Third Watch backdrop
Drama•Crime

The Worst Episodes of Third Watch

Every episode of Third Watch ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Third Watch!

Binge this in 4d 0h•Peaking at 9.5/10

The exploits of a group of men and women who serve the City of New York as police officers, firemen, and paramedics, all working the same fictional 55th precinct during the 3pm to 11pm shift

Airs on
NBC
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons6

All123456

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
    Click to reveal
    Third Watch Season 5 Episode 6 - Surrender
    7.0/10(81 votes)

    #1 - Surrender

    S5:E6

    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

    Director:Nelson McCormick
    Writer:Scott Williams

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Third Watch Season 5 Episode 7 - Payback
    7.1/10(82 votes)

    #2 - Payback

    S5:E7

    Sully kills one of the perps and shoots the denotator out of the hand of Frank Morgan, the bomber; Doc goes ballistic when he comes upon the scene of an accident involving his old rig and a city bus, and physically assaults Eugene; Public Morals raids Dr. Chow's office, and Maritza is forced to reveal her rape to keep Thomas Warner from being released on a D.A.T.; Ty gets Frank Morgan to flip on Gary Barnes, and Barbara promises Morgan that she will make sure he gets the death penalty for killing her housekeeper and driver; Kim and Carlos refuse to back up Eugene after he files a complaint against Doc, prompting Eugene to quit; a distraught Faith, still plagued by flashbacks of the shooting, asks Fred if they can get out of the city for a family vacation; Warner confesses to raping Maritza while Bosco is transporting him to the Tombs; Carlos is horrified when Doc admits that he accosted Eugene at his house because he ""killed Taylor""; Bosco turns Warner over to Maritza, who gets her pay

    Director:Tim Matheson
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 5 - Kim's Hope Chest
    7.3/10(95 votes)

    #3 - Kim's Hope Chest

    S2:E5

    Joey starts a fire while on a field trip with his class, causing Kim and Jimmy to reevaluate their parenting styles and inspiring Kim to try to rebuild her family, starting with a reconciliation with Jimmy. But Jimmy's relationship with Brooke is not nearly as wobbly as Kim would like to think, and Kim ends up jumping into bed with a stranger and then commiserating with her mother over her problems with men, ending in a confrontation with Brooke that forces Kim to rethink what's best for Joey in the matter.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Third Watch Season 5 Episode 5 - Goodbye To All That
    7.3/10(84 votes)

    #4 - Goodbye To All That

    S5:E5

    Over her protests, a judge marked for execution is placed under a protective detail and gives Sully and Ty a scare when she slips away to get a cup of coffee; Levine uses an unorthodox way to get a patient's mind off his pain; when no physical reason can be found for Faith's intense pain, her doctor refers her to a psychiatrist; Kim is livid when Doc gives her an official letter of reprimand for disregarding field regulations just the way he did several times; in an effort to get out of the bag and off the street, Maritza convinces Swersky to let her set up a sting operation to catch a chiropractor who's fronting for prostitution, and pays a terrible price for continuing her ""lonesome cowboy"" approach to apprehending criminals.

    Director:Vincent Misiano
    Writer:John Ridley

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Third Watch Season 1 Episode 14 - 32 Bullets and a Broken Heart
    7.5/10(200 votes)

    #5 - 32 Bullets and a Broken Heart

    S1:E14

    It's Valentine's Day and Bobby and Kim have spent the night together; Bobby's confession of love leads Kim to realize that they've made a big mistake; after agonizing all day, she finally confesses and breaks Bobby's heart; seeking solace in a bottle, Bobby finds himself at a local bar next to a woman who has also been jilted that day, and they go off to her place; Fred drunkenly totals the car on the way to pick up Emily and Charlie; Faith arrests him and refuses to bail him out; when he finally arrives home, Faith has his things already packed and throws him out; Carlos tends to a girl who runs into a bus and then falls for him; the gay community is targeted by a gunman and a vigilante group forms to find the killer; Ty arrests a girl for auto theft who turns out to be Malcolm's sister; and Faith lets Bosco know that she is fed up with his bigotry.

    Director:Bryan Spicer
    Writer:John Ridley

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 4 - Jimmy's Mountain
    7.6/10(109 votes)

    #6 - Jimmy's Mountain

    S2:E4

    Jimmy's recovery complicates his return to the firehouse as he tries to take on too much, causing discord amongst his fellow firefighters over his all-consuming need to prove his abilities have not been lost. Meanwhile, Alex Taylor joins the firehouse and arrives with some baggage of her own.

    Director:Charles Haid
    Writer:Lance Gentile

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Third Watch

    READ
  7. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 10 - History
    7.6/10(90 votes)

    #7 - History

    S2:E10

    A disturbing visit from his former high school girlfriend forces Doc to confront a horrible act he has hidden for years; Carlos struggles to pass a medical school qualification exam.

