New Amsterdam premieres September 25th on NBC.
[Ed. note: Being that TV and City is on a bit of a hiatus, this article has not been edited.]
By Sam Davis
NBC’s newest medical drama New Amsterdam isn’t bad. It’s not even just ok. It’s good – really good. But it’s just… boring. Utterly unexciting.
The television industry is as oversaturated with medical procedures as it is with cop shows. Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Med, General Hospital, The Resident. The list goes on. Adding in a protagonist who’s quirky and sees thinga in a new light isn’t a new concept. Ryan Eggold is a good actor, but House did it. Doogie Howser did it. The Good Doctor is currently doing it, and honestly, they’re doing it better.
Developed by David Schulner, New Amsterdam has good characters that fit into the new wave of classic stereotypes: the snarky one, the good-hearted one, the quirky one, the one who’s more focused on the realistic aspect than the moral one. And the actors do a good job of portraying their characters. Tyler Labine, who plays the head of the child psychiatric ward Dr. Iggy Frome, is really convincing as a Doctor who cares for the kids’ mental and emotional wellbeing as well as their health. Janet Montgomery is Dr. Laura Bloom, the leading female doctor who is willing to risk her own life to save a patient, as shown in the first episode. She rushes into a presumed Ebola-ridden patient’s quarantine chamber just to save him without her protective gear. The characters are likable, and the cast is diverse, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.
New Amsterdam is building itself to be a good show, probably a successful one too. But if you’re looking for something fresh and exciting, look elsewhere.
I give New Amsterdam a C+.
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