The WORST episodes of Third Watch

Every episode of Third Watch ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Third Watch!

The series tells the stories of the members of the 55th Squad – police, firefighters, and paramedics who work the "third watch" between 3 pm and 11 pm in New York City.

Last Updated: 12/17/2024Network: NBCStatus: Ended
Castles of Sand
star
6.76
101 votes

#1 - Castles of Sand

Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/13/2003

Ty bails Carlos out and unsuccessfully tries to help him smooth things over with Nicole; after Bosco and Faith break up a domestic disturbance between an old friend of Faith's and her lover, Faith convinces her friend to leave the abusive relationship; Alex gets irritated when the other firefighters make fun of her brother; Sully continues to drink and have a poor attitude on the job; Jimmy is appalled when his face appears on a poster for an erectile dysfunction product, and is stunned when he discovers that the company paid the charity for whom he posed for the picture $10,000 for the right to use the picture, and that their website got 3,000 hits the first day from women wanting to know his name; when he discovers that everyone thinks that he's guilty and he's likely to lose his case, Carlos resigns in the hope that Nicole will drop the matter, and he'll be able to avoid a conviction that will end his visits with Kylie and his hopes of becoming a doctor.

Kingpin Rising
star
6.79
76 votes

#2 - Kingpin Rising

Season 6 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/25/2005

Cruz connects the dots that link Marcel Hollis to the murder of Darren Maddox, while Marcel begins to organize a street war against the 55th Precinct. Elsewhere, Yokas, Sully, and Bosco track a missing teen to a vampire cult.

Directors: Nelson McCormick
In Lieu of Johnson
star
6.95
74 votes

#3 - In Lieu of Johnson

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/20/2003

Sasha, Bosco, Sully and Ty get on the case of a malicious rapper. Ty considers returning to law school with the help of Sully. Jimmy struggles with his new position and his relationship with his co-workers when he makes a big mistake during a fire drill. Faith gets a physical therapist.

Directors: Charles Haid
Second Chances
star
7.01
103 votes

#4 - Second Chances

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/6/2003

Doc supervises a new paramedic on her first day; Carlos is arrested after a teenaged patient accuses him of molesting her; Bosco and Faith search for an escaped prisoner; Sully and Davis team up with fire and EMS to save construction workers when their scaffold collapses; in the aftermath of the bank robbery, Faith is troubled when Emily asks her how many people she's killed in the line of duty.

The Hunter, Hunted
star
7.05
73 votes

#5 - The Hunter, Hunted

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/2004

When it becomes apparent that the body in the dumpster is connected to a series of homicides that Miller investigated on his previous tour, he teams up with Faith, vowing to catch the serial killer and expose the commanding officer who transferred him to prevent him from working on the case; Brendan and Grace hook up; Carlos's plan to visit Holly and tell her that they're not dating doesn't exactly go the way he planned, not that he's complaining; after junkies trying to get the morphine on the bus hold them up at gunpoint, Carlos sustains a head injury trying to protect Grace before Ty and Brendan come upon the scene and Brendan guns down the thief holding a gun to Grace's head; Faith discovers that Miller's situation at home parallels her own; the serial killer stalks and captures his next victim, then arrives at the station house to confess his prior crimes and tell Miller that his latest victim only has twelve hours left to live.

Directors: Paul McCrane
Closing In
star
7.07
76 votes

#6 - Closing In

Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/21/2003

Cruz's desire to find the ring leader of the Meth ring puts Bosco in a uncomfotable position. Faith tries to improve her relationship with Emily and also gets a new partner, Sasha, at work. Noble is released and sets up a new date with Kim.

Welcome Home
star
7.11
72 votes

#7 - Welcome Home

Season 6 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/15/2005

Faith investigates Bosco further, Sasha and Ty make up, Cruz goes for some spiritual healing, Carlos meets Holly's parents.

Revelations
star
7.14
78 votes

#8 - Revelations

Season 6 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/11/2005

Cruz and Santiago try to track down a gang member who murders witnesses to his murders. Grace finds her mother, who doesn't seem to welcoming.

Forever Blue
star
7.15
75 votes

#9 - Forever Blue

Season 6 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/7/2005

In order to get enough evidence to convict C.T. Finney for the death of Ty Davis, Sr., Sully must look for the other officers involved with the incident, and also relive the events leading up to the murder.

Letting Go
star
7.17
100 votes

#10 - Letting Go

Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/17/2003

Faith rebuffs Bosco's attempt to apologize for lying to her; the fire squad extricates a driver impaled after crashing into a store; after Doc makes an impassioned defense of Carlos before the review board, a re-energized Carlos goes back out on the street; Sully's job performance continues to decline as he neglects to keep an eye on a woman he was supposed to be guarding, and she snatches her critically ill baby from Mercy's E.R.; after they discover that the woman is mentally ill, Ty takes a multi-story tumble while trying to prevent her from jumping off a roof with the baby; Faith is stunned when an initially reluctant Emily is eager to continue visiting a drug counselor; Ty catches Sully drinking in the R.M.P. and seeks advice from a union rep; Carlos loses his job as part of the department's settlement with the West family.

