New Amsterdam Review: Pilot (Season 1 Episode 1)
New Amsterdam follows This Is Us on NBC Tuesday nights. New shows should covet that spot, right? Maybe. But it’s not as easy to fill as you might think. The show feels some pressure to meet (or exceed) the quality of its network partner.
After my first watch of New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” I’m not sure it does that — though it does, after all, set pretty high standards simply by existing.
It’s a medical drama. This genre is crowded, to say the least. Plus, it’s based on a book about Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in the United States, and written by the former medical director there.
I watch shows I review twice, as I think commercials get in the way of plot flow. After my second watch, I’ve decided New Amsterdam is a player in the medical drama game, for better or worse.
While I will not say it matches its network partner in quality, it does have potential. But there is work to do first.
Can I be honest? Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) bores me. He’s a nice guy, and I’m rooting for him, but his storyline so far is very predictable. I don’t want him to die of cancer, and odds are good he won’t.
I understand he’s the lead, but I want to know more about… well, everyone else.
All of the other characters intrigue me more that Dr. Goodwin does. His wife, Georgia, is an example. I’m fascinated by the fact that she’s a dancer!
It always excites me when a medical show can weave a completely non-medical profession into its narrative. This doesn’t have to happen often, and I don’t know if New Amsterdam has any plans to do it, but I’m not opposed to it.
Another character I like is Dr. Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims). He has an important conversation about race with Dr. Laura Bloom (Janet Montgomery) that I’ve never heard addressed on TV.
Dr. Reynolds: You can’t understand how confusing it was growing up, watching every black athlete have a white girl on his arm. Or how betrayed black women felt. My mom, my sisters… watching it happen time and again…. I love black women.
He says this to her, a white woman, when she pushes him about why he doesn’t want to hook up again.
Francisco Roman/NBC
I’m a white-passing, part-Latina, disabled woman who knows that black love needs to be talked about and seen on TV more. I’ve learned about what Floyd tells Laura through conversations with friends.
I know that the words alone are important. I just wish I thought that New Amsterdam was going to make Floyd a man of his word. Show is more important than tell, after all. But he leaves to get a drink with Laura at the end of the episode, and so I am skeptical.
The existence of Dr. Iggy Frome (Tyler Labine) is quite remarkable for a medical drama.
He’s a pediatric psychiatrist. It remains to be seen if the show will dive into the topic as much as they should, but this gives the show the chance to go places that other medical dramas have not.
Other showrunners have been quoted as saying they are afraid to tackle topics like eating disorders and rape, and that’s why psychiatry and psychology are missing on their shows.
Topics that could be explored through Dr. Frome include: cyber-bullying, gang violence, and depression/anxiety.
You might notice that I have not yet touched on patient stories at all. That’s because New Amsterdam puts patients first. Everything is tied up in nice bows for them at the end. Gemma gets a home. Alain doesn’t have Ebola. A dying immigrant gets to see her family again.
It’s sweet, but not realistic. One man can’t change the healthcare system with a “How can I help?” and a smile. Plus, “predictable” is almost an antonym of “dramatic.”
Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman) agrees with this at first. But by the end of the episode, she abandons Ellen appearances that make the hospital money to practice medicine. Max inspires her.
New Amsterdam flows better than some medical dramas. It features main characters with problems that are easy to get invested in, albeit ones that are a bit predictable.
I hope they continue to focus on patient stories, but lose the neat little bow. That way, if the show lasts, they won’t be hanging on to storylines as ridiculous as aliens abducting the hospital to stay relevant.
Francisco Roman/NBC
As it stands, I’ll keep watching after the pilot. I’m a bit worried the new series won’t hold up, but I’m also willing to see where this goes.
What did you think of this episode of New Amsterdam? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New Amsterdam airs Tuesday at 10/9c on NBC.
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.