T HIRD Watch,” the highly anticipated new drama from “ER” producer John Wells, is on its way to becoming the most expensive new TV series ever.
With budget of more than $2 million an episode, according to sources close to the show, “Third Watch” is one of the new breed of TV series created by the networks to compete with deep-pocketed cable channels like HBO.
The show follows the lives of New York City emergency crews and is chock full of pricey special effects, stunts and a large cast.
But the real cost comes from being shot totally in New York – with most of the scenes set on some of the city’s busiest streets.
“Anytime you have a show that is set substantially on the streets and involves a lot of action, those are the most expensive shows to do,” Wells told The Post yesterday.
“Third Watch is certainly more expensive to produce than ‘West Wing’ [a new series he is producing that is set in the White House], which we’re shooting on a sound-stage in Los Angeles, or than the first couple of seasons of ‘ER,’ which were also shot on a stage,” Wells said.
“Third Watch” debuts Sept. 23, in NBC’s most coveted timeslot on a Thursday at 10 p.m. – the slot usually reserved for Well’s other drama, “ER.”
The show will move to its regular time Sunday’s at 8 p.m. the following week.
“Third Watch” doesn’t boast any high-priced stars yet – among the most well-known are actors Michael Beach (who had a long-recurring role on “ER” as Al Boulet) and Kim Raver (“Trinity”).
“ER” which has become the most expensive dramatic series in history ($13 million per episode) is pricey because of sky-high salaries paid to its stars – including Eric LaSalle and Anthony Edwards – not because of its production costs.
“We have a lot of effects and a lot of action [on “Third Watch’],” says Wells. “That’s really what delineates an expensive show from an inexpensive show.”
“We’ve flipped cars, we’ve had people hanging out of windows, we’ve had 20-story falls, we’ve set fire to buildings up in the Bronx and in Harlem we’re getting ready to dump a car into the Harlem River and pull some people out of it. Anytime you try and do that kind of action, it’s expensive,” Wells says.
But the season is young and “Third Watch” may not hold the record for most-expensive TV series for long.
Hollywood producers predict Fox’s “Harsh Realm,” which starts in October, will come in as the budget-busting winner of all time
Already, the show’s pilot – the first episode – reportedly cost nearly $4 million to produce.
Until now, the most expensive TV project ever was HBO’s “From Earth to The Moon.” Produced by Tom Hanks, the critically acclaimed 13-part mini-series cost more than $50 million.
Also 1996’s “Gulliver’s Travels,” which aired on NBC cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $28 million to produce only four hours of TV.
The most expensive TV flop of all time is “Supertrain” a 1979 series that was a train-version of “Love Boat.” That show’s production (because of an elaborate set) reportedly cost more than $10 million for a series that aired only from February to March of that year.
“I’m sure ‘Third Watch’ is expensive to make, but in the long run it’ll probably be worth it,” a New York-based TV producer said.