Overview

H.E.L.P. is a United States ABC television drama series which appeared for only one season, as a mid-season replacement in March 1990. John Mahoney starred as Chief Patrick Meacham of the New York City Fire Department. Wesley Snipes played police officer Lou Barton and David Caruso played police officer Frank Sardoni of the NYPD. The premise of the show was based on an experimental combined emergency services station in New York City that co-located the resources of the Fire Department, Police Department and Emergency Medical Services. Although H.E.L.P. was canceled after only a brief initial season, the concept of a show involving all three branches of NYC emergency services was successfully reintroduced nine years later with the 1999 debut of Third Watch, which ran for six seasons on NBC.