Directors: Tim Matheson
In Confidence
star
7.21
78 votes

#11 - In Confidence

Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/14/2003

Kim is invited to a party by Noble. Noble is arrested through an undercover operation. He becomes an informant and helps Cruz and Bosco bust a Meth ring. Faith officially requests a new partner. Emily and Faith face off about Eric.

Directors: Nelson McCormick
Sleeping Dogs Lie
star
7.32
75 votes

#12 - Sleeping Dogs Lie

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/6/2004

Jimmy gets a promotion to a rescue squad in Brooklyn; despite their new captain's assurances, Doc suspects that he intends to close down the house; Sasha insists upon pursuing an investigation into the beating death of a hit-and-run driver after Maritza uses the confession of an innocent man as her stepping stone to an Anti-Crime reassignment; after Jimmy is trapped in a warehouse fire, Kim reassesses their plans for a future together; Rose's serves a customer at the bar who shares a past with Bosco.

Judgement Day (1)
star
7.37
107 votes

#13 - Judgement Day (1)

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/28/2002

Chevchenko has Tatiana's son killed; Fred comes home from the hospital; and Davis gets a job offer.

Directors: Brooke Kennedy
Transformed
star
7.40
73 votes

#14 - Transformed

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/14/2002

Faith returns to work from a few days off. She apologizes to Bosco for hiding her illness and promises to never shut him out again. Filled with guilt, Doc begins to second-guess himself on every call. Kim reminds him that Ryan would have choked to death had Doc not removed Ryan's collar and intubated him. She also tells him repeatedly that everyone makes mistakes, but her words don't seem to have any effect. He begins to visit Ryan daily, clinging to the slim hope that the paralysis may only be temporary, resulting from bruising to the spinal cord. Doc's prayers are answered one evening when Ryan is able to move his fingers. Kim and Doc treat a junkie whose boyfriend maintains that she was injured in a fall. When it becomes apparent to them that her injuries were caused by a beating, the boyfriend flees the scene. Soon after they arrive at the hospital, she dies, and the hunt is on for her killer. With some time on their hands, Bosco and Faith decide to roust some junkies. They make an

Directors: Guy Norman Bee
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Chosen Few
star
7.41
79 votes

#15 - The Chosen Few

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/7/2002

Bosco gets a temporary assignment working with a tough female sergeant; Fred is strangely calm in the face of the prospect of a triple bypass; Doc hears shocking news from Philadelphia; Sully learns more about Tatiana's past; Davis is forced to deal with his newfound fame.

Directors: Nelson McCormick
The Unforgiven
star
7.41
78 votes

#16 - The Unforgiven

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 4/15/2002

Tatiana is still missing, and Sully continues to search for her while grieving her loss. When he comes upon the body of a six year old girl in a box on a curb, he becomes strangely unnerved. Haunted by this sight and by thoughts of the mistakes he has made recently, he takes the rest of the day off sick, and winds up in a local restaurant where he finds his parish priest. They ruminate on the nature of guilt, absolution, forgiveness, faith and the intercession of God as they recall the fate of another man who also made mistakes and tried to fix them, and whose life ended tragically at Sully's hand. Sully finally comes to a place where he can forgive himself and go on with life, and seeks out Davis to once again beg his forgiveness and reaffirm their connection to each other.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Surrender
star
7.41
75 votes

#17 - Surrender

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/7/2003

Barbara is heartbroken when she discovers that her housekeeper was killed by the explosion; Sasha convinces Maritza to get a rape exam; Sully takes Barbara to his house to keep her safe; Maritza discovers that her rapist, Thomas Warner, has a history of sexually assaulting the workers at the clinic; undeterred by yet another attack on her life, this time by a sniper, Barbara insists on presiding at the preliminary hearing of Gary Barnes, the drug dealer who the police suspect is behind the attempts on her life; Faith visits a psychiatrist and unloads her anger at Bosco and Maritza; after Maritza testifies at the hearing, Barbara rules that Barnes can be held over for trial for the death of Lettie Cruz; when Sully sees Barnes signal a spectator in the court room, he and Ty follow him to a house where they see him join the man who delivered the bomb to Barbara's house; the perps, armed with a detonator, threaten to blow up the block with the explosives they claim are in the house and for

