In Case of Emergency. Or Hangover.

Fox Television Studios

The ordering of a second Manhattan will inevitably produce four things: a demonstration of my sweet dance moves, the loss of my inside voice, a profession of my love of whiskey, and the following day, the inability to do absolutely anything productive. The antidote for such a morning was the USA Network two season series (now available on Netflix), Sirens about three paramedics who drive around town providing medical assistance to their fellow Chicagoans while philosophizing about important matters such as doughnuts, porn, super powers, and butts. Loosely based on the British series of the same name, 2014's Sirens was created by Bob Fischer and Denis Leary – the comedian's name here is less about credibility and more about knowing and accepting what you're in for. Sure, picking Sirens over binge-watch series' du jour Making a Murderer and The Jinx may ding my water cooler credibility, but for Sirens' three dipshits (I say that out of love), I'll take the hit. 

If Dick Wolf's Chicago franchise – comprised of Chicago Fire, PD and Med – had a snot nosed, milk mustached, potty mouthed, shit stained, whiny little cousin, Sirens would be it. But you know what, sometimes, that mess of the cousin is the the coolest person to be with – there's no pretense, they just want to hang. The paramedics that make up Sirens' Ambulance 14 include driver and commitment-phobe Johnny, his best friend and dick magnet, Hank and wide-eyed newbie, Brian. The friendship and trust between these guys rings true, they're good to one another and they have no problem calling each other out. Between random and sometimes ridiculous calls, they run into police team Theresa, Johnny's ex-girlfriend and her new, dim-witted partner Billy, played by Josh Segarra. Coincidentally, Segarra had a few dull episodes on Chicago PD as Hank Voight's son, but here he shines and is much more fun, delivering the dim-witted goods that haven't been seen since Three's Company's Chrissy with a – true to his native – Puerto Rican flair. So good!

It's a three day weekend, people. I'll happily trade in the premium channel offerings depicting the dark side, the ugly side, the betrayals and the people being bad to one another for the sunnier side of Sirens. These are the guys I want to hang out with while my hangover subsides and while reality is put off for another day.

Jeremy Gilbert Joins Firehouse 51

Warner Bros. Television Distribution, NBC Universal Television Distribution

This week, two characters from my TV watching past have come back to haunt an already fragile Chicago Fire. First up, the doe-eyed younger brother to Elena Gilbert, officially joined the 51st District, trading his Vampire Diaries vamp-hunting, white tank for Chicago’s finest fire fighting gear. Admittedly, Chicago Fire feeds a certain need, however, I don’t know that it has a Jeremy Gilbert level of leeway. Here’s hoping his reservoir goes beyond his former TVD flex-a-thon days. Second up, is the paramedic newcomer, Chili Chilton – formerly Jellybean of Chicago PD, and before that, Becky Sproles, who ushered in the downer days of Friday Night Lights. Not only have these two returned to my screen uninvited, they are also each other's love interest.

Let's make one thing clear, Season 4 of Chicago Fire is even more precarious than usual with the absence of Leslie Shay – which I’m still reluctant to acknowledge. Shay was quality. And she left big shoes to fill. While these two throwback characters seem to have smaller feet, I’ll attempt to trust the Chicago family to make the right call. Here's to shaking off your former selves, Jeremy Gilbert and Becky Sproles. I guess that's something we can all aspire to.