    Director:Jace Alexander
    Writer:Lance Gentile

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 20 - Man Enough
    7.6/10(94 votes)

    #8 - Man Enough

    S2:E20

    Doc is thrilled when Sarah accepts his proposal, but is stunned when she informs him that she's accepting a job offer in Philadelphia and wants him to relocate.

    Director:Guy Norman Bee
    Writer:Julie Hébert

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Third Watch Season 5 Episode 4 - In Lieu of Johnson
    7.6/10(71 votes)

    #9 - In Lieu of Johnson

    S5:E4

    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.

    Director:Charles Haid
    Writer:Charles Murray

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 3 - Four Days
    7.7/10(109 votes)

    #10 - Four Days

    S2:E3

    On the hunt for a robbery homicide suspect, the police shake down all young black males they encounter, igniting racial tensions throughout the city. The suspect in question turns out to be Puppet, whose younger brother was killed as a result of Puppet's gang activity despite Doc's attempts to turn him away from the streets. After he's shot by the cops and goes into hiding, Puppet solicits Doc's help by proclaiming his innocence. The ensuing lengths to which Doc goes to get Puppet to the hospital and save his life while avoiding the cops wreak havoc with Doc's relationships with both civilians and the squads.

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 17 - The Self-Importance of Being Carlos
    7.7/10(113 votes)

    #11 - The Self-Importance of Being Carlos

    S2:E17

    Doc and Carlos attend a stress debriefing; Carlos meets up with Bosco when he's ordered to attend sensitivity training.

    Director:Jace Alexander
    Writer:John Ridley

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Third Watch Season 3 Episode 20 - Two Hundred and Thirty-Three Days
    7.8/10(99 votes)

    #12 - Two Hundred and Thirty-Three Days

    S3:E20

    Rescuers find the body of Alex's father, and he is given a hero's burial; Faith and Bosco tail a convicted rapist released on appeal, certain that he will rape again; dissatisfied by Tatiana's explanation of her whereabouts the eight weeks she was missing, Sully investigates further and uncovers some astonishing and heartbreaking facts about his wife; after Chevchenko threatens to kill him if he doesn't roll over on Faith and Sully, Frankie tells Swersky that the raid on Chevchenko's numbers business was a hummer bust, leading Chevchenko to threaten a lawsuit and have another angry confrontation with Sully.

    Directors:Christopher Chulack, Brooke Kennedy
    Writers:John Wells, Edward Allen Bernero

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Third Watch Season 1 Episode 15 - Officer Involved
    7.9/10(198 votes)

    #13 - Officer Involved

    S1:E15

    As he comes around a corner in pursuit of a gunman, Davis shoots a man who is pointing a gun at Sully, unaware that the man is innocently returning the service revolver which Sully dropped when he fell. Davis's guilt leads him to doubt whether he should remain on the force, until Sully straightens him out. The tension between Bosco and Faith continues to escalate. Both Bobby and Jimmy introduce their new girlfriends to Kim, who isn't thrilled with the potential competition.

    Director:Christopher Chulack
    Writer:Edward Allen Bernero

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 6 - The Tys That Bind
    7.9/10(97 votes)

    #14 - The Tys That Bind

    S2:E6

    Davis rescues a drowning newscaster from a downed helicopter, and the ensuing rush of media coverage on his heroism brings a strange young woman to meet him. She turns out to be his half-sister, and Davis uncovers secrets about his father's second family. The turmoil from the revelations causes disturbances between Davis and nearly everyone close to him. Meanwhile, someone's throwing bricks at random citizens, putting everyone in the city on edge.

    Director:Nick Gomez
    Writer:Bonnie Mark

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Third Watch Season 3 Episode 5 - He Said, She Said
    7.9/10(78 votes)

    #15 - He Said, She Said

    S3:E5

    During a sweep for prostitutes, Faith and Bosco tragically misjudge a 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.

    Director:Nelson McCormick
    Writer:Edward Allen Bernero

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Third Watch Season 3 Episode 18 - The Greater Good
    7.9/10(79 votes)

    #16 - The Greater Good

    S3:E18

    Hopelessly in love with Kylie and concerned that she will lose her Filipina heritage if she is adopted by a white couple, Carlos considers raising her until he realizes that the couple can give her the sister, the grandparents, and the extended family that he cannot. Kim's preoccupation with her new PDA drives Alex crazy until they are able to use it to save a very sick man, thus redeeming themselves in the eyes of a hypercritical Dr. Peterson. Faith and Fred are still on uneven ground about the Sergeant's exam. In an effort to shake Chevchenko's tree, Faith and Sully execute a clever plan to disrupt the Russian's bookmaking operation which also opens the door to the possibility of the still-missing Tatiana's return. Bosco is cleared for duty, and he and Faith agree to be partners again as soon as he returns.

