New Amsterdam (2018 TV series)

Production

NBC announced a put pilot commitment for the project, then titled Bellevue, on September 25, 2017. David Schulner wrote the pilot and was set to executive produce alongside Peter Horton, who was expected to direct. Eric Manheimer, former medical director at Bellevue Hospital, was to serve as a producer, with Universal Television as the production company. The fictional New Amsterdam Hospital is based on Bellevue Hospital in New York City, which opened in 1736 and is the oldest hospital in the United States; New York was originally founded as New Amsterdam in the 17th century.

An official pilot order was reported on January 12, 2018, and a series order was announced on May 4, 2018, with Pico Creek Productions and Mount Moriah Productions joining as additional production companies. NBC ordered nine additional episodes on October 10, 2018, bringing the first season to twenty-two episodes. The series was renewed for a second season on February 4, 2019, and in January 2020 for a third, fourth, and fifth season. On March 14, 2022, it was announced the series would end after its fifth season, which consisted of 13 episodes.

Casting announcements included Freema Agyeman, Anupam Kher, Janet Montgomery, and Tyler Labine in February 2018; Ryan Eggold and Jocko Sims in March 2018; Margot Bingham in a recurring role on September 26, 2018; Sendhil Ramamurthy in a recurring role on November 6, 2018; Frances Turner in a recurring role for the third season on April 19, 2021; and Michelle Forbes, Sandra Mae Frank, and Chloe Freeman in recurring roles for the fourth season in August 2021. Frank was promoted to series regular for the fifth and final season in May 2022.

Release

New Amsterdam premiered on NBC on September 25, 2018, at 10 p.m. The second season premiered on September 24, 2019. The second season's eighteenth episode, 'Our Doors Are Always Open' (originally titled 'Pandemic'), scheduled for April 7, 2020, was shelved by NBC because its subject matter—a flu pandemic in New York City—was considered sensitive due to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York state. Schulner stated that 'the world needs a lot less fiction right now, and a lot more facts'.

The final episode completed before production suspension aired as the season finale on April 14. The third season premiered on March 2, 2021; the fourth on September 21, 2021; and the fifth and final season on September 20, 2022, with the series finale on January 17, 2023. The first official trailer was released on May 13, 2018. A screening was held on June 22, 2018, during SeriesFest at the Denver Art Museum's Lewis I. Sharp Auditorium, followed by a Q&A with Ryan Eggold, David Schulner, and Peter Horton, moderated by Vanity Fair's Krista Smith.

On September 10, 2018, the series participated in the 12th Annual PaleyFest Fall Television Previews. In the United Kingdom, the first half of Season 1 premiered on Amazon Video on February 8, 2019, with further episodes released in May and November 2019. On June 1, 2021, it was announced the show would move from Prime Video to Sky Witness, where it premiered in July 2021.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, New Amsterdam holds an approval rating of 34% based on 32 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.83 out of 10. The critical consensus describes it as 'overcrowded, overwrought, and overly familiar', playing like 'an exquisite corpse of pre-existing shows', though it may satisfy medical drama devotees. On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 from 14 critics, indicating 'mixed or average reviews'.

Michael Starr of the New York Post wrote that the show 'will satisfy fans of the genre' and is 'somewhat predictable, with a moderate dose of prime-time soapiness', but noted Eggold's strong performance and an interesting supporting cast. Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times called it 'as baldly manipulative and corny as heck' and 'even a little ridiculous', but added that 'the actors sell it'. Caroline Framke of Variety gave a negative review, criticizing Ryan Eggold in particular, stating that 'the doctor who's supposed to be its main catalyst for change is so irritating that he ends up overshadowing the more promising elements'.

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.' Deadline Hollywood's Nellie Andreeva reported that no conversations were happening, but production members were open to the possibility due to the depth of characters and stories. On March 19, 2024, it was reported that NBC was pursuing a spin-off titled New Amsterdam: Tomorrow, featuring Max Goodwin's daughter, Luna Goodwin.

Did You Know?

• The second season was released in Region 1 via Amazon's Manufacture on Demand service on September 1, 2020.