User reviews

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.

The premise for this was great and I hoped there would be more, but since the eight episodes in 2007/2008 nothing more came, so it was a short lived series and have now been overtaken by a new series with much the same premise "forever", it is not a detective like in this one, but a coroner acting like a detective.

The reason I like this series was the fact that there could be and was in the eight episodes the back and forth in time, the series would have the possibility to have episodes that showed more of past time, then the present and that could be quit cool.

It was a very nice down to earth and close to the streets kind of police series, the acting worked and would have made it an okay series to watch all-in-all.

I really like New Amsterdam. I have watched all the episodes up to March 24th's. The main draw is seeing the transformation from New Amsterdam into New York. I love the flashbacks. I hope they don't cancel this show because I am very picky with what I watch. Because I am busy during the March air times, I hope FOX looks at the amount of people using its on Demand service. That is the way I watch a lot of their shows since my computer screen has high definition unlike my t.v.

It is the one of the only shows I watch every week. I recommend it to anyone who has a brain, which is why I do not recommend CSI and Law and Order. Even though New Amsterdam uses the idea of an immortal similar to Highlander doesn't mean it is a bad show. I mean how many shows right now are like CSI and Law and Order. New Amsterdam has this European flare going, which is what New York is at its core.

New Amsterdam is an example of smart, imaginative, creative shows that get no respect in Hollywood. I watched every episode and couldn't wait to see the next one.Nothing canned. Nothing stupid or predictable. You could believe this man was immortal, living multiple lifetimes and careers in his one life. It was well acted, well written, properly paced. New Amsterdam was well produced, from the title sequence, through the flashbacks, and the character development in each episode. Even the music scoring showed care in adding the most to the overall program. I was sorry the powers that be could see fit to continue the story to some conclusion. Much as what was allowed with "Angel".

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....

Well, there's nothing really new here that vigilant couch potatoes haven't seen before. "New Amsterdam" follows the Highlander formula almost to the letter, although the protagonist is a cop instead of a pretentious art dealer.

Good-looking haunted 400 year old hero? Check. Flashback sequences? Check. Supporting cast who is clueless about his history? Check. A mortal confidant? Check. I kept waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows with a sword and shout "There can be only one!!!" Maybe it'll happen in Episode 2.

New Amsterdam has good production values, a strong cast, and likable characters. The plot for the pilot was nothing special -- a standard cop-show plot is all we'll find here. There's a murder and you can bet our hero will solve it by the end of the episode. Pretty standard. The most promising plot hook comes from the what we can see as a possible developing love triangle. Our hero, you see, may have found his soul-mate in a random woman on the subway, the woman he has sought for centuries, whose love will finally allow him to grow old. At the same time, there's a very real chemistry between him and his new female partner.

Again, it's NYPD Highlander. It's not necessarily original, but it is still very watchable. No swords, though.

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!

This is one of the most innovative shows on television I've seen in a while, despite the fact that this idea has been attempted before, to no avail. Fox took a big risk when they placed this show into the Monday 9PM time-slot that's been reserved for 24 for its past six seasons. Although, as many of you know, it has been delayed due to the writer's strike. This show is undoubtedly symbolic and eye-gripping. Once you start watching, you can't stop, and it's 45-minute runtime goes by in what seems like ten minutes. The lead is solid as John Amsterdam, and even though you can detect a slight Irish accent on him, it adds to the "everyman, been everywhere, done everything" part that he has to play. On an audience level, one has to think what it must be like to live for 400 years, with virtually no risk of mortality. That is, unless you find your true love. John is depicted as the idealistic everyman, since he's lived so long (born in the 17th century (the 1600's)), he's been able to pick up every skill and the knowledge of a genius. A homicide detective, John's experience has endowed him with an impeccable instinct and sharp mind, hence he is able to quickly solve crimes that would otherwise lead fellow investigators to dead ends or mistrials. Although only a handful of people know his secret, he sometimes lets slip facts that he shouldn't know about personally to others. For example:

"This bar used to be a speakeasy during the prohibition."

"How would you know that?"

"...I used to drink here..."

With that said, I think this is one of the shows that is worth watching these days. You can catch it on Fox, Monday at 9/8c. If you don't watch TV, you can also catch each episode as they're added on the fox website, under fox-on-demand.

I just saw it for the first time last night. However unoriginal the premise, it is still intriguing. As I understand it, the central character has witnessed the entire history of New York City. That is at least as interesting as the immortality bit.

So immortality has been done. No problem. Now why is he a cop? That has been done and done and done. This review is based on a single episode, but I saw so many elements that are hallmarks of prime-time mediocrity. They have a police department that is staffed by former underwear models. Not a single cop in the city wears a uniform. A conflict is introduced and resolved in one episode, and the solution is embarrassingly simplistic (talking to people with street cred until someone gives them a tape recording of the murder).

I see that it was canceled last year in the US. Honestly, it had potential. Someone took a good idea and played to the middle. If the formula worked for twenty other cop shows, why should it not work one more time?

