"Rescue Me" Season 6 Premiere: Tommy Gavin Lives

NEW YORK (CBS) After a year off air, FX's "Rescue Me" returned to the small screen Tuesday night for a gripping premiere.

The last time we saw Tommy Gavin, the narcissist NYC firefighter played by Denis Leary, he was on the verge of death after being shot by his Uncle Teddy.

On his way to the hospital, Tommy fades away and has an alarming vision of his afterlife. In his white-light experience, he is reunited in a hockey stadium with all the 343 firemen who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks. Just as he is about to enter heaven, he is sent to dark hallway that is surrounded by flames. Then, he wakes up.

After his near-death experience, Tommy attempts to reconnect with family and friends but is faced with new problems, all hints of what is to come this season.

City budget cuts threaten the fate of his firehouse, his soon-to-be ex-wife moved back into his apartment, his daughter Collen is now an alcoholic just like he is and his mistress Sheila wants her son Damien out of the firefighting business.