Third Watch
Third Watch | |
---|---|
Genre | Crime Drama Police procedural |
Created by | John Wells, Edward Allen Bernero |
Starring | see below |
Opening theme | "Keep Hope Alive" by The Crystal Method |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes | 132 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Running time | 43 to 44 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | September 23, 1999 May 6, 2005 | –
Related | |
ER Medical Investigation |
Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each.
The show was set and filmed in New York City, and with an ensemble cast of characters the storylines centered on the lives of police officers of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the firefighters and paramedics of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), all working the same fictional precinct during the 3pm to 11pm shift - 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 NYPD and FDNY members who responded to the attacks. The following episode was titled "September Tenth".
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.
Premise
The series followed the exploits of a group of police officers, firefighters, and paramedics in the fictional 55th Precinct and Fire Station 55 whose shifts fell between 3 pm and 11 pm, the "third watch." The precinct and fire station were located on the corner of King Blvd and Arthur St.; hence the nickname "Camelot." Exterior shots of the 55th Precinct and the Firehouse were filmed in Long Island City, Queens. 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. running for only a single season in 1990.
The show balanced numerous single-episode events with other, ongoing storylines, some of which spanned multiple seasons. While Third Watch was lauded for its emotional and honest portrayal of the events surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it was also criticized in some circles for extremely detailed violence and prevalent (by network television standards) 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" by Fatboy Slim was played during the opening sequence.
Third Watch was not renewed by NBC in the spring of 2005, making the sixth season the show's last. The series' finale, "Goodbye to Camelot," was aired in the United States on Friday, May 6, 2005. It was listed in the Bergen Record, the New York Times and other newspapers as a TV show that was canceled too early.
Conception
Co-creator John Wells had wanted to do a show about paramedics for some time before Third Watch began, 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 cancellation Wells asked Bernero if he wanted to co-create a show with him. Third Watch was a combination of Wells' paramedics show and Bernero's police show.[1]
Originally the show was only going to be about the police and paramedics, but firefighter Jimmy Doherty was added to the show after actor Eddie Cibrian auditioned for the role of police officer Maurice 'Bosco' Boscorelli. Cibrian lost out to Jason Wiles, but impressed the producers so much that they decided to put him in the show as a new character. Bernero said, "Well, we don't have any firefighters", and the fire aspect of the show was added in to produce a show revolving around all 3 emergency services.[2]
Episodes
The series consists of six seasons with a total of 132 episodes produced and broadcast from September 23, 1999 to May 6, 2005.
Retcons
A number of notable retcons have occurred through the life of the series.
Tyrone Davis Sr. was originally stated to have been the victim of a random shooting while on duty. This was later changed when Sullivan confesses to a priest that the bullet was meant for him (Sullivan) and not Davis. This was once again changed towards the end of the series when Tyrone Davis Jr. discovers that his father was the victim of a conspiracy by some of his fellow officers. It can be argued that Davis Sr.'s originally stated death was simply a cover by Sullivan who wanted to forget the past. However this still does not explain why Sullivan stated that the bullet was meant for him.
At the beginning of the series Faith Yokas temporarily separated from her husband. Officer Boscorelli warns her about the possible ramifications of this on her children. He explains that when he was a child his parents never fought openly. They kept their arguments as quiet as possible but when they separated it was even harder for the kids because their whole world suddenly fell apart. This aspect of Boscorelli's childhood was later changed to him having grown up in a house where his parents always physically fought with each other. Boscorelli and his brother grew up in the middle of this conflict and sometimes ran away when things got really bad. It is possible that Boscorelli originally lied in order to help Yokas keep her family together.
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.
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 usage and development.[3]
At the start of Season 3, 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 (her rank was changed in season six in one of the show's most shocking plot twists). Yvonne Jung became a recurring guest star also in 2003 although she had been a guest in Season 3 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 6 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 re-joined their former co-stars in the series finale, "Goodbye To Camelot."
Main cast
Actor | Character | Seasons as main cast | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|
Jason Wiles | NYPD Officer Maurice "Bosco" Boscorelli | 1–6 | 1–132 |
Tia Texada | NYPD Sergeant Maritza Cruz | 4–6 | 80–132 |
Coby Bell | NYPD Officer Tyrone "Ty" Davis, Jr. | 1–6 | 1–132 |
Skipp Sudduth | NYPD Officer John "Sully" Sullivan | 1–6 | 1–132 |
Anthony Ruivivar | FDNY Paramedic Carlos Nieto | 1–6 | 1–132 |
Eddie Cibrian | FDNY Firefighter/Lieutenant James "Jimmy" Doherty | 1–5 | 1–101 |
Bobby Cannavale | FDNY Paramedic Roberto "Bobby" Caffey | 1–2 | 1–38 |
Molly Price | NYPD Officer/Detective Faith Yokas | 1–6 | 1–132 |
Kim Raver | FDNY Paramedic Kimberly "Kim" Zambrano | 1–5 | 1–111 |
Michael Beach | FDNY Paramedic Monte "Doc" Parker | 1–5 | 1–103 |
Amy Carlson | FDNY Paramedic/Firefighter Alexandra "Alex" Taylor | 2–4 | 32–88 |
Nia Long | NYPD Officer/IAB Detective Sasha Monroe | 5–6 | 89–132 |
Cara Buono | FDNY Paramedic Grace Foster | 6 | 111–132 |
Josh Stewart | NYPD Officer Brendan Finney | 6 | 113–132 |
Bonnie Dennison | Emily Yokas1 | 5–6 | 89–132 |
Chris Bauer | Frederick "Fred" Yokas2 | 3–5 | 45–110 |
1 The Yokas' oldest child Emily was portrayed by P.J. Morrison in Seasons 1–3 in a recurring role. Dennison took over the role in Season 4 and received star billing in the final two seasons in the episodes for which she appeared.