This show is OK, seen the first 4 episodes. It borrows from the Highlander TV series in that the main character is immortal. He is made an immortal as a result of an act of kindness that he committed some 400 years ago and will only be made mortal again when he finds his one true love ? Well the historical flashbacks are OK and the show's a reasonable cop type show however the reason for his immortality is a bit daft and taking 400 years or more to find his true love is a bit stupid and kind of lame.

The idea behind the show is not as cool as highlander and is a bit of a wishy washy version of it. I guess it's better than Highlander the Raven but is in no way as entertaining as the original Duncan MacCloud based Highlander series. It's premise is just too soft and daft. Highlander for girls if you like ? Bring back Highlander this doesn't quite cut it.

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.

This was a good show, great characters, hospital shows are always people shows. So corny.

The show starts off w the lead character shaking things up which was good but it just went on and on. Then came every liberal talking point imaginable. The social warrior stuff anti cop incidents, everything is free and they always have free programs and services. It just go on and on and on.

For us normal folks, we just see right through the incredible amount of how this white guy resolves all our problems.

The promises they make to solve every patients issues and dreams is beyond pathetic. There was so much potential.

This show started off sounding great, but its only real strength seems to lie in the novelty aspect of the lead character. The acting and stories are a bit soft.

The show is about a 400 year old man who doesn't seem to age past his 30s. He's a police detective in New York and is destined to immortality until a particular circumstance arises.

OK - that sounds pretty cool. It was totally cool until we learn that the special condition was that he won't regain his mortality until he "weds" his one true love ("their souls are wed"). That sounds a bit cheesy.

Another issue is that the episodes aren't very memorable. The only interesting parts are bits that involve his immortality (his children, his past, etc). I can recall those little snippets, but can hardly remember the previous week's episode. The story-telling isn't very compelling.

If you're a sci-fi/fantasy fan, check out an episode or two and see what you think. If you're like me, it's worth watching, but just barely. If you're only in the market for an all-around good TV show, look elsewhere.

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.

I enjoyed this series when originally aired, and wouldnt mind seeing it again.

Note to "BPY" thanks for the giggle I got reading your breakdown of the show.

(PS I liked "Highlander also)

After watching the first two episodes I must say I am liking this so far. I my opinion the Highlander references are not that important as the series is developing the concept in a quite original way. By is giving the main character a more down to Earth life and an acceptance of his fate/destiny they have given the series a sightly more believable feel. The interweaving of the supporting characters with the introduction of people from Amsterdam's past is adding immensely to my enjoyment of this show. I hope it can be developed into a program that is worthy of more than one series. I appears from previous comments that the scheduling at Fox may play a major part in whether the audience is retained after its good start.

It was a good concept but badly executed by the writers and producers . Instead of spending 80 percent of the time in the present they should have done the opposite, and spent 80 percent on the past. The first three episodes referenced the past but then there was basically nothing other than an average cop show until episode 8, which referred to the past but then at that point it was cancelled. This was a writer and producer failure as the actors were amazing. Major constructual fail.

Network: Fox; Genre: Crime/Mystery; Content Rating: TV-PG (some violence); Perspective: contemporary (star range: 1 - 4);

Seasons Reviewed: Series (1 season)

After months of delays and promising promos, Fox's latest crime series "New Amterdam" sneaks out onto the schedule during the 2008 writer's strike. And now we know what the hold up was. The high concept series is a total bore.

The premise is a juicy one. John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau) is a New York cop who happens not to be able to die. Several hundred years ago a voodoo curse was put on him, the rules of which stipulated that he would not grow old or die until he found his soul mate and their souls were wed. In the pilot episode, Amsterdam has a heart attack on the subway amongst a crowd of people and nearly dies. Now the hunt is on for the woman who made him mortal, all the while solving the crime-of-the-week while we get flashbacks of Amsterdam at various stages of his life through the centuries. A potentially cool crime premise, feminized so that our hero is looking for a soul mate and reminiscing about his past loves and betrayals.

The show has no teeth, no personality. The mysteries are blah, Coaster-Waldau is even more bland than Kevin McKidd in "Journeyman". It looks like a mandate went out to the networks that people might want something more than the usual crime series, there has to be a hook, something interesting to reel people in and - bang - hit them with the same recycled, by-the-numbers mystery they love. In the hands of Bryan Fuller this might have been something, but Fox's assembly line drama trips over itself at the sound of the starter pistol.

What I dislike most about "New Amsterdam" is that it inspires nothing more in me than something a pretentious high school newspaper play critic might say. The lead is wooden and lifeless. The story is amateurishly executed. The production would serve as a replacement for Ambien. It pains to me write that as much as it pains you to read it. But that kind of hack work is all that "New Amsterdam" inspires.

The show doesn't explore it's two stories. Amsterdam doesn't use the fact that he's been around for decades and can't die toward solving the mysteries. If you really want to see a clever crime series with a wild concept that was actually fully explored and better tied to the murder mystery element, check out Fox's "Tru Calling". Leave "New Amsterdam" in the past where it belongs.

* / 4