While you hope you’ll never have to dial 9-1-1, it’s always there in case of emergency. Every day, firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency responders put their lives at risk to save the public, and plenty of movies and TV shows have taken inspiration from their heroic deeds. From the classic ’70s and ’80s series like Firehouse and Code Red to Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1, who doesn’t love watching hyper-capable first responders save lives onscreen? Whether you’re looking for intense emergency situations, romantic subplots in the shadow of the firehouse, or just something exciting to watch, these first responder TV shows and movies on Netflix have you covered.
Actor Max Thieriot developed this series alongside Tony Phelan and Joan Rater (Grey’s Anatomy). In this action-packed drama, Thieriot plays Bode Donovan, a convict who signs up for California’s Conservation Camp Program, a real-life program that deploys incarcerated volunteers to fight fires. In the series, Bode is assigned to fight fires in Northern California alongside his fellow inmates and other elite firefighters who act as the first line of defense against the region’s enormous blazes.
This workplace comedy from Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme follows a group of can-do firefighters and paramedics who have a bit of a problem: They live in Tacoma, Washington, one of the wettest places in the United States. So, most of the emergencies they’re responding to are less about fighting fires and more about the wacky, uncomfortable circumstances Tacoma’s residents can stumble into. Featuring the rockin’ title track “Hot Blooded” from Foreigner, Tacoma FD is a four-season hidden gem.
Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) stars in this crime thriller from director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) as a disgraced police detective relegated to working at a call center in Los Angeles. When he receives a call from a young woman named Emily (Riley Keough) who says she’s been abducted, an increasingly intense series of events plays out over several phone calls, featuring the voices of Ethan Hawke, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Dano, Edi Patterson, and more.
While other series about emergency responders are based on true stories, Emergency: NYC is a true story. This documentary series from the creators of Lenox Hill follows trauma doctors and first responders in New York City in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. They work to provide care for people whose conditions are sometimes worsened by isolation.
“This docuseries serves as an important window into this growing health-care crisis in our country, but more importantly shows the amazing work health-care workers are doing every day in New York City to save the lives of our children,” pediatric surgery director Dr. Jose Prince told Netflix when the series premiered.
Shemar Moore leads this series based on the classic ’70s procedural and the 2003 film of the same name with Samuel L. Jackson, which all follow an elite group of special weapons and tactics (SWAT) officers in California. Moore’s Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, a former Marine, is chosen to lead the LAPD’s “last stop” unit, which tackles some of the most dangerous situations in South LA. Time and again, Hondo is asked to choose between his loyalty to his fellow first responders and the community that raised him.
