New Amsterdam

I find the premise for this show really intriguing, and the lead actor Nicolai Coaster-Waldau is just about the best thing on television. He plays this character with depth and the right mix of sadness and wit. The rest of the cast is excellent as well. I hope Fox gives this show another shot next season because I'd love to see more of this story develop. I like the references to the past of New York, a city with some of the most interesting backstory in this country. That alone will give the show plenty to draw on for episodes. I loved the montage of pictures of Times Square...keep the period details accurate though (tee-pees!?)and that the glued beards don't look too cheesy!

I think it's too easy to say NA is similar to "Highlander," simply because its lead character is immortal. While McLeod cannot die unless beheaded, he, and his fellow immortal Nick Knight, are immortal primarily defined by their supernatural natures. The great appeal of John Amsterdam (or York, or Dutch, or any of his other aliases) is that he is a relatively ordinary man who, by virtue of having lived in New York since the 17th century, has learned much and experienced more. None of us is likely to picture ourselves as McLeod or Knight, but practically anyone can imagine that given the right circumstances, we could be John Amsterdam. He is extremely human, not at all superhuman....except for that one thing. He cannot die, not until he finds and commits to The One. It is refreshing to find a sci-fi story framed in a police setting in which the crimes are the least interesting parts of the hour we spend with him. We want to see more of John with his son, Omar. We want to go back into his past. Unfortunately, I at least have no desire to see him further his relationship with the woman he believes is The One.

Fox's new series shows some promise. It's got a potent mix of crime, mystery, drama, and even wit, that could be something really good, if given the chance. I'm sure the topic of a man who has lived for many centuries is not new, its problem is that, as far as I know, it hasn't worked on screen yet. I've read countless tales of such people, yet thinking back, I really cant picture it as a film or show. Perhaps this "New Amsterdam" can make it work, its got ability to anyway.

On a side note, I'm liking the cast. I just wish I can pronounce their names. Im interested to see what Zuleikah Robinson can bring to the show, though she's only listed to be showing in 2 episodes by IMDb.com, i hope thats not all. You might recognize her from the HBO series, Rome.

Today I watched the pilot for this, I am very excited to see if it makes it to prime time television. I think this series carries all of the elements of success, suspense-drama-action-romance-history, I learned a lot while watching the episode as well as being intrigued by the main character "Amsterdam". I'm not going to ruin it for anyone, but I think this show definitely has the potential to make it. A basic explanation of the plot is that Amsterdam is a homicide detective who is brilliant, mysterious, reckless, magnetic, unknowable. And he has a profound secret – he is immortal. That is all the information that I can give without this being a "spoiler". But, the show looks promising and the theme song, by the Decemberists, is also great.

I really hope Fox actually gives this one a chance.

It seems right now that New Amsterdam is on the fence on whether it will return for a 2nd season or not. I just hope FOX does see fit to renew it. To be honest, the pilot episode was so-so, but my DVR kept recording the shows and a month later I decided to catch the next one I had missed. That was all it took. I have eagerly watched all the episodes, even buying one on iTunes that I had deleted. I have no idea about all the prior Highlander references, but to me this show is fresh and different. Plain old cop shows are no fun to me, but this one has the twist of his being immortal and seeing into his past. Plus, Nikolaj is pretty to look at.

Give the viewers a chance to catch on and they will be hooked on this show, none of the premature canceling of it please...say like what happened with Firefly....