New Amsterdam follows Dr. Max Goodwin as he becomes the medical director of one of the United States' oldest public hospitals, aiming to reform the neglected facility by tearing up its bureaucracy to provide exceptional care to patients.
On September 25, 2017, NBC announced that it had given the production, then titled Bellevue, a put pilot commitment. The pilot was written by David Schulner, who was also set to executive produce alongside Peter Horton. Eric Manheimer, the former medical director at New York City's Bellevue Hospital, was expected to serve as a producer. Universal Television was the production company involved with the pilot.[6] New Amsterdam Hospital is a fictional facility based on Bellevue Hospital in NYC.[7] Bellevue opened in 1736 and thus the oldest hospital in the US.[7] New York was founded as New Amsterdam in the 17th-century.[8]
On January 12, 2018, it was reported that NBC had given the production an official pilot order. It was further reported that Horton was expected to direct the pilot episode.[9] On May 4, 2018, it was announced that NBC had given the production a series order. It was also reported that Pico Creek Productions and Mount Moriah Productions would serve as additional production companies.[10][11][12] On October 10, 2018, it was announced that NBC had ordered an additional nine episodes of the series, bringing the first season total up to twenty-two episodes.[13] On February 4, 2019, it was announced during the Television Critics Association's annual winter press tour that the series had been renewed for a second season.[14] In January 2020, NBC renewed New Amsterdam for a third, fourth, and fifth season.[15] On March 14, 2022, it was announced that the series would end after its fifth season, which consisted of 13 episodes.[16]
Casting
In February 2018, it was announced that Freema Agyeman, Anupam Kher, Janet Montgomery, and Tyler Labine had been cast in lead roles in the pilot.[17][18][19] In March 2018, it was reported that Ryan Eggold and Jocko Sims had also joined the main cast.[20][21] On September 26, 2018, it was announced that Margot Bingham had joined the cast in a recurring role.[22] On November 6, 2018, it was reported that Sendhil Ramamurthy had been cast in a recurring role.[23] On April 19, 2021, it was reported that Frances Turner had been cast in a recurring role for the third season.[24] In August 2021, it was announced that Michelle Forbes, Sandra Mae Frank, and Chloe Freeman, were cast in recurring roles for the fourth season.[5][25] In May 2022, Frank was promoted to series regular for the fifth and final season.[26]
Filming
Filming for the series took place at New York City area hospitals including Bellevue Hospital and its surrounding area, Metropolitan Hospital Center, Woodhull Hospital, and Kings County Hospital Center. By October 2018, Universal Television had paid NYC Health + Hospitals, the corporation that oversees New York City's public hospitals, US$665,000 to film in the hospitals. Robert de Luna, a spokesman for Health + Hospitals, said certain areas that are "unoccupied and unstaffed... presents a great opportunity for a production company and a welcome source of revenue for our health system."[27]
New Amsterdam premiered on NBC on September 25, 2018, at 10 p.m.[30] The second season premiered on September 24, 2019.[31]
The second season's eighteenth episode, "Our Doors Are Always Open" (originally titled "Pandemic"), that was scheduled to air on April 7, 2020,[32][33] was shelved by NBC, as its subject matter (dealing with a flu pandemic in New York City) was considered sensitive due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York state. Schulner felt that "the world needs a lot less fiction right now, and a lot more facts". The final episode completed before the suspension of production would be designated as the season finale, and aired on April 14.[33] The third season premiered on March 2, 2021.[34] The fourth season premiered on September 21, 2021.[35] The fifth and final season premiered on September 20, 2022.[36] The series finale aired on January 17, 2023.[37]
Marketing
On May 13, 2018, NBC released the first official trailer for the series.[38] On June 22, 2018, a screening of the series was held during SeriesFest, an annual international television festival, at the Denver Art Museum's Lewis I. Sharp Auditorium in Denver, Colorado. The screening was followed by a question-and-answer session with series lead Ryan Eggold and executive producers David Schulner and Peter Horton. It was moderated by Vanity Fair's executive West Coast editor, Krista Smith.[39] On September 10, 2018, the series took part in the 12th Annual PaleyFest Fall Television Previews, which featured a preview screening of the series.[40]
Distribution
In the United Kingdom, the series premiered its first half of Season 1 on Amazon Video on February 8, 2019. Amazon Video releases the series in binge-ready batches, with further episodes released in May 2019 and November 2019.[41]
It was announced on June 1, 2021, that the show was moving from the Prime Video streaming service to the channel Sky Witness, where it premiered in July 2021.[42]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 34% based on reviews from 32 critics, with an average rating of 5.83 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Overcrowded, overwrought, and overly familiar, New Amsterdam plays more like an exquisite corpse of pre-existing shows than a breakthrough for the genre– though that may be enough for medical drama devotees."[43] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[44]
Michael Starr of the New York Post wrote: "New Amsterdam will satisfy fans of the genre. It's somewhat predictable, with a moderate dose of prime-time soapiness. But with Eggold's strong performance and an interesting supporting cast, this show could be the right prescription to attract a following."[45] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "It is as baldly manipulative and corny as heck—the pilot ends with a Coldplay song—and even a little ridiculous. But the actors sell it, and the fact that the action can seem so unlikely oddly just makes it more compelling."[46] Caroline Framke of Variety gave the series a negative review, and was critical of Ryan Eggold in particular: "The problem is that no matter how many side characters and plots the series adds into the mix—and it adds a lot—the doctor who's supposed to be its main catalyst for change is so irritating that he ends up overshadowing the more promising elements."[47]
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per season of New Amsterdam
The first season titled "New Amsterdam: Season One" was released in Australia (Region 4) on August 14, 2019.[66] Region 2 (UK) was released on November 19, 2019.[67] The region 2 release is a five-disc set and the Region 4 release is a six-disc set.
The second season was released in Region 1, via Amazon's Manufacture on Demand (MOD) service, on September 1, 2020.
Potential spin-off
In January 2020, NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy said, "There is a potential for a spinoff. I can imagine a whole world around New Amsterdam." At that time, Nellie Andreeva of Deadline Hollywood added that no conversations were happening, but members of the production were open to the possibility because of the depth of New Amsterdam characters and stories that could be explored with a spin-off.[68]
On March 19, 2024, it has reported that NBC was pursuing a spin-off medical drama television series for New Amsterdam featuring Max Goodwin's daughter, Luna Goodwin, and the drama was titled New Amsterdam: Tomorrow.[69][70]
International versions
In 2022, a Turkish adaptation titled Hayat Bugün ("Life Today"), was produced by O3 Medya in association with Universal International Studios. It premiered on the Turkish network Show TV on October 19, 2022, and aired for 8 episodes.[71][72][73][74][75][76]
Notes
↑ Agyeman is not credited for her guest appearance in season five.
↑ The season two finale episode aired outside of its regular timeslot at Tuesday 9:00 pm. The nineteenth episode of the fourth season aired on Monday at 10:00 pm.
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