Third Watch


Third Watch is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 23, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced by John Wells Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The show takes place in New York City, and was filmed on location there. It stars an ensemble cast of characters, the storylines centered on the lives of police officers in the New [York City Police Department] and the firefighters and Emergency Medical Services Personnel in the New [York City Fire Department], all working the same fictional precinct during the 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift, also known as the "third watch".
After the September 11 attacks hit New York in 2001, season three opened with the episode "In Their Own Words", which aired on October 15, 2001, and featured interviews with real-life NYPD and FDNY members who responded to the attacks. The following episode was titled "September Tenth".

Premise

The series followed the exploits of a group of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics in the fictional NYPD 55th Precinct and the fictional FDNY Squad 55/Ladder 100/Battalion 24 firehouse, whose shifts fell between 3 pm and 11 pm, the "third watch". The precinct and fire station were located on the fictional corner of King Boulevard and Arthur Street; hence the nickname "Camelot". Exterior/interior shots of the 55th Precinct and the firehouse were filmed in Long Island City, Queens, although both in the show appear to be located somewhere between the Bronx, and Midtown and Inwood in Manhattan.
Third Watch succeeded in presenting all three branches of New York City's emergency services in the same show, reviving a failed attempt to do so nine years prior with the similarly themed H.E.L.P. The show balanced numerous single-episode events with other, ongoing storylines, some of which spanned multiple seasons. Though it gained much acclaim and eventually won an award for its emotional and honest portrayal of 9/11 and its aftermath, Third Watch was also criticized in some circles for extremely detailed violence, and extensive profane language. The show was created, produced, and written by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero. The theme song for the show was "Keep Hope Alive" by The Crystal Method, except for the pilot episode, when "Right [Here, Right Now (Fatboy Slim song)|Right Here, Right Now]" by Fatboy Slim was played during the opening sequence.
In the spring of 2005, NBC decided not to renew Third Watch, making the sixth season its last. The series' finale, "Goodbye to Camelot", aired in the United States on Friday, May 6, 2005. Several major newspapers, including the New York Times and the Bergen Record, have since listed it as a TV show that was cancelled too early.

Conception

John Wells had wanted to do a show about paramedics for some time due to his work on ER, but did not think he had enough material to make such a show. Ed Bernero, a former Chicago cop, had wanted to do a police drama partly based on his own experiences. The two worked together on the short-lived show Trinity and, after that show was cancelled, Wells asked Bernero if he wanted to co-create a show with him.
Originally, the show was only going to be about the police and paramedics, but firefighter Jimmy Doherty was added to the show after Eddie Cibrian auditioned for the role of Bosco. Cibrian lost out to Jason Wiles, but because of the attention he received from women due to his good looks, the producers decided to put him in the show as a new character. Bernero reportedly commented that they did not have any firefighters, and the fire aspect of the show was added.

Episodes

The series consists of six seasons with a total of 132 episodes, produced and broadcast from September 23, 1999, to May 6, 2005.

Crossovers

  • "Unleashed" — Yokas and Bosco help Dr. Susan Lewis find her drug-addicted sister and her niece, who went missing. The story begins on ER in the episode "Brothers & Sisters".
  • "In the Family Way" — An AWOL soldier arrested for a jewelry store robbery that left a friend of Sully's dead contracts a virus that begins to spread. The story concludes on Medical Investigation in the episode "Half-Life".

