Nash Bridges


Nash Bridges is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit.
The series ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996, to May 4, 2001. A total of 122 episodes aired.
A TV film was aired on the USA Network in 2021.

Premise

Nash Bridges stars Don Johnson as the eponymous Nash Bridges, an inspector with the San Francisco Police Department's elite "Special Investigations Unit". The show begins with Bridges in his 40s, twice-divorced, and co-parenting his teenage daughter, Cassidy. Nash convinces recently retired Inspector Joe Dominguez, to return to the force and partner with him. Nash and Joe cruise the streets of San Francisco in Nash's 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible, a gift from Nash's brother Bobby just before Bobby left for the Vietnam War. The car was originally to be painted Curious Yellow, but was switched to factory Caterpillar Yellow, due to lighting and camera appearances. The car was portrayed by several replicas of a 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertible.
Bobby Bridges was reported as MIA, but turns up in the season 3 episode "Revelations", played by Jan-Michael Vincent. Nash's father, Nick, suffers from mild dementia and has a habit of getting kicked out of nursing homes. He eventually moves in with Nash, and is often involved in comic subplots that are intertwined with some of the show's dark humor themes.
Aiding Nash in his police work is the technically savvy Harvey Leek, a middle-aged "Deadhead". Another is the young, hotheaded Evan Cortez, who has an off-and-on relationship with Cassidy. In later seasons, other inspectors and supporting characters were added or removed from the cast.
For the first sixteen episodes, the commander of the SIU was Lieutenant A. J. Shimamura, a character who was said to have returned to his native Hawaii after failing to be promoted to captain. Shimamura's departure opened the door for Bridges to be promoted to captain and given command of the SIU.

Episodes

Cast and characters

Main

  • Don Johnson as Inspector/Acting Lieutenant/Captain Nash Bridges: Nash is a seasoned police Inspector in his 40s, with a lifelong devotion to the SFPD. He's got a photographic memory and a tendency to call everyone "Bubba" or "Sister." His personal life isn't as balanced as his professional one, starting with his two divorces and a strained relationship with both his aged father and a daughter. An amateur magician with a talent for handcuff tricks, Don Johnson is the only member of the cast to appear in all 122 episodes of the series.
  • Cheech Marin as Inspector/Lieutenant Joe Dominguez: At the start of the series, Insp. Dominguez is talked out of retirement to partner with Nash. He is married to a statuesque Swedish woman, Inger, and together they have a daughter, Lucia, and a son, JJ. Dominguez's character is light-hearted, often making witty, off-the-cuff observations at crime scenes. He has a penchant for getting involved in get-rich quick schemes, often having to be rescued by Nash. The details of Nash and Dominguez's relationship is revealed during the course of the series: As a young cop with a bright future, Dominguez ruined his reputation by being busted for a DUI. The only person to stand by him was his partner at the time, later revealed to be Nash. In later seasons, Nash and Joe form a private detective agency to make extra money.
  • Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Cassidy Bridges: Nash's daughter who originally aspired to be an actress. Cassidy had a tough relationship with Evan that had them eventually reconciling and about to marry, before Evan was killed. This inspired Cassidy to join the SFPD after his death. She was then assigned to the SIU as a plain-clothes officer, under her father's command. By the end of the series, Cassidy relocated to Paris to be with her mother.
  • Jeff Perry as Inspector Harvey Leek: A die-hard Grateful Dead fan with a technical background. His wife left him after years of marriage because of his commitment to police work. Best friend to Evan and one of Nash's team, and very passionate about his '72 Ford Ranchero. The Ranchero is seen in the series almost as often as Nash's Barracuda until the car was irreparably damaged in a shootout near the end of the fifth season.
  • Jaime P. Gomez as Inspector Evan Cortez : Best friend to Harvey and the youngest partner of Nash, who suggested he rejoin working with Joe at the beginning of the series. Evan reminded Nash of what he used to be long ago. He had a stormy relationship with Cassidy, which after many ups and downs, ended when he was killed in the line of duty. Evan had reconciled with Cassidy at the time and was engaged to her for a Las Vegas wedding. Previous to that, Evan went through a painful period during the fifth season after his breakup with Cassidy and the loss of his job as a drunk on a downward spiral. With Joe's intervention and his own participation in a 12-Step Alcoholics Anonymous program, the character became a Christian and recovering alcoholic. Jaime Gomez appeared in all but six episodes of the series' first five seasons.
  • Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Lieutenant A. J. Shimamura : A former police superior who worked closely with Nash and the SIU as both co-worker and friend. A. J. held true to a promise that if he wasn't promoted to captain, he would leave the force and move back to his native Hawaii, which occurred during the second season.
  • Serena Scott Thomas as Kelly Bridges : A socialite and former drug addict, and Nash's second ex-wife. She moved to Europe to reunite with her long lost daughter during the second season.
  • Annette O'Toole as Lisa Bridges : A caterer by trade, she is Nash's ex-wife and mother of Cassidy. She moved to Paris after she and Nash revealed their true feelings to each other.
  • James Gammon as Nick Bridges : Nash's retired longshoreman father who lives with him. He sometimes gets into some minor trouble which leaves Nash to save him. He also tends to get involved in Joe Dominguez's get rich quick schemes. Nick suffers from light dementia and that affliction was dealt with thoughtfully throughout the series. A source of conflict between him and his son was the character's preference for his older son, Bobby Bridges, over Nash.
  • Mary Mara as Inspector Bryn Carson : The only female member of the SIU at the beginning of the series, she was often used to go undercover when a woman's role was needed. She was not known to have a very successful romantic life. She transferred out of the SIU at the start of the third season.
  • Kelly Hu as Inspector Michelle Chan : An aggressive inspector whom Nash took under his wing as a protégé. She was killed in cold blood early in the fourth season by the Prowler, a killer seeking media glory whom Nash killed out of revenge and claimed it as self-defense.
  • Yasmine Bleeth as Inspector Caitlin Cross : She had a tense relationship with Nash bordering on the unprofessional. Caitlin originally came to the SIU as an MCD Inspector investigating them, but eventually joined them. She had a brief romance with Nash, which ended when she left at the end of the fifth season to help her sister in Washington, D.C.
  • Wendy Moniz as Inspector Rachel McCabe : Cassidy's senior partner and a new addition to the SIU in the final season. Rachel was a police officer originally working undercover for a corrupt Internal Affairs official. She eventually fell in love with Nash and later sacrificed her career to save Nash when she realized he was being framed.
  • Cress Williams as Inspector Antwon Babcock : Evan's replacement in the final season. Antwon rescued the SIU from an explosion when he drove a car off a pier on his first day. He preferred to stay out of personal situations, but was very active in the force. He became close friends with Harvey, particularly when Harvey convinced him to reconcile with his father, a dying criminal. He occasionally suffered from epileptic seizures.

