It's official! Denis Leary is heading back to FX for a new series! We knew this was a possibility back in January when FX gave Leary's comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll a pilot order. Today comes word that the cable channel has decided to move forward with the project, which is not only created by Leary, but will also star the comedian/actor as the lead character.
Earlier this year, we learned that Denis Leary had Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll in development for FX. Today, in addition to sharing the above photo, which shows Leary looking ready to rock, Deadline reports that FX has ordered the comedy to series, giving it a 10-episode pickup for Season 1, with the goal to get it on the air sometime in 2015. Leary is credited for creating, writing and starring in the comedy, which will center on his character Johnny Rock, the lead singer of New York City's legendary early-90s rock band The Heathens. In the present day, it sounds like Rock's trying to get his band and his life back together.
In addition to Leary, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll also stars John Corbett, Elizabeth Gillies, Bobby Kelly and Elaine Hendrix.
It seems fair to credit Denis Leary for his participation in helping FX make a name for itself in terms of their original programming slate. Leary and Peter Tolan's firefight dramedy Rescue Me left its mark at the network, airing from 2004 to 2011 before it finally wrapped up and Leary moved on to other projects. Since Rescue Me, Leary has executive produced IFC's Maron and the paramedic comedy Sirens at USA, and we saw him playing Gwen Stacy's father in The Amazing Spider-Man. He also continues to make us laugh by voicing the role of Diego in the Ice Age films. Not only is it very exciting that he's returning to FX, where humor tends to be a bit on the darker side, but it'll also put Leary back on television in a starring role, which is great news.
While it sounds like Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is a shift away from life-saving careers, the premise also sounds like it has plenty of room for humor, which is right of Leary's alley. We can't wait to meet Johnny Rock! As mentioned, the series will hopefully make its way to air in 2015, presumably at FX (if not the channel's offshoot, FXX).