2 Fred Yokas appeared on a recurring basis for the first two seasons of the show. In seasons 3–5, Bauer received star billing in the episodes for which he appeared. In the final season, he returned to recurring status.
Recurring cast
The following cast members are listed by the season in which they were introduced.
Actor | Character | Seasons as recurring cast | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Derek Kelly | FDNY Firefighter Derek "DK" Kitson | 1–6 | Real-life FDNY firefighter; real-life husband of Molly Price |
Bill Walsh | FDNY Firefighter/Lieutenant William "Billy" Walsh | 1–6 | Real-life FDNY firefighter |
Patti D'Arbanville | Rose Boscorelli | 1–6 | Bosco's mother |
Jeremy Bergman | Charles "Charlie" Yokas | 1–4 | Faith and Fred's youngest child |
Lonette McKee | Maggie Davis | 1–4 | Ty's mother |
James Rebhorn | NYPD Captain "Stick" Elchisak | 1–3 | |
P.J. Morrison | Emily Yokas | 1–3 | First actress to portray character |
Kristopher Scott Fiedell | Joseph "Joey" Doherty | 1–3 | Kim and Jimmy's son |
Eva LaRue | NYPD Officer Brooke Doherty | 1–2 | Jimmy's second wife |
Lisa Vidal | Dr. Sarah Morales | 1–2 | Attending at Mercy Hospital; Doc's love interest |
Wendell Pierce | NYPD Officer Conrad "Candyman" Jones | 1 | Cop with long and spotty history partnered with Davis |
Nick Chinlund | NYPD Detective Tancredi | 1 | |
Ernest Mingione | NYPD Lieutenant Kowalski | 1 | |
Jon Seda | Mateo "Matty" Caffey | 1-2 | Bobby's ex-con brother |
Saundra McClain | Nurse Mary Proctor | 2–6 | Primary nurse at Mercy |
John Michael Bolger | FDNY Lieutenant Johnson | 2–4 | |
Savannah Haske | Tatiana Deschenko | 2–4 | Wife of Sully |
Nick Sandow | FDNY Firefighter Joseph "Joe" Lombardo III | 2 | |
Carol Woods | NYPD Lieutenant Rice | 2 | |
Anne Twomey | Catherine Zambrano | 2 | Mother of Kim |
Joe Lisi | NYPD Lieutenant Robert "Bob" Swersky | 3–6 | |
Sterling K. Brown | NYPD Officer Edward Dade | 3–5 | |
Charlie Day | Michael "Mikey" Boscorelli | 3–5 | Brother of Bosco |
Brad Beyer | NYPD Sergeant Jason Christopher | 2–3 | |
Charlie McWade | NYPD Officer Steven Gusler | 3 | A squeamish new officer training under Yokas and Bosco |
Darien Sills-Evans | Dr. Fields | 4–6 | Attending at Mercy |
James Remar | NYPD Detective Madjanski | 4 | |
Yvonne Jung | FDNY Paramedic Holly Levine | 5–6 | Love interest of Carlos |
Joe Badalucco | NYPD Detective "Jelly" Grimaldi | 5–6 | Yokas' partner once she was promoted to detective |
Charles Haid | NYPD IAB Captain Cathal "CT" Finney | 6 | Corrupt; father of Brendan |
Manny Perez | NYPD Officer Manny Santiago | 6 | Partner to Cruz |
Aidan Quinn | NYPD Lieutenant John Miller | 6 | Partner and eventual love interest to Yokas |
Jason Shaw | FDNY Firefighter Stu "Lotta Zs" Szczelaszczyk | 6 |
Notable guest stars
Notable guest stars include Susan Blackwell, Jack Klugman, Ossie Davis, Roy Scheider, Helen Mirren, Joseph Cross, Mykelti Williamson, Rosie O'Donnell, Haylie Duff, Corbin Bleu, Henry Winkler, Lea Michele, Kate Jackson, Nick Turturro, Anson Mount, Eve, Gene Simmons, DMX, Method Man, Paul Michael Glaser, Wyclef Jean, Veronica Hamel, Ethan Suplee, Treach, Adam Beach, Mia Farrow, Tom Berenger, Sherry Stringfield, Chris Elliott, Jason Sehorn, Will Arnett, Ted Levine, Lev Gorn, Bruce Weitz and Ann-Margret.
