I was a big fan of "Third Watch" years ago when it was on, and I recently watched all 6 seasons on Roku (where you can watch it for free!). I was thrilled to see it there because I hadn't seen it anywhere in years, which is a shame. This was easily one of the best TV shows ever made.
The original cast was fantastic. From a female's point of view, it had some of the best looking men on it too... Eddie Cibrian, Coby Bell, Bobby Cannavale, and Jason Wiles to name a few... Michael Beach is one of the best actors I've ever seen on TV, and Skipp Sudduth and Molly Price were terrific as well.
By far my favorite relationship on the show was between Bosco and Faith. What's interesting is, in many ways, Bosco was the REAL love of her life, even though they were never romantically involved. But he mattered to her in such a way, that he often came above her own family (such as her useless husband, played well by Chris Bauer). And despite Bosco acting like one of her children at times, he always put her first.
I loved the relationship between Sully and Davis as well. And I always thought that Kim (Raver) had an embarrassment of riches when it came to men on that show (her on-screen relationships with both Jimmy and Bobby).
There are some very sad moments, such as "Doc's" breakdown, and several deaths that I won't mention here for spoiler purposes. I also never liked Amy Carlson (very wooden!!) and Tia Texada's (very over-bearing) characters. But overall, the characters are very real and likable... even deliberately unlikable ones like Carlos, still worked.
From what I heard, one of the reasons this show stopped after 6 seasons is because it was too costly to continue filming them in NYC (watch even ONE episode and you'll see WHY!!). It's tragic to see what's happened to the once great city of New York (I've lived here my whole life and remember 9/11 like it was yesterday), and in particular, this country's perception of the police since this showed first aired over 20 years ago. But for anyone who dislikes the police, this series really shows you their struggles and portrays them in a very ACCURATE way-- both the good and the bad. Also, the way they tie in the paramedics and firefighters is very good. Some of the best episodes involve them all working together.
The whole point of this show, is to give people an accurate view into the lives of police, firefighters, and paramedics (in fact it was mainly written by a former police officer and firefighter!). So I hope a new generation of people can still get to watch this series and learn a lot. I had also forgotten how suspenseful 99% of the episodes are... where you can't WAIT to see the next one. The only other show I ever felt that way about was "The Sopranos." So I give "Third Watch" a 10 out of 10 and wish to God it was still on. (Because it's a nice change from the politically correct "crap" {to quote Sully!! LOL} that's on now. This show is a lesson in TRUE diversity, having characters of all different races/backgrounds, without it being forced or shoved down anyone's throat.)
