Until earlier this month, Denis Leary’s edgy, critically acclaimed FX drama “Rescue Me” had been off the air for nearly 19 months, save for a few Webisodes last summer. Blame the writer’s strike.

But like Fox’s “24,” another strike victim, “Rescue Me” fans didn’t forget.

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Robert Presutti/New York Times

‘Stand-up is the most democratic form of expression,’ says comedian and ‘Rescue Me’ star Denis Leary.

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IF YOU GO
The Rescue Me Comedy Tour with Denis Leary
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta.
Tickets: $49.50 to $99 at www.ticketmaster.com or 404-249-6400.

On April 7, the season five debut brought in 2.3 million viewers, on par with the 2007 season four average. As an insurance policy, Leary has been doing a multi-city comedy tour with “Rescue Me” castmates Adam Ferrara (Chief Nelson) and Lenny Clarke (Uncle Teddy). All three have stand-up comedy backgrounds.

The show stops at the Fox Theatre this Saturday.

“We come into your town and through an evening of very fun, live entertainment, get everyone excited about ‘Rescue Me,’ ” Leary said in a recent phone interview. “We have fun as opposed to coming into town and boring everyone.”

Based on performances in other cities, Leary will likely play a few songs with his band the Enablers (many of those song titles can’t be published here). He will also throw off plenty of dirty jokes and profane rants against celebrities.

For Leary, who used to do stand-up before his movie and TV careers took off, this is a way to go back to his roots.

“Stand-up is the most democratic form of expression,” he said. “There’s no denying the audience likes what you’re saying or not.”

Leary’s genuinely excited about the current season of “Rescue Me,” which will have 22 episodes, an output more typical of broadcast than cable TV, where 13 is the norm. “It’s really got a lot of energy this year,” he said. “The actors are making it kick.”

The show was created in 2004 as a way to chronicle the post-9/11 lives of New York City firefighters. It hits that theme much harder this season than in the recent past.

The justification: A French journalist comes to the firehouse and interviews the guys. Of course, she looks a bit like Catherine Zeta-Jones, which mesmerizes many of the men, especially Lt. Lou Shea (John Scurti) and Leary’s character Tommy Gavin.

“It’s always interesting when a women comes into their midst,” Leary said.

The actor is also buds with Michael J. Fox, whom Leary persuaded to join the show as his ex-wife’s new boyfriend, an irascible, pill-popping paraplegic confined to a wheelchair. “He’s a total pro, a great dramatic actor,” Leary said.

Despite his Parkinson’s disease, Fox in the real world is not confined to a wheelchair. “At my annual charity benefit, he jumped up on stage and played the Who’s ‘Teenage Wasteland’ [“Baba O Riley”],” Leary said. “He’s staying busy.”