Nash Bridges

• Don Johnson as Inspector/Acting Lieutenant/Captain Nash Bridges: Nash is a seasoned police Inspector in his 40s, with a lifelong devotion to the SFPD. He's got a photographic memory and a tendency to call everyone "Bubba" or "Sister." His personal life isn't as balanced as his professional one, starting with his two divorces and a strained relationship with both his aged father and a feisty daughter. An amateur magician with a talent for handcuff tricks, Don Johnson is the only member of the cast to appear in all 122 episodes of the series.
• Cheech Marin as Inspector/Lieutenant Joe Dominguez: At the start of the series, Insp. Dominguez is talked out of retirement to partner with Nash. He is married to a statuesque Swedish woman, Inger, and together they have a daughter, Lucia, and a son, JJ. Dominguez's character is light-hearted, often making witty, off-the-cuff observations at crime scenes. He has a penchant for getting involved in get-rich quick schemes, often having to be rescued by Nash. The details of Nash & Dominguez's relationship (and why they are such close friends) is revealed during the course of the series: As a young cop with a bright future, Dominguez ruined his reputation by being busted for a DUI. The only person to stand by him was his partner at the time, later revealed to be Nash. In later seasons, Nash & Joe form a private detective agency to make extra money.
• James Gammon as Nick Bridges: Nash's retired longshoreman father who lives with him. He sometimes gets into some minor trouble which leaves Nash to save him. He also tends to get involved in Joe Dominguez's get-rich-quick schemes. Nick suffers from light dementia, and that affliction was dealt with thoughtfully throughout the series. A source of conflict between him and his son was the character's preference for his older son, Bobby Bridges, over Nash.
• Jodi Lyn O'Keefe as Officer Cassidy Bridges: Nash's 20-something daughter who originally aspired to be an actress. Cassidy had a tough relationship with Evan that had them eventually reconciling and about to marry, before Evan was killed. This inspired Cassidy to join the SFPD after his death. She was then assigned to the SIU as a plain-clothes officer, under her father's command, something that most likely would not happen in real life. By the end of the series, Cassidy relocated to Paris to be with her mother.
• Jeff Perry as Inspector Harvey Leek: A die-hard Grateful Dead fan with a technical background. His wife left him after 5 and a 1/2 years of marriage because of his commitment to police work. Best friend to Evan and one of Nash's team, and very passionate about his '72 Ford Ranchero. The Ranchero is seen in the series almost as often as Nash's Barracuda until the car was irreparably damaged in a shootout near the end of the fifth season.
• Jaime P. Gomez as Inspector Evan Cortez: (seasons 1–5) Best friend to Harvey and the youngest partner of Nash, who suggested he rejoin working with Joe at the beginning of the series. Evan reminded Nash of what he used to be long ago. He had a stormy relationship with Cassidy, which after many ups and downs, ended when he was killed in the line of duty. Evan had reconciled with Cassidy at the time and was engaged to her for a Las Vegas wedding. Previous to that, Evan went through a painful period during the fifth season after his breakup with Cassidy (after he'd cheated on her on the eve of their wedding) and the loss of his job as a drunk on a downward spiral. With Joe's intervention and his own participation in a 12-Step Alcoholics Anonymous program, the character became a Christian and recovering alcoholic. Jaime Gomez appeared in all but six episodes of the series' first five seasons.
• Annette O'Toole as Lisa Bridges: (seasons 1–2, guest star in season 4) A caterer by trade, she is Nash's ex-wife and mother of Cassidy. She moved to Paris after she and Nash revealed their true feelings to each other.
• Serena Scott Thomas as Kelly Bridges (season 1–2, guest star in season 3) a socialite and former drug addict, and Nash's second ex-wife.
• Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Lieutenant A.J. Shimamura: (seasons 1–2) Former police superior who worked closely with Nash and the SIU as both co-worker and friend. A.J. held true to a promise that if he wasn't promoted to Captain, he would leave the force and move back to his native Hawaii. Shimamura lasted 16 episodes.
• Mary Mara as Inspector Bryn Carson: (seasons 1–3) The only female member of the SIU at the beginning of the series, she was often used to go undercover when a woman's role was needed. She was not known to have a very successful romantic life. She left the series at the start of the third season with no reason ever given.
• Kelly Hu as Inspector Michelle Chan: (seasons 3–4) An aggressive inspector whom Nash took under his wing as a protégé. She was killed in cold blood early in the fourth season by the Prowler, a killer seeking media glory whom Nash killed out of revenge and claimed it as self-defense.
• Yasmine Bleeth as Inspector Caitlin Cross: (seasons 4–5) She had a tense relationship with Nash bordering on the unprofessional. Caitlin originally came to the SIU as an MCD Inspector investigating them, but eventually joined them. She had a brief romance with Nash, which ended when she left at the end of the fifth season to help her sister in Washington, D.C.
• Wendy Moniz as Inspector Rachel McCabe: (season 6) Cassidy's senior partner, and a new addition to the SIU in the final season. Rachel was a police officer originally working undercover for a corrupt Internal Affairs official. She eventually fell in love with Nash and later sacrificed her career to save Nash when she realized he was being framed.
• Cress Williams as Inspector Antwon Babcock: (season 6) Evan's replacement in the final season. Antwon rescued the SIU from an explosion when he drove a car off a pier on his first day. He preferred to stay out of personal situations, but was very active in the force. He became close friends with Harvey, particularly when Harvey convinced him to reconcile with his father, a dying criminal. He occasionally suffered from epileptic seizures.