    Director:Vincent Misiano
    Writers:Edward Allen Bernero, Lance Gentile

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Third Watch Season 1 Episode 4 - Hell Is What You Make of It
    8.0/10(135 votes)

    #17 - Hell Is What You Make of It

    S1:E4

    The two rookies, Carlos and Davis, experience disillusionment with their new jobs, and their training officers. Bosco struggles with Homophobia and gets himself involved in tit for tat games with Doherty.

    Director:Christopher Misiano
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Third Watch Season 1 Episode 17 - Ohio
    8.0/10(118 votes)

    #18 - Ohio

    S1:E17

    The three squads are stationed at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to provide protection during a Clinton-Giuliani Senate race debate. The cops are assigned to the kitchen and discuss politics and the death penalty while Sully tries to get a reluctant head chef to feed them. The paramedics are parked in the hotel's garage where they talk about their worst cases, religion, relationships, and how life doesn't turn out as planned. Kim and Jimmy have it out again over his irresponsibility after her paycheck is garnished to cover one of his bad debts, and Jimmy resolves to clean up his act.

    Director:Michael Fields
    Writer:John Romano

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Third Watch Season 1 Episode 18 - Men
    8.0/10(110 votes)

    #19 - Men

    S1:E18

    Yokas continues to have marital difficulties with Fred and, when she meets up with an old flame at the scene of a car accident, she finds herself very tempted to accept his invitation to meet him in his hotel room to catch up on old times. Doc's dad ends up in intensive care leaving Doc with some hard decisions. A perp accuses 'Candyman' of stealing money from him when he arrested him. Davis believes the criminal and is not sure how he is going to answer IAB's questions about what happened, even though he didn't see anything happen. The police station takes on the fire station in a basketball game.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lance Gentile

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Third Watch Season 5 Episode 13 - Sleeping Dogs Lie
    8.0/10(64 votes)

    #20 - Sleeping Dogs Lie

    S5:E13

    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.

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writer:Janine Sherman Barrois

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Third Watch Season 1 Episode 8 - History of the World
    8.1/10(126 votes)

    #21 - History of the World

    S1:E8

    On Thanksgiving Day, Bosco tries to resolve a family conflict in a restaurant while Faith deals with the same thing in her own home. Bobby's mother refuses to allow Matty to attend the family's holiday celebrations, and leaves it up to Bobby to tell his brother. After a shooting, Ty and Sully disagree over how they should report the incident to their superiors and the investigating team.

    Director:R. W. Goodwin
    Writer:John Romano

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Third Watch Season 1 Episode 9 - Modern Designs for Better Living
    8.1/10(121 votes)

    #22 - Modern Designs for Better Living

    S1:E9

    When he goes on his first raid, Davis inadvertently endangers a young boy he is trying to help; Doc begins to think that the overdose his father took may not have been accidental; to get a critically ill woman to the hospital, the firefighters knock down an apartment wall and lower her out a high story window.

    Director:Bryan Spicer
    Writer:John Ridley

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Third Watch Season 1 Episode 12 - Journey to the Himalayas
    8.1/10(132 votes)

    #23 - Journey to the Himalayas

    S1:E12

    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.

    Director:Kenneth Fink
    Writer:John Romano

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 8 - Know Thyself
    8.1/10(99 votes)

    #24 - Know Thyself

    S2:E8

    While coping with work demands, a recovering alcholic husband and a disturbing visit with her parents, Yokas confronts her long held beliefs and emotions. A group of prisoners escape from a delivery truck. Yokas and Fred have another big fight in which she accuses him of drinking again. She tells him that she had an abortion. He wants her to leave the house, this makes her stay over at her parents home. However, by the end of the episode, they are back together, she realises that she can't live without him and that she is sorry for accusing him of still drinking. Meanwhile, Bosco gets a bunch of flowers from a former lover. He smells the flowers which turn out to be poison Ivy. Bosco and Yokas also have a fight when she tells him that she had an abortion. He accuses her of lying to him and he refuses to speak to her, until she forces him to go the hospital to sort out the poison Ivy problem. She regrets lying to him.

    Director:Nancy Savoca
    Writer:Julie Hébert

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Third Watch Season 2 Episode 9 - Run of the Mill
    8.1/10(98 votes)

    #25 - Run of the Mill

    S2:E9

    The ordeals of an elderly friend prompt Sully to consider his own loneliness; Alex regrets revealing that she discovered Jimmy on the eve of his wedding having sex with an old flame who happens to be Lombardo's current girlfriend after the news spreads like wildfire throughout the squad; Jimmy and Brooke get married.

    Director:Félix Alcalá
    Writer:Bonnie Mark

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Worst Episodes Summary

"Surrender" is the worst rated episode of "Third Watch". It scored 7/10 based on 81 votes. Directed by Nelson McCormick and written by Scott Williams, it aired on 11/7/2003. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Payback".