Third Watch

This article is about the television show. For information about naval watches, see Watch system.

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 (1999-09-23) – May 6, 2005 (2005-05-06)
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.

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.

Episodes

Main article: List of Third Watch 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

Further information: [[:List of Third Watch characters]]

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.

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	–
2	Monday 10:00 pm ET	October 2, 2000	May 21, 2001	12.80	#46
3	Monday 9:00 pm ET	October 1, 2001	May 13, 2002	11.2	#38
4	Monday 9:00 pm ET	September 22, 2002	April 28, 2003	11.55	#36
5	Monday 10:00 pm ET (2003) Friday 10:00 pm ET (2004)	September 29, 2003	May 7, 2004	9.42	#62
6	Friday 9:00 pm ET	September 17, 2004	May 6, 2005	9.22	#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	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. 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.

External links

• Official website
• Third Watch at AllMovie
• Third Watch at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com