• Caroline Lagerfelt as Inger Dominguez: (seasons 2–6) Joe's spouse from Sweden and mother of their infant child, and mother of Joe's adult son. A kind woman and loving wife, also the one really in charge of their household.
• Daniel Roebuck as Inspector Rick Bettina: Crooked SIU police officer turned criminal and a frequent headache to the SIU. In the beginning of the series, he considers Nash (who dislikes Rick) his best friend and at one point was Nash's boss as Rick's mother married the chief of police and gave him a job. Towards the end of the series, he tries to kill Nash and Joe, to cover-up his attempted rip-off of the police retirement fund.
• Tracey Walter as Angel: (seasons 2–6) A wise spiritual figure who often appears when dispensing advice to Nash as his guardian angel. Dressed as an angel, complete with wings, he wanders the streets of San Francisco.
• Christian J. Meoli as Boz Bishop: (seasons 3–6) Young rap music inspired employee of Nash and Joe's private investigation agency. A fast talking young man with aspirations to be a private investigator. In reality, Boz is loaded with money and comes from a well-to-do English family. Boz’s family lives in the Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate in Oakland.
• Ronald Russell II as Sergeant Ronnie: (seasons 2–6) He's the all around handyman and muscle of the SIU.
• Angela Dohrmann as Stacy Bridges: (seasons 1–4) Nash's ADA sister.
• Stephen Lee as Tony B: Mobster and police informant.
• Patrick Fischler as Pepe: Joe and Nash's gay friend, and secretary of their detective agency.
• Donna W. Scott (seasons 3–4, 6) as Tamara Van Zant: a con-woman and sometimes Nash's lover. In season 6, she's stabbed and thrown overboard by mobster Vinnie Corell (Costas Mandylor) in the episode "Something Borrowed".
• Stone Cold Steve Austin as Inspector Jake Cage: (seasons 4–5) a former protégé of Bridges now working in Fugitive Retrieval, occasionally aids the SIU.
• Alie Ward as Miranda: (seasons 4–6) Cassidy's roommate.
• Suki Kaiser as Lynette Summers (season 3) The sister of Nash's first ex-wife. While Lisa is in Paris, studying French cookery, Cassidy stays with her aunt in San Francisco.

The sixth season of Nash Bridges would be its last; however, the show was obtaining fair ratings from Nielsen.[3] Following its Friday night ratings battle (which it was losing to NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), the show was canceled.[3] Paramount Network Television, which was producing the show, felt that its $2 million per episode production cost was just too much.[3] CBS was hoping to get a seventh season out of Nash Bridges, but that failed because Paramount wasn't willing to pay,[3] even though at the time, Viacom had owned both CBS and Paramount.

Another factor that led to the ending of the series was that Don Johnson wanted out.[3] Johnson was getting tired, and CBS and Paramount had enough episodes to put the series into syndication.[3]

Carlton Cuse went on to become the showrunner for Lost. Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof had started his television writing career on Nash Bridges. He sought out Cuse's advice on how to run Lost.