Directors: Nelson McCormick
Blessed and Bewildered
star
7.42
73 votes

#18 - Blessed and Bewildered

Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/13/2004

Steeper exiles the paramedics to permanent fixed posts on the street, which upsets everyone on the squad except Doc, who refuses to let anything put a damper on his unusually upbeat attitude; Carlos is less than thrilled when Doc invites Christian to accompany them on a ride-along without getting the proper authorization; when Bosco goes after Nardo for his veiled threats against Rose, Nardo tries to set Bosco up to look like a dirty cop; Rose is fired after Bosco destroys poker machines owned by Nardo in the bar where she works; on the eve of her return to duty, Faith tells Bosco that she wants to repartner with him; Sasha's second thoughts about the plan she and Bosco hatched to repay Nardo for threatening Rose and attempting to frame Bosco turn out to be on target when Nardo flees after murdering two men; Doc and Sasha hook up after Doc throws a big party at his house for his co-workers.

The Greatest Detectives in the World
star
7.44
71 votes

#19 - The Greatest Detectives in the World

Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/29/2004

Miller goes on the hunt for Tara Connelly, and Faith tries a series of approaches to get Barton to reveal the girl's whereabouts, until Miller returns to finish off the con that gets Barton to give it up; although they're both still shaken up by the shooting, neither Brendan nor Grace is willing to discuss it or get some counseling; Finney makes sure that his son's shoot comes up clean in the IAB investigation; at Sasha's house, a picture of the knife that Maritza planted on Mann accidentally falls into Ty's hands, but he doesn't realize the implication of his find; over his protests, Carlos gets admitted into Mercy for overnight observation of his head injury, with Holly vowing to stay by his side; a guilty Faith looks on as Finney arrests Maritza for Mann's murder

Adam 55-3
star
7.44
80 votes

#20 - Adam 55-3

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/19/2001

Even though his co-workers want to nominate him for the "Paramedic of the Year" award, a pensive Doc is disheartened as he considers his unfulfilled life. He later teams with Kim as they try to save a heart attack victim while fending off a woman who's wielding a meat cleaver. In addition, Doc tries to minister to a chronic old drunk and a teenaged girl who attempts suicide in her bathtub. Meanwhile, Faith secretly undergoes a procedure to determine if the lump in her breast is cancerous, leaving an unsuspecting Bosco assigned to a nervous rookie cop; Kim reluctantly consults a lawyer about Jimmy's intention to claim custody of Joey.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Walking Wounded
star
7.44
115 votes

#21 - Walking Wounded

Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/23/2001

Faith and Bosco hunt down the dealer who distributed a batch of lethal heroin; depressed over Bobby's death, Kim attempts suicide.

Writer: Bonnie Mark
Watch Now:Apple TV
Journey to the Himalayas
star
7.44
187 votes

#22 - Journey to the Himalayas

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/24/2000

Ty spends the shift on foot patrol with Candyman and discovers some disturbing facts about both his late father and Candyman; romance blooms between Doc and Morales after Doc's father tells him to get on with his life; Matty's attempts to make amends for past misdeeds have upsetting outcomes; Jimmy has an unexpected and unpleasant visit with his bookie; Faith clashes with the mother of a missing girl; Sully puts in a good word for a hit-and-run driver to a completely unsympathetic D.A.; and Bobby is crushed to learn that Matty was an unwitting accessory to a felony homicide.

Directors: Kenneth Fink
Writer: John Romano
Watch Now:Apple TV
A Ticket Grows in Brooklyn
star
7.46
78 votes

#23 - A Ticket Grows in Brooklyn

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/5/2003

As Carlos desperately searches for a bone marrow match for Kylie, he digs deeper into his own past and discovers that he wasn't abandoned by his parents, but was found clinging to his dead father's hand after a car accident; after a local station picks up the story, Carlos gets a call from a woman claiming to be his mother; Bosco and Monroe find themselves going after a small-time mobster putting the squeeze on an honest family-run linen company after the son of the linen company owner dies in a suspicious fire.

Directors: Gloria Muzio
Childhood Memories
star
7.47
76 votes

#24 - Childhood Memories

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/3/2001

Bosco runs from the present and his past when he is wrongly suspected of murdering a sexual-assault suspect. As Faith tries to gather evidence to clear him, Bosco turns to his dysfunctional family, including his alcoholic mother, drug-addicted brother and estranged, abusive father. An emotionally rattled Kim virtually kidnaps Joey from Jimmy while Carlos actively solicits Ty to be his new roommate.

Directors: Nelson McCormick
Watch Now:Apple TV
He Said, She Said
star
7.48
83 votes

#25 - He Said, She Said

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/26/2001

During a sweep for prostitutes, Faith and Bosco tragically misjudge an sexual encounter between a young woman and a man in a car to be consensual; the situation spirals out of control when the girl later claims she was sexually assaulted while the cops laughed it off; Carlos considers a willing Ty as a potential roommate candidate.

Directors: Nelson McCormick
Watch Now:Apple TV