Crossover
The series exists in the same television setting as ER and Medical Investigation. Molly Price, Jason Wiles, Kim Raver and Amy Carlson appeared in a two-part crossover episode of ER entitled Brothers and Sisters (season 8, episode 19), while Sherry Stringfield appeared in the corresponding episode of Third Watch entitled Unleashed (season 3, episode 19). However, ER was mentioned as a pop culture reference during season two episode "Jimmy's Mountain."
A special two-part crossover event aired on February 18, 2005, establishing the television-universe connection by featuring the Third Watch and Medical Investigation teams working together.
Main crew
Directors
- Guy Norman Bee [1]
- Peter Ellis (5 episodes, 2002–2003)
- Jesús Salvador Treviño (4 episodes, 2001–2002)
- Vincent Misiano [2]
- Christopher Chulack (3 episodes, 1999–2004)
- Charles Haid (3 episodes, 2000–2005)
- Félix Enríquez Alcalá (3 episodes, 2003–2005)
- Gloria Muzio (3 episodes, 2003–2005)
- Skipp Sudduth (3 episodes, 2003–2005)
- Edward Allen Bernero (3 episodes, 2004–2005)
- Nelson McCormick (3 episodes, 2004–2005)
- Chris Misiano (2 episodes, 1999–2000)
- Bryan Spicer (2 episodes, 1999–2000)
- R.W. Goodwin (2 episodes, 1999)
- Jace Alexander (2 episodes, 2000–2001)
- Nick Gomez (2 episodes, 2000–2001)
- Michael Fields (2 episodes, 2000)
- Julie Hébert [3]
- Stephen Cragg (2 episodes, 2004–2005)
- John E. Gallagher (2 episodes, 2004–2005)
- Paul Michael Glaser (2 episodes, 2004–2005)
- Rosemary Rodriguez [4]
- Matt Earl Beesley (2 episodes, 2004)
- Brooke Kennedy [5]
Writers
- Edward Allen Bernero (132 episodes, 1999–2005)
- John Wells (132 episodes, 1999–2005)
- Janine Sherman (13 episodes, 2000–2005)
- Scott Williams (11 episodes, 2001–2004)
- John Ridley (6 episodes, 1999–2001)
- Charles Murray (5 episodes, 2003–2005)
- Lance Gentile (4 episodes, 1999–2000)
- Bonnie Mark (4 episodes, 2000–2001)
- Angela Amato (4 episodes, 2003–2005)
- Terri Kopp (3 episodes, 1999–2000)
- John Romano (3 episodes, 1999–2000)
- Julie Hébert (2 episodes, 2000–2001)
- Kyra Keene (2 episodes, 2000–2001)
- Victor De Jesus (2 episodes, 2004)
- Siobhan Byrne (unknown episodes)
- Paul Golding (unknown episodes)
- Brooke Kennedy (unknown episodes)
- Jorge Zamacona
Broadcast and ratings information
All six seasons of Third Watch were originally broadcast on NBC in the United States.
Season | Premiere | Finale | Viewers (in millions) | Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sunday 8:00 pm ET, Monday 10:00 pm ET | September 23, 1999 | May 22, 2000 | 11.179[4] | – |
2 | Monday 10:00 pm ET | October 2, 2000 | May 21, 2001 | 12.80[5] | #46 |
3 | Monday 9:00 pm ET | October 1, 2001 | May 13, 2002 | 11.2[6] | #38 |
4 | Monday 9:00 pm ET | September 22, 2002 | April 28, 2003 | 11.55[7] | #36 |
5 | Monday 10:00 pm ET (2003) Friday 10:00 pm ET (2004) |
September 29, 2003 | May 7, 2004 | 9.42[8] | #62 |
6 | Friday 9:00 pm ET | September 17, 2004 | May 6, 2005 | 9.22[9] | #55 |
Third Watch was also broadcast worldwide including Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.
DVD releases
Warner Home Video has 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.
Season | Episodes | Release dates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
1 | 22 | February 5, 2008[10] | May 22, 2006 | May 3, 2006 |
Third Watch: The Complete First Season contains the 22 episodes of the series' first season in addition to special features which include a behind-the-scenes featurette, unaired scenes and a gag reel.[10] Although the first season was released on DVD relatively later in Region 1 than Regions 2 and 4, special features are found in the Region 1 DVD box-set only. | ||||
2 | 22 | July 7, 2009 | TBA | TBA |
Third Watch: The Complete Second Season contains the 22 episodes of the series' second season. A gag reel is included as a special feature. |
Reception
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.
References
- ^ Edward Allen Bernero "Third Watch" Interview 2004
- ^ Third Watch Dot Net
- ^ Clark, Tim (November 26, 2001). "Thesps on the rise: Bobby Cannavale". Variety . Retrieved October 26, 2007.
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(help) - ^ "US-Jahrescharts 1999/2000". May 30, 2002.
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- ^ "How did your favorite show rate?". May 28, 2002.
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ignored (help) - ^ "2004–05 primetime series wrap". May 27, 2005.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b Third Watch DVD news: Press Release for The Third Watch – The Complete 1st Season, TVShowsOnDVD.com, October 9, 2007. Retrieved on October 26, 2007.
External links
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