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Third Watch
Genre	Crime drama Police procedural
Created by	John Wells Edward Allen Bernero
Starring	Michael Beach Coby Bell Bobby Cannavale Eddie Cibrian Molly Price Kim Raver Anthony Ruivivar Skipp Sudduth Jason Wiles Amy Carlson Chris Bauer Tia Texada Nia Long Bonnie Dennison Cara Buono Josh Stewart
Opening theme	"Keep Hope Alive" byThe Crystal Method[a]
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	132(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Christopher Chulack John Wells Edward Allen Bernero John Romano Brooke Kennedy Jorge Zamacona
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	43–44 minutes
Production companies	John Wells Productions Warner Bros. Television
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 Americancrime drama television series created byJohn Wells andEdward Allen Bernero that aired onNBC from September 23, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced by John Wells Productions, in association withWarner Bros. Television.

The show takes place in New York City, and was filmed on location there. It stars anensemble cast of characters, the storylines centered on the lives of police officers in theNew York City Police Department (NYPD) and the firefighters and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Personnel in theNew York City Fire Department (FDNY), all working the same fictionalprecinct during the 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift, also known as the "thirdwatch".

After theSeptember 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".

The series followed the exploits of a group ofpolice officers,firefighters, andparamedics 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 inLong Island City,Queens, although both in the show appear to be located somewhere betweenthe Bronx, andMidtown andInwood inManhattan.

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 themedH.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 of9/11 and its aftermath,Third Watch was also criticized in some circles for extremely detailedviolence, and extensive (by network standards)profane language. The show was created, produced, and written byJohn Wells andEdward Allen Bernero. The theme song for the show was "Keep Hope Alive" byThe Crystal Method, except for the pilot episode, when "Right Here, Right Now" byFatboy Slim was played during the opening sequence.

In the spring of 2005,NBC decided not to renewThird 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 theNew York Times and theBergen Record, have since listed it as a TV show that was cancelled too early.^{[citation needed]}

John Wells had wanted to do a show about paramedics for some time due to his work onER, 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 showTrinity and, after that show was cancelled, Wells asked Bernero if he wanted to co-create a show with him.^[1]

Originally, the show was only going to be about the police and paramedics, but firefighterJimmy Doherty was added to the show afterEddie Cibrian auditioned for the role of Bosco. Cibrian lost out toJason 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.^[2]

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

• "Unleashed" — Yokas and Bosco help Dr. Susan Lewis find her drug-addicted sister and her niece, who went missing. The story begins onER 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 onMedical Investigation in the episode "Half-Life".

Third Watch's original ensemble cast in the series' first season consisted ofMichael Beach,Coby Bell,Bobby Cannavale,Eddie Cibrian,Molly Price,Kim Raver,Anthony Ruivivar,Skipp Sudduth, andJason Wiles.

Eddie Cibrian also portrayed the contract-role of Cole onSunset Beach while appearing onThird Watch at the same time untilSunset 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.^[3]

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 (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-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 regularMolly 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 forThird 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 on24.Josh Stewart was introduced as a main cast member of season six as Probationary OfficerBrendan 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 showTilt, which coincidentally co-starred his formerThird 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".

¹The 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.

These cast members are listed by the season in which they were introduced:

• 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]

• 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

All six seasons ofThird Watch were originally broadcast onNBC in the United States and simulcast in Canada onCTV .

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

Warner Home Video released Season 1 ofThird 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 ofThird Watch were available for streaming onCrave TV from March 2015 until 2021.

In December 2021,The Roku Channel added all 6 seasons ofThird Watch to watch for free (with the exception of Season 4, Episode 12). 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 ofThird 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.

Third Watch also aired in Syndication onA&E at various times between the fall of 2002 and 2011. As of April 2023, it can be seen onHLN weeknights in a four-hour block from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time).

The series won thePeabody Award for Season 3 episode "In Their Own Words", in which series regularsMichael Beach,Coby Bell,Amy Carlson,Eddie Cibrian,Kim Raver,Anthony Ruivivar,Skipp Sudduth, andJason Wiles introduced clips of interviews with real-life NYPD and FDNY members who responded to theSeptember 11 attacks on theWorld Trade Center. Series regularMolly Price was interviewed in a segment because she is married to real-life FDNY firefighter andThird Watch recurring guest starDerek Kelly.^[10]

ManyThird Watch former cast members were nominated for awards for their work on the show. Among them, bothBobby Cannavale andAnthony 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, includingMichael Beach,Molly Price, andTia Texada also were nominated for various awards. The show itself was nominated for severalPrimetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Stunt Coordination and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series, which it won in 2000.

• Rescue Me, 2004–2011 American television series about NYC firefighters
• Firehouse, 1974 American television series about LA firefighters

Wikiquote has quotations related toThird Watch.

• Third Watch atIMDb

• 1990s American crime drama television series
• 1990s American medical drama television series
• 1990s American police procedural television series
• 1999 American television series debuts
• 2000s American crime drama television series
• 2000s American medical drama television series
• 2000s American police procedural television series
• 2005 American television series endings
• American action television series
• American English-language television shows
• Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department
• Peabody Award–winning television programs
• Television series about firefighting
• Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
• Television shows set in New York City
• Television shows filmed in New York City
• Television series created by Ed Bernero
• NBC crime dramas
• NBC medical dramas

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