New Amsterdam is an American television drama, which premiered March 4, 2008 on FOX. The series is created by Allan Loeb and Christian Taylor, who also serve as executive producers alongside David Manson, Leslie Holleran, Steven Pearl and Lasse Hallström. The latter also directed the pilot.
Produced by Laha Films, Regency Television, Sarabande Productions and Scarlet Fire Productions, the series was greenlit and given a thirteen-episode order on May 11, 2007.[2] The series was scheduled to premiere in the fall of 2007,[3] consequently airing on Tuesday nights at 8:00/7:00c on FOX, but it was held as a mid-season replacement and began airing in March, 2008.[4]
On Tuesday, October 16, 2007, an article in The Hollywood Reporter stated that production on New Amsterdam had been stopped for an indefinite period, with "seven episodes of the series in the can". The article also mentioned that Fox decided to review the series and then decide whether or not to order new episodes, something that the article writer asserted was considered to be unlikely.[5] A pre-air version of the Pilot episode was leaked onto Internet file-sharing services on December 2, 2007.
On January 23, 2008 FOX resumed airing commercials for the show stated "coming soon". Following the premiere another preview episode aired on March 6, 2008 (at 9:00 PM/8:00 PM Central), before the series moved to its regular timeslot on March 10, 2008. The series is also airing air on Global in Canada.[6] Global ran the first episode one-hour before the U.S. broadcast, and the second episode one day before the U.S. broadcast.
Plot
The main character is John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a brilliant New York homicide detective who is immortal. Amsterdam was a Dutch soldier in the year 1642 when he stepped in front of a sword to save the life of a Native American girl during a massacre of her indigenous tribe. The girl in turn rescued Amsterdam by weaving an ancient spell that conferred immortality upon him. It was also prophesied that he would not age until he finds his one true love, and only then will he become whole and ready for mortality. His immortality has resulted in Amsterdam spending more than three centuries marked by loss as his friends, lovers, children (63), and dogs (who John numbers - his current dog is named "Thirty Six") gradually grow old and die while he is forced to remain alive. Amsterdam is also a recovering alcoholic who regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, having remained sober since 1965. In his lifetime he has joined the Army three times, in addition to the Coast Guard, Marines, and Navy. He stated that he never joined the Air Force because he "doesn't like heights". He has taught history at King's College, served as a physician during the American Civil War, was a furniture maker during the 1890's, a portrait painter just before the outbreak of World War I, and by 1941 an attorney. At some point he attended Brown University.
[edit] Cast and characters
* Nikolaj Coster Waldau as John Amsterdam, a New York homicide detective (badge number 9298)104 who will become mortal again after he finds his one true love. As a side effect of his immortality, John has blood type RZRZ, as well as lethal levels of lead, likely from living through periods in which lead was used in plumbing and many other facets of life.101 His blood clots quickly, with a platelet level ten times normal, despite very low levels of factor VIII.104 He was born Johann van der Zee on 1 June 1607 in Amsterdam, Holland.102 Amsterdam is only the last of the aliases John has used, changing identities as often as once a decade.104
* Zuleikha Robinson as Eva Marquez, Amsterdam's new partner. Her father and brother are also police officers.101 Her mother is a history teacher at Queens College.103
* Alexie Gilmore as Dr. Sara Millay Dillane, an E.R. doctor at St. Francis Hospital who pronounces Amsterdam's death after a heart attack. John is sure that she is "the one" (his soul mate). This is complicated by the revelation that she has been married for four years to Robert Camp, although they are currently separated.104
* Stephen Henderson as Omar York, who owns a jazz club named Omar's: Bar–Grill, and is John's 65-year-old son with Lily, an African American woman.
* Susan Misner as Sergeant Callie Burnett, Amsterdam's boss.
