Two-time Emmy nominee Nicholas Turturro is crossing over to the wrong side of the law in his next TV role.

Turturro, who played Detective James Martinez for six-plus seasons on "NYPD Blue," is joining the cast of NBC's "Third Watch" for a multi-episode arc. He'll play a low-level mobster.

Turturro's first episode is scheduled to air Friday (Dec. 5). His character will try to force out an honest business owner (Steven Randazzo) to make room for his own, which draws the attention of cops Bosco (Jason Wiles) and Monroe (Nia Long).

Since leaving "Blue" in 2000, Turturro has worked primarily in feature films and TV movies. His recent credits include the tele-flicks "Monday Night Mayhem" for TNT and "Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie" for FX.

He has two features scheduled for release next year, the horror film "The Hollow" and "The Hillside Strangler," in which he stars as killer Angelo Buono.

Turturro earned Emmy nominations for his work on "NYPD Blue" in 1994 and 1997.