Rescue Me, FX's acclaimed series starring Denis Leary, will kick off its 22-episode fifth season on Tuesday, April 7th at 10 p.m. ET/PT, and today the network placed an order for an additional season from Sony Pictures Television, announced FX Networks President and General Manager John Landgraf.

In addition to the announcements for the fifth season start date and pick-up of a sixth season, Leary will launch "The Rescue Me Comedy Tour," an 11-city live comedy tour featuring Leary, fellow comedians and Rescue Me co-stars Adam Ferrara and Lenny Clarke, and other stand-ups. The Rescue Me Comedy Tour is highlighted with a live show at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Thursday, April 2. This performance of The Rescue Me Comedy Tour will include a screening of the first episode of Rescue Me season five, and will benefit The Leary Firefighters Foundation. Premium VIP tickets and packages are available through the Foundation at learyfirefighters.org or 212-343-0240. For a full comedy tour schedule visit DenisLeary.com.

Rescue Me stars Denis Leary, Adam Ferrara, Michael Lombardi, Steven Pasquale, Andrea Roth, John Scurti, Daniel Sunjata and Callie Thorne. The series was created by Leary and Peter Tolan, who along with Jim Serpico serve as executive producers. The show is produced by Apostle, The Cloudland Company and DreamWorks Television in association with Sony Pictures Television.

The 22-episode fifth season will air on FX over 23 weeks, with the season finale scheduled to air Tuesday, September 8th.

"Rescue Me is one of the very best series on television and a tentpole program for FX," said Landgraf. "We're amazed by the quality of episodes for the upcoming fifth season, which are some of the best they've ever produced. I believe this show will continue to maintain a level of excellence for several years to come and we're thrilled to pick it up for a sixth season."

"Peter, Denis and Jim continue to produce inspired work and the sixth season renewal is a validation of their efforts," said Zack Van Amburg, President, Programming, Sony Pictures Television. "We've been able to attract great talent for key guest arcs, such as Michael J. Fox and Maura Tierney. The show is as strong creatively now as it's ever been," added Jamie Erlicht, President, Programming, Sony Pictures Television.

Rescue Me revolves around the lives of the men in a New York City firehouse, the crew of 62 Truck. Examining the fraternal nature and relationships of firefighters, the series tackles the daily drama of the life-and-death situations associated with being a firefighter, while exploring the ways the men use dark humor to protect their true emotions.

The Leary Firefighters Foundation is dedicated to filling the gaps between the limits of government funding and the vital need of fire departments to acquire the tools necessary to maintain the highest level of public safety. The Foundation has created partnerships and raised over $10 million dollars for initiatives critical to firefighter and public safety, including: Development and Construction of a first of it's kind High-Rise Simulator training facility for the FDNY Training Academy on Randall's Island; The restoration of New Orleans firehouses devastated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; The Worcester Burn Tower, Training Facility, & Emergency Operations Center, serving fire departments throughout Central Massachusetts; A Tactical Command Vehicle and High-Speed Rescue Boat for The Boston Fire Department; The FDNY's first-ever state-of-the-art Mobile Command Center; Flashover Simulators for the FDNY & Boston Training Academies.