Remembering 9/11: 10 years later, TV still has trouble capturing 9/11

Ten years ago this month, something horrifying happened at the World Trade Center in New York. At the time, it seemed impossible to imagine that just three years later, someone would try and make sense of the events of 9/11 by turning it into a television series.

Yet that's exactly what happened in 2004, when Peter Tolan and Denis Leary came up with "Rescue Me." And over the next seven seasons, FX's show would explore the fine line between the living and the dead, blending melancholy and dark humor as it focused on the firefighters who lived — and died — on that September day.
"Rescue Me" ends Sept. 7, four days before the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. The series never caught on in a massive way, yet earned a loyal cult following in the millions — including many firefighters. But it also serves as an object lesson for what happens when television attempts to fictionalize real-world tragedy.
'Creeped out'
From the start, FX president John Landgraf recalled how careful they had to be with tone. "We knew we were treading on hallowed ground, and we knew we were doing it in a series that could be crude and transgressive," he said. "There had to be a sense of respect and reverence in the subject material. We did sweat it."
Tolan said that re-creating 9/11 for the pilot "creeped out" many of the cast and crew. "When we did that, it was a very quiet set that day," he said.
Landgraf helped ensure the show never fell to the wayside. "I was their loyal collaborator," he said. "I read every draft of every script, gave notes on every episode and watched every rough cut. We all did it collectively."
Challenges
Other than "Rescue Me," television hasn't had much luck trying to turn 9/11 into more than a documentary or short-subject film. Television writers can imagine the end of the world via pollution (so long as there's a nice portal to take humans into a safer time, as in Fox's upcoming "Terra Nova"), or the nuking of Los Angeles (as "24" did in 2007).
But a story sprung from a reality like 9/11 — insofar as there has ever been an event like that — appears to turn scribes mute. The upcoming series "Homeland" on Showtime may take place in a post-9/11 world, but the destroyed towers do not loom as sharply as they did in "Rescue Me."
There's a reason why a show like "Rescue Me" is such a rare bird, said former network executive Tim Brooks. "When you tie something into a specific historical event, you limit its longevity because the event becomes more distant as you go along. If you tie into something like 9/11, you will seem dated quickly."
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In related news, the National Park Service's Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township will be unveiled this weekend during events that are expected to draw 10,000 people, including President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.