TV isn't what it used to be, as some low-budget broadcast network series resemble cable shows and some glossy, scripted cable shows (like "Rescue Me') look more like network series.

"Game Show Marathon" (8 p.m. tomorrow and Thursday, CBS) is an innocuous, low-budget summer series that pits D-list celebrities against one another, playing assorted classic game shows for charity.

First up, Paige Davis, Tim Meadows, Lance Bass and Kathy Najimy vie for a spot on "The Price Is Right." Alas, none of the classic game-show hosts appears (except in clips), with Ricki Lake serving as host over each week's contest. Future game shows include "Card Sharks," "Beat the Clock," "Press Your Luck," "Let's Make a Deal," "Match Game" and "Family Feud."

For viewers starved for original network programming, "Game Show Marathon" isn't a terrible substitute. Just be aware you're getting network ground beef, not network prime rib.