    Recurring

  • Daniel Roebuck as Inspector Rick Bettina: A crooked SIU police officer turned criminal and a frequent headache to the SIU. In the beginning of the series, he considers Nash his best friend and at one point was Nash's boss as Rick's mother married the chief of police and gave him a job. Towards the end of the series, he tries to kill Nash and Joe, to cover-up his attempted rip-off of the police retirement fund.
  • Angela Dohrmann as Stacy Bridges : Nash's ADA sister.
  • Stephen Lee as Tony B: Mobster and police informant.
  • Patrick Fischler as Pepe: Joe and Nash's gay friend, and secretary of their detective agency.
  • Caroline Lagerfelt as Inger Dominguez : Joe's spouse from Sweden and mother of their infant child, and mother of Joe's adult son. A kind woman and loving wife, also the one really in charge of their household.
  • Tracey Walter as Angel : A wise spiritual figure who often appears when dispensing advice to Nash as his guardian angel. Dressed as an angel, complete with wings, he wanders the streets of San Francisco.
  • Ronald Russell II as Sergeant Ronnie : He's the all around handyman and muscle of the SIU.
  • Christian J. Meoli as Boz Bishop : A young rap music inspired employee of Nash and Joe's private investigation agency. A fast talking young man with aspirations to be a private investigator. In reality, Boz is loaded with money and comes from a well-to-do English family. Boz's family lives in the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate in Oakland.
  • Suki Kaiser as Lynette Summers : The sister of Nash's first ex-wife. While Lisa is in Paris, studying French cookery, Cassidy stays with her aunt in San Francisco.
  • Donna W. Scott as Tamara Van Zant : A con-woman and sometimes Nash's lover. In season 6, she's stabbed and thrown overboard by mobster Vinnie Corell in the episode "Something Borrowed".
  • Stone Cold Steve Austin as Inspector Jake Cage : A former protégé of Bridges now working in Fugitive Retrieval, who occasionally aids the SIU.
  • Alie Ward as Miranda : Cassidy's roommate.
  • Tim Ransom as Frankie Dwyer : A greedy and ambitious gangster who repeatedly clashes with Nash.