Dennis Leary stars in "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll"

Acts like the von Trapp Family Singers, The Osmonds, The Jackson 5 or even the Jonas Brothers may spring to mind when you think of musical families, but FX has taken the concept in a different direction entirely with "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll." The no-holds-barred series is now in its second season, and a new episode airs Thursday, Aug. 25, on FX.

Dennis Leary ("Rescue Me") stars as Johnny Rock, lead singer of the now-defunct rock band The Heathens, who were a hit in the late 80s and early 90s, but imploded shortly after achieving fame. Johnny has spent his life in the pursuit of musical relevance, indulging every kind of vice you can think of along the way. The ageing rocker is now in his 50s, and his career has all but fizzled out. If anything can sum up Johnny, it's a line from the opening credits of the series: "I don't wanna die anonymous."

Enter Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies, "Victorious"). Season 1 opened with Gigi, the daughter Johnny didn't know he had, waltzing into her father's life with $200,000 and a plan. It turns out she inherited all of her father's musical abilities, but few of his self-destructive tendencies -- she has a killer voice, sex appeal, and the smarts to market herself, but she needs her father's help if she's going to make it big.

Gigi becomes the central figure of a pseudo-family geared toward furthering her music career. Johnny brings with him his long-time girlfriend Ava (Elaine Hendrix, "Superstar," 1999), a long suffering backup vocalist with lots of talent of her own, while Gigi rounds up the old Heathens band members -- including guitarist Flash (John Corbett, "Sex and the City"), who has been working for Lady Gaga -- rebranding them as The Assassins, to back her up.

While there's plenty of love flowing within the group, it's not what you'd call a heartwarming comedy. They're a ragtag group of talented musicians with big egos and ambition. Sarcasm drips from much of the dialog, and the humor is unconventional and dark, but it sincerely works -- the show reels you in quickly, and even the most flawed, questionable characters are endearing. It manages to take a somewhat scathing look at the music industry (and musicians in general) while simultaneously professing its love for the messed up world it's portraying -- which is exactly what Leary was aiming for.

Leary doesn't just star in the series, he created it and writes for it, which explains the quick, witty dialog, the rough-around-the-edges main character, the raunchy subject matter -- all the hallmarks of Leary's past works, such as "Rescue Me" and "Sirens." He even writes the music for the series himself. But, in an interview with Variety, Leary credits the cast for much of the show's success:

Elizabeth Gillies as seen in "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll"

"You can have a great scene, but the thing that makes it unforgettable is unforgettable actors. This group, I’ve got to be honest with you, they gave me everything I needed. They were all able to improvise and they flushed the characters out from day one. Liz, she’s unbelievable, I feel like I can write anything for her. John Corbett was a dream that I thought I would never get. To me, I would love to be able to work with these people for the next five or seven years."

The cast certainly is impressive, and not just because of their acting chops. All of the show's music is shot live, which means when you see anyone singing, it's the real deal.

"I think the audience knows," Leary tells Variety. "They can tell when you're lip syncing. I’m not a great singer, but I can scream. ... But I really needed a girl who can sing and can do it live and we found Liz Gillies and we were just like, 'Oh my god.' If this show works, it's because of her. It's really all about her. ... She's gonna be huge."

In the show, Gigi is enjoying a moderate amount of success, but there's been some entertaining drama along the way. A recent relationship shake-up still has both Gigi and Johnny reeling: Ava and Flash -- Johnny and Gigi's significant others, respectively -- rekindled a 25-year-old flame, leaving the father and daughter duo out in the cold. Fascinatingly, though you can't help but feel for the dumpees, it's hard not to root for Ava and Flash.

Meanwhile, Ava has been handed a second chance at fame, and Bam Bam (Robert Kelly, "Louie") and Rehab (John Ales, "The Nutty Professor," 1996), the Assassins' drummer and bass player (always relegated to the background, am I right?), have been working on a side project of their own: an unconventional stage play about the Irish potato famine.

Catch a new episode of the irreverent comedy "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll," airing Thursday, August 25, on FX.