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Third Watch is an American television crime-medical drama series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that ran on NBC from September 23, 1999, to May 6, 2005, for a total of six seasons and 132 original episodes. It was produced in partnership with the John Wells Productions and association with Warner Bros. Television.

The show was set and filmed in New York City. This was an ensemble cast show that centered on the lives of a group of Uniformed Police Personnel in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and a group of Uniformed Fire and Emergency Medical Services Personnel in the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), all working the same fictional precinct during the 3 PM to 11 PM shift - known as the 'Third Watch'.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks hit New York in 2001, season 3 opened with the award-winning October 15, 2001, episode "In Their Own Words", featuring interviews with real-life New York City Police Department (NYPD) and New York City Fire Department (FDNY) members who responded to the attacks. Family members of those who responded to the attacks also got interviewed about what happened. The following episode was titled "September Tenth". The first episode of the show was “Welcome To Camelot” and the last episode of the series was “Goodbye to Camelot”.

Premise[]

The series followed the exploits of a group of Uniformed Police Personnel in the Fictional 55th Police Precinct of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and a group of Uniformed Fire and Emergency Medical Services Personnel working in the Fictional Quarters of New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Squad Company 55 and Truck Company 100. Their shifts were between 3 PM and 11 PM. This was known as 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.

Cast and Characters[]

Main article: List of characters
Actor
Character
Position
Season
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Michael Beach Monte Parker FDNY Paramedic
Main
Guest
Coby Bell Ty Davis NYPD Officer
Main
Eddie Cibrian Jimmy Doherty FDNY Firefighter
Lieutenant
Main
Guest
Bobby Cannavale Bobby Caffey FDNY Paramedic
Main
Molly Price Faith Yokas NYPD Detective
Main
Kim Raver Kim Zambrano FDNY Paramedic
Main
Guest
Anthony Ruivivar Carlos Nieto FDNY Paramedic
Main
Skip Sudduth John Sullivan NYPD Officer
Main
Jason Wiles Maurice Boscorelli NYPD Officer
Main
Chris Bauer Fred Yokas
Main
Amy Carlson Alex Taylor FDNY Paramedic
Firefighter
Main
Tia Texada Maritza Cruz NYPD Sergeant
Main
Nia Long Sasha Monroe NYPD Officer
IAB Detective
Main
Bonnie Dennison Emily Yokas
Recurring
Main
Cara Buono Grace Foster FDNY Paramedic
Main
Josh Stewart Brendan Finney NYPD Officer
Main

Episodes[]

Main article: List of episodes

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

Season Episodes Originally aired (U.S. dates)
Season premiere Season finale
1 22 September 26, 1999 May 15, 2000
2 22 October 2, 2000 May 14, 2001
3 22 October 15, 2001 May 15, 2002
4 22 September 30, 2002 April 28, 2003
5 22 September 29, 2003 May 7, 2004
6 22 September 24, 2004 May 6, 2005

Development and production[]

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.

Cancellation[]

The sixth season of Third Watch would be its last; however, the show was obtaining fair ratings from Nielsen. Following its Friday night ratings battle (which it was losing to CBS series JAG), however NBC decided not to renew the next season in March 2005. In the series finale, "Goodbye to Camelot", broadcast on May 6, 2005, the third watch is disbanded after a grenade attack burned down the police station. At the end of the episode, Skip Sudduth, who portrayed John "Sully" Sullivan gave viewers an update on what everyone was up to after the closure of the 55th Precinct and onwards.

Edward Allen Bernero went on to become the showrunner for Criminal Minds. John Wells has continuation his television writing career on ER (until 2009) and Southland.

Music[]

The theme song for the show was "Keep Hope Alive" by The Crystal Method (from their movie "Species" and "The Replacement Killers"), except for the pilot episode, when "Right Here, Right Now" by Fatboy Slim was played during the opening sequence.

Home media[]

DVD Release[]

Warner Home Video 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.

It is unknown as to when Warner Archive Collection will release sets of the remaining six seasons.

DVD name Ep# Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Complete First Season 22 Episodes February 5, 2008 May 26, 2006 May 3, 2006
The Complete Second Season July 7, 2009 TBA N/A
The Complete Third Season N/A N/A N/A
The Complete Fourth Season N/A N/A N/A
The Complete Fifth Season N/A N/A N/A
The Complete Sixth and Final Season N/A N/A N/A
Third Watch: The Complete Series 132 N/A N/A N/A

Music licensing issues delayed the release of the first two seasons and, as of 2023, it is unknown when or if the remaining four seasons will ever be released. However, some post-broadcast releases include episodes slightly modified, with music different from the original broadcasts.

Broadcast and syndication[]

In September 2002, Warner Bros. Television Distribution began distributing Third Watch for broadcast in off-network syndication. The reruns of the series aired on A&E from 2002 to 2011. The series joined HLN in April 2023.

Online media[]

In March 2015, Crave TV began streaming the first three seasons. However, as of 2021, Crave TV no longer offers this streaming option.

In December 2021, The Roku Channel added all 6 seasons of Third Watch to watch for free. In December of 2022 Roku stopped offering Third Watch for streaming.

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 isn't available in all countries). 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.

Reception[]

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

Awards and nominations[]

The hit series won the prestigious 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 the 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.

Ratings[]

The show finished its first season (1999–2000) barely in the Top 20, placing 27th in the Nielsen ratings, with an average rating of 9.8. The second season did considerably better, making it into the Top 40 finishing its second season (2000–2001) 46th in the Nielsen ratings with an average rating of 7.7. Viewership increased 12.3% from season one.

The show finished its third season (2001–2002) at a higher place in the ratings, placing 38th with an average rating of 7.05 during the season; however, the ratings share was a drop of 3.5% from the second season.

External links[]

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