"THIRD WATCH: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Jason Wiles as MAURICE BOSCORELLI Coby Bell as TYRONE DAVIS Anthony Ruivivar as CARLOS NIETO Skipp Sudduth as JOHN SULLIVAN Molly Price as FAITH YOKAS Michael Beach as MONTE PARKER Kim Raver as KIM ZAMBRANO Not Rated Available on DVD July 7 ThirdWatchonDVD.com Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The police, firefighters and paramedics from New York’s 55th precinct return for a second season, following the rough schedules of the 3 to 11 shift. In addition to all the action and drama of their professional lives, the characters face challenges at home, including substance abuse, infidelity and the recovery from work-related injuries.
WHAT I LIKED
Back in the late 1990s, I had the misfortune of attending a test screening of a failed television show with a very similar premise to “Third Watch.” Whatever became of that show, I do not know, but it deserved to die a quick death. When I saw “Third Watch” advertised not too long afterwards, I wondered how it stacked up to the failed pilot I saw.
I was pleasantly surprised that any problems I saw in the other show seemed to not be a problem in “Third Watch.” In many ways, this show reminds me of “Hill Street Blues,” mainly because of it being an ensemble piece rather than focusing on a single title character. It deals with the gritty realities of the first responders, showing that there’s a lot of gray areas in this life.
It’s pretty brave for a show to leave so many loose ends to the drama that gets wrapped up (or doesn’t) throughout the season. Rather than focusing on the crimes and tragedies the characters face, the show focuses on the characters, and it carries a diverse enough cast to find stories for everyone and let each actor have some downtime out of the spotlight.
The general formula for the show is to give one particular character the lead story. This helped the story grow from the week-to-week standard of the shows of the 80s and early 90s into the more cinematic and realistic shows that we currently see on television.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I do respect “Third Watch” for how it set itself up as a character drama. The stumbling point for something like this is in making the characters too flawed. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that characters have to shoulder burdens to make them interesting. Unfortunately, the characters in “Third Watch” are rarely likeable in their private lives.
Everyone doesn’t just have issues, they have volumes. And often, these issues lead them to unpleasant decisions and actions. I understand that this is a fact of reality, but it’s laid on a bit thick in this show.
Finally, this is also one of the main points of the series, but I found a lot of the drama difficult to watch at times – including a school shooting incident – because it is presented in such a grim, unfair light. And this may be realistic and accurate, but I like a little more hope in my TV.
DVD FEATURES
In addition to all 22 episodes of the series, the “Third Watch” DVD set comes with a gag reel that includes a hilarious overdubbing moment involving personal hygiene.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of cop dramas, along with firefighter and EMS dramas.
