Dave Annable may now be known to “Lioness” viewers as Dr. Neal McNamara, a physician devoted to saving lives, but his first professional acting role put him on the opposite side of a deadly emergency.
Annable made his debut in a 2002 episode of NBC’s “Third Watch,” playing Doug Maple Jr., an arsonist whose crimes draw firefighters and police officers into a fatal investigation. The role appeared in Season 4, Episode 7, appropriately titled “Firestarter.”
Doug Jr. is also the son of Doug Maple Sr. (Dennis Creaghan), an arson investigator with the New York City Fire Department. That connection becomes central to the episode as authorities work to uncover who is deliberately setting fires.
A deadly case in “Firestarter”
The investigation begins after a grocery store blaze kills a young mother. Jimmy Doherty (Eddie Cibrian) determines that the fire was intentionally set, prompting the firefighters and police officers at the scene to join forces in the search for the person responsible.
The case escalates the following night when another supermarket is set on fire. Investigators realize that Doug Jr. was present at both incidents, leading them to take him into custody.
After his arrest, Doug Jr. is questioned by Maurice “Bosco” Boscorelli (Jason Wiles) and other officers. He confesses that he started the fires in an attempt to get his father’s attention. Doug Jr. believes Doug Sr. favors his firefighting brothers, and his actions were intended to shift that focus toward him.
The confession sets up a tense encounter between father and son, with both characters forced into a period of self-reflection. For Annable, the troubled young arsonist was a notably dark starting point for a television career that would soon move across different roles and genres.
From “Third Watch” to “Lioness”
“Third Watch” ran for six seasons before its cancellation in 2005. The drama, focused on the daily experiences of first responders, was well received by audiences throughout its run and has remained a respected portrayal of that world.
Annable followed his appearance on the series with his first major role as Aaron Lewis in “Reunion.” He later starred as Justin Walker in “Brothers & Sisters,” continuing to build a television career featuring a range of characters.
More recently, he has played Dr. Neal McNamara in “Lioness.” He also portrayed Lee Dutton in “Yellowstone,” giving him another role in a Taylor Sheridan series.
Annable has described working on a Sheridan production as a major step up from his previous television experiences.
“Working on a Taylor show is incredible,” he said in a 2024 interview. “My bread and butter has been doing television my whole career. And this is just a whole other level. The budgets, cast, and writing are top-notch in their particular fields. And coming together, it feels like this incredible circus to be a part of.”
What Happens Next?
Whether Annable will return as Neal McNamara remains uncertain. “Lioness” has not yet been renewed for a fourth season, leaving the future of his character and the series unresolved.
Whatever comes next, his path to “Lioness” began with a memorable one-episode turn on “Third Watch”: a character whose desperate effort to gain his father’s attention resulted in arson, death and arrest.