    Main cast

Third Watch's original ensemble cast in the series' first season consisted of Michael Beach, Coby Bell, Bobby Cannavale, Eddie Cibrian, Molly Price, Kim Raver, Anthony Ruivivar, Skipp Sudduth, and Jason Wiles.
Eddie Cibrian also portrayed the contract-role of Cole on Sunset Beach while appearing on Third Watch at the same time until Sunset Beach's cancellation on September 17, 1999.
In 2000, Amy Carlson was added to the cast as paramedic/firefighter Alex Taylor. In 2001, series regular Bobby Cannavale willingly left the series after he asked to be written out due to lack of character use and development.
At the start of season three, Chris Bauer was added to the main credits as Fred Yokas after being a recurring guest star previously. Tia Texada became a recurring guest star, and later, a full cast member, in 2002. Carlson left the show in 2003. Later that year, Nia Long was introduced as Officer Sasha Monroe. Yvonne Jung became a recurring guest star also in 2003, although she had been a guest in season-three episode "Act Brave" as a lawyer defending Kim in her custody battle with Jimmy. Also in 2003, Bonnie Dennison was added as Emily Yokas, previously being recurring.
In 2004, just after celebrating the show's 100th episode, Eddie Cibrian and Michael Beach left the show. Cibrian's departure marked the first time a main character was written out of the show without dying. Series regular Molly Price's character, Faith Yokas, made very few appearances in season five of the series because Price was pregnant throughout much of the season. The writers for Third Watch explained her absence by her character being seriously injured in a shootout, and then trying to recuperate at home. In the few scenes Price was in, her growing belly was frequently hidden by blankets piled on top of her while she lay in bed. Cara Buono joined the cast as Paramedic Grace Foster late in the show's fifth season in 2004.
Kim Raver decided to leave the show after the show's sixth-season opener and became a series regular on 24. Josh Stewart was introduced as a main cast member of season six as Probationary Officer Brendan Finney. After a several-month absence, Dennison reclaimed the role of Emily Yokas for the rest of the final season, while Chris Bauer left the show to pursue his new show Tilt, which coincidentally co-starred his former Third Watch castmate, Eddie Cibrian, but made sporadic guest-star appearances in season six. Beach, Cibrian, and Raver rejoined their former co-stars in the series finale, "Goodbye To Camelot".

Main cast

1 The Yokas' oldest child Emily was portrayed by P.J. Morrison in seasons one-three in a recurring role. Dennison took over the role in season four and received star billing in the final two seasons in the episodes in which she appeared.

Recurring cast

These cast members are listed by the season in which they were introduced:
ActorCharacterSeasons as recurring castNotes
Derek KellyFDNY Firefighter Derek "DK" Kitson1–6Real-life FDNY firefighter; real-life husband of Molly Price
Bill WalshFDNY Firefighter/Lieutenant William "Billy" Walsh1–6Real-life FDNY firefighter
Patti D'ArbanvilleRose Boscorelli1–6Bosco's mother
Jeremy BergmanCharles "Charlie" Yokas1–4Faith and Fred's youngest child
Lonette McKeeMaggie Davis1–4Ty's mother
Monica TrombettaDana Murphy1–2ER Nurse
James RebhornNYPD Captain "Stick" Elchisak1–3NYPD Captain of 55th Precinct
P.J. MorrisonEmily Yokas1–3First actress to portray character
Kristopher Scott FiedellJoseph "Joey" Doherty1–3Kim and Jimmy's son
Eva LaRueNYPD Officer Brooke Doherty1–2Jimmy's second wife
Lisa VidalDr. Sarah Morales1–2Attending at Mercy Hospital; Doc's love interest
Wendell PierceNYPD Officer Conrad "Candyman" Jones1Cop with long and spotty history partnered with Davis' father
Nick ChinlundNYPD Detective Tancredi1
Ernest MingioneNYPD Lieutenant Kowalski1
Peter Vack"The Rod Rodney"1
Jon SedaMateo "Matty" Caffey1–2Bobby's ex-con brother
Saundra McClainNurse Mary Proctor2–6Primary nurse at Mercy
John Michael BolgerFDNY Lieutenant Johnson2–4
Savannah HaskeTatiana Deschenko2–4Wife of Sully
Nick SandowFDNY Firefighter Joseph "Joe" Lombardo III2
Carol WoodsNYPD Lieutenant Rice2
Anne TwomeyCatherine Zambrano2Mother of Kim
Joe LisiNYPD Lieutenant Robert "Bob" Swersky3–6
Sterling K. BrownNYPD Officer Edward Dade3–5
Charlie DayMichael "Mikey" Boscorelli3–5Brother of Bosco
Brad BeyerNYPD Sergeant Jason Christopher2–3
Charlie McWadeNYPD Officer Steven Gusler3A squeamish new officer training under Yokas and Bosco
Darien Sills-EvansDr. Fields4–6Attending at Mercy
James RemarNYPD Detective Madjanski4
Yvonne JungFDNY Paramedic Holly Levine5–6Love interest of Carlos, real-life wife of Anthony Ruivivar
Joe BadaluccoNYPD Detective "Jelly" Grimaldi5–6Yokas' partner once she was promoted to detective
Charles HaidNYPD IAB Captain Cathal "CT" Finney6Corrupt; father of Brendan
Manny PérezNYPD Officer Manny Santiago6Partner to Cruz
Aidan QuinnNYPD Lieutenant John Miller6Partner and eventual love interest to Yokas
Jason ShawFDNY Firefighter Stu "Lotta Zs" Szczelaszczyk6

