‘New Amsterdam’: 7 Burning Questions for Final Episodes
When New Amsterdam returns in 2023 on January 3, it will be doing so with its final episodes. The two-hour series finale is set for January 17, but there is quite a bit it needs to wrap up by then.
We’re not even just talking about the big shock for Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) at the end of the fall finale: the return of his ex-fiancée Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman)! There’s the matter of what that means for Sharpwin and a potential new relationship in his life. Speaking of romance, while one couple may be heading in the right direction, another is looking to sign divorce papers. And then there’s always the concern that someone could die (though we know it won’t be Max).
Below, we take a look at our burning questions for the end of NBC’s medical drama.
New Amsterdam, Winter Premiere, Tuesday, January 3, 10/9c, NBC
What does Helen's return mean for Sharpwin?
With Agyeman exiting between seasons, Helen not showing up for her and Max’s wedding led to a letter from her admitting that she couldn’t explain what had happened or what kept her in London. The fall finale ended with him shocked to see her on TV — and revealing she’s back in New York!
“Having Helen Sharpe back in New York will profoundly affect Max,” executive producer David Schulner told TV Insider. “Just knowing she’s in the same city will put pressure on his budding feelings for Wilder [Sandra Mae Frank], it will test how much he has truly moved on, it will call into question everything he has done and said and felt this entire season. Which is why we brought her back!”
Expect to see her in Episode 11 as well, though “her presence and the repercussions of her visit to NY are felt far beyond that,” the EP teased. So does this mean that there will be official closure to Sharpwin’s romantic relationship, or might the door be left open for them to have a future together?
What does Helen's return mean for a potential future for Max and Wilder?
As Schulner said, Helen’s return will affect the relationship that has been building between Max and Wilder. He’d asked her to dinner, but she’d decided to accept just as Helen made her return. So is there any hope for the two of them now? Or might this cause Wilder to take a step back, this time for good?
Is divorce the end for Iggy and Martin?
Dr. Iggy Frome (Tyler Labine) and Martin (Mike Doyle) briefly reunited, only for the fall finale to end with the latter saying they should finalize the divorce. While Schulner noted the importance of that decision, we can’t help but wonder if perhaps closing the chapter on that part of their relationship might be what Iggy and Martin need to begin anew and truly move forward together.
Will Reynolds make it work with Gabrielle?
To say that Dr. Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims) has been unlucky when it comes to love would be an understatement — see his relationships with Dr. Lauren Bloom (Janet Montgomery), Evie Garrison (Margot Bingham), and Dr. Lyn Malvo (Frances Turner). But it seems like he and traveling nurse Gabrielle (Toya Turner) might be able to make things work as we head into the final episodes. “He’s going in. He’s excited,” Sims told TV Insider of that relationship.
Will Bloom be able to take a step back when it comes to her sister's sobriety?
Bloom’s sister Vanessa (Kathryn Prescott) overdosed in the fall finale, and it was hard, but the doctor did listen to Reynolds when it came to doing what was best. And so he was the one to bring Vanessa the information about an NA meeting. But will Bloom be able to continue to do that? Should we be worried about how she’ll handle not only what’s going on with her sister but also the fact that it came so soon after their mother’s death?
“Absolutely, you should be concerned,” according to Shulner. “But, we’re not going to go down the obvious or expected road with Bloom. She’s a different and stronger person than she was at the beginning of this season.”
Will tragedy strike for any of the doctors?
We can’t help but be worried that not everyone will survive these final episodes — but not necessarily that one of the doctors will die. Rather, what if something happens to Reynolds’ father (John Earl Jelks), who just moved out? What if Vanessa can’t get sober and overdoses again? Or what if something unexpected happens?
How will it all end?
Prior to reading the finale script, Sims shared he’d heard “you’ll get to know the characters even more, learn why they are who they are. And I think that we’ll wrap up the show with that mantra moving forward — How can I help? — for generations to come.”
For Schulner, “I want to leave the audience with the feelings they felt when they first fell in love with the show. … I want to honor the fans who stayed with us for five years.”
Will everyone still be working at New Amsterdam at the end of the series? Will Max still be medical director?
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C
We've had 4-5 seasons to "get to know the characters" which fans thought they did--until almost every single character was ruined. Why they're trying to wrap it up in 3 episodes in the series finale makes zero sense.
But this isn't surprising after the what they did to the Sharpwin relationship, especially Helen.
And poor Floyd--he and Bloom had some kind of off-screen relationship; he and Evie should have just gotten married at the end of S2 as originally planned; the ridiculous storyline with Malvo was just unbelievably pathetic. Floyd's storyline with his father is too much, too little, too late.
Bloom's relationship with her sister could have been explored in S3 or 4. Iggy/Martin should have been through at the end of S2 or 3. That relationship never was going to work because of Iggy.
This entire last 2 seasons havejust been a trainwreck with S4 as a total derailment, worst outcome and poorly written story ever. It's too bad you ruined a once beautifully written show.
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O
Why didn't they tie up all the loose ends? Who did Max end up with? What happened with Iggy? Did Bloom find someone?
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G
Wondering why the shows writer didn’t think of Proton Beam Therapy for Max’s cancer!!!!
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C
Iggy's character makes me crazy. He is an egotistical narcissist (is that redundant?). I hope Floyd finally gets a good relationship. Max needs to tell Helen to buzz off. Can he finally be a dad to poor luna?
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G
New Amsterdam has crashed and burned rather quickly. I've never been a fan of this show, but I did watch a couple of isolated episodes over its first two seasons, when there was nothing else on. They were pretty decent. Chicago Med was in danger of cancellation back then, so NBC had picked this one up to replace it. New Amsterdam's three season renewal in season two was a vote of confidence, since the ratings had started out strong. By that point, Chicago Med was safe though. The One Chicago block saved them, and boosted their ratings exponentially. They've been strong ever since, and are now the top-rated medical show on air.
Once Chicago Med recovered, NBC seemed to lose interest in promoting New Amsterdam. The network put all its time and money into the former, since that was their original baby. They didn't seem to care about the latter anymore, so New Amsterdam's quality went downhill, because NBC wasn't bothering to ensure the scripts were any good.
From what I've seen online, fans think this show started deteriorating in season three before completely imploding last season. Now, it's just limping along to the finish line. What a shame, because it could have been the next ER (in terms of success). Eric Manheimer's memoir is great, but New Amsterdam's writers/showrunners squandered the opportunity to bring it to life. This show hasn't done justice to the work he did at Bellevue Hospital (while battling cancer himself), the oldest public hospital in the United States.
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O
Max and Wilder deserve to be together period !!
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