Who Is Nurse Jackie?

Jackie Peyton is far from ordinary. As an ER nurse, she skillfully navigates the rough waters of a crumbling healthcare system, doing everything she can to provide her patients with the best possible care. She's a devoted family member, co-worker and friend, always going the extra mile to help her peeps in every way possible. But this nurse is not what she seems. She's hiding a nasty addiction to pain pills and an illicit affair with the hospital pharmacist. As avoiding detection becomes more and more difficult, the lies pile on top of each other, and the monkey remains firmly on her back, Jackie's life becomes a high wire juggling act without a net.

To learn more about Jackie and the people around her, check out the show's cast and characters.

What Have I Missed So Far?

Nurse Jackie is tops in her field, and in her ability to behave badly and hide the truth, usually with both heartbreaking and hilarious results.

In Season 1, Jackie keeps the hospital balanced with her unique bedside manner and own brand of medical justice. On the dark side, her affair with Eddie, the hospital pharmacist and addiction enabler, is compromised when a pill-dispensing machine replaces Eddie, and he finds out about her husband and children. Meanwhile new nursing student Zoe is learning the ropes the hard way from Jackie, Dr. Cooper comes clean about his most inappropriate form of Tourette's, and Dr. O'Hara must contend with her dying mum.

In Season 2, Jackie has cut ties with Eddie so her access to drugs is diminished, but her craving for them is not. She is forced to become much more creative to feed her habit. But her methods aren't foolproof, and her friends and loved ones become increasingly suspicious. Meanwhile, Dr. Cooper's elevated stature at the hospital is a constant source of irritation to Jackie, and leads to a showdown with new nurse Sam. Zoey finds love and lust with an EMT, and Akalitus continues to keep a watchful eye on everything at All Saints.

In Season 3, All Saints hospital faces budget cuts and a loss of support from the Catholic Church; O'Hara becomes chief of the emergency room; Coop is distraught when his mothers divorce and decides to start a family of his own; Eddie begins dating Jackie's newly single sister-in-law; Kevin behaves evasively; Zoey reconsiders her relationship with Lenny during a health crisis; and Jackie's addiction becomes unmanageable.

Want to know what is in store for Season 4? Watch this video and find out. Need more? Catch up on all the storylines with episode summaries and show scenes.

When Can I Watch The Show?

Season 3 premieres Sunday, April 8 at 9 PM ET/PT, followed by the Season 3 premiere of The Big C. Encores are broadcast throughout the week and available On Demand and on Showtime Anytime®. Order SHOWTIME® now and you can get $25 cash back!* For complete program information, including On Demand info, visit the series schedule page. To sample the best of Showtime, watch a full episode of NURSE JACKIE now.

*All qualified $25 claims will be paid in the form of a $25 Visa prepaid debit card. Offer expires 12/31/12. Available to new Showtime subscribers only.