Main crew

Directors

All six seasons of Third Watch were originally broadcast on NBC in the United States and simulcast in Canada on CTV.
SeasonPremiereFinaleViewers Rank
1Sunday 8:00 pm ET
Monday 10:00 pm ET 		September 23, 1999May 22, 200014.79–
2Monday 10:00 pm ETOctober 2, 2000May 21, 200116.80#46
3Monday 9:00 pm ETOctober 15, 2001May 13, 200215.29#38
4Monday 9:00 pm ETSeptember 30, 2002April 28, 200314.85#36
5Monday 10:00 pm ET
Friday 10:00 pm ET 		September 29, 2003May 7, 200415.35#62
6Friday 9:00 pm ETSeptember 17, 2004May 6, 200515.22#55

Third Watch was also broadcast worldwide including Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.

Home media and syndication

released Season 1 of Third Watch on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4. Season 2 was released in Region 1 on July 7, 2009.
Music licensing issues delayed the release of the first two seasons and as of January 2026 there have been no updates regarding the release of the remaining seasons on DVD, however, in September of 2025, the four remaining seasons, as well as a “series-complete box set”, became available for purchase via online streaming platforms such as YouTube and Apple TV. However, some post-broadcast releases include episodes slightly modified, with music different from the original broadcasts.
The first three seasons of Third Watch were available for streaming on Crave TV from March 2015 until 2021.
In December 2021, The Roku Channel added all 6 seasons of Third Watch to watch for free. In December 2022, Roku stopped offering the show for streaming, only to re-add it again in late March 2023.
In February 2023, Tubi added all 6 seasons of Third Watch to watch for free. However, some users will not be able to access it depending on which country their IPN identifies as their location. It is noticeable in this release that several of the songs used in the show have been changed to overcome the initial musical licensing issues.
Third Watch also aired in Syndication on A&E at various times between the fall of 2002 and 2011. As of April 2023, it can be seen on HLN weeknights in a four-hour block from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Reception

The series won the Peabody Award for Season 3 episode "In Their Own Words", in which series regulars Michael Beach, Coby Bell, Amy Carlson, Eddie Cibrian, Kim Raver, Anthony Ruivivar, Skipp Sudduth, and Jason Wiles introduced clips of interviews with real-life NYPD and FDNY members who responded to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Series regular Molly Price was interviewed in a segment because she is married to real-life FDNY firefighter and Third Watch recurring guest star Derek Kelly.
Many Third Watch former cast members were nominated for awards for their work on the show. Among them, both Bobby Cannavale and Anthony Ruivivar were nominated for ALMA Awards for their positive portrayals of Latino characters. Nia Long also won several NAACP Image Awards for her portrayal of the African-American character Sasha Monroe. Other cast members, including Michael Beach, Molly Price, and Tia Texada also were nominated for various awards. The show itself was nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Stunt Coordination and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series, which it won in 2000.