Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Medical drama is fun but totally predictable.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
New Amsterdam
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 22 parent reviews
Parents say the show started strongly but quickly became criticized for pushing a politically charged agenda and unrealistic portrayals, particularly in later seasons, causing many viewers to lose interest. While some found it enjoyable and binge-worthy, a significant number felt it devolved into a preachy narrative that overshadowed the medical aspects and authenticity of the storyline.
- decline in quality
- politically charged content
- unrealistic portrayals
- polarizing opinions
- binge-worthy potential
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 6 kid reviews
What's the Story?
Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) is the impish and (of course!) devilishly handsome new medical director of NEW AMSTERDAM public hospital in New York City, and he's inherited a problem: New Amsterdam Hospital is performing way behind rival NY hospitals, so Goodwin intends to clean house and return glory to the once iconic facility. Along for the ride are new cardiac surgery chief Floyd Reynolds (Jocko Sims), tough but tender ER doctor Lauren Bloom (Janet Montgomery), and quirky head of psychiatry Iggy Frome (Tyler Labine). This drama was inspired by a nonfiction book about New York's Bellevue hospital.
Is It Any Good?
Briskly plotted and staffed with TV's staple super-hot doctors, this series is watchable but as predictable as any other hospital drama. Patients come in, patients go out. Sometimes they live, rescued from the brink of death by a doctor who makes a diagnosis in the nick of time. Sometimes they die and doctors have to break the news to grieving families. In between, doctors flirt and feud, follow gurneys into operating rooms, and look better in scrubs and white coats than their real-life counterparts. And not one beat in any of these storylines will surprise you.
That's not to say New Amsterdam is a bad example of genus Medical Drama. On the contrary, Eggold is as adorable as a baby deer (who can diagnose your cerebral infarction) and has a fire in his belly, and there's real drama to be wrung from the health (or lack thereof) of the citizens of NYC and the doctors at New Amsterdam. Author Dr. Eric Manheimer proved as much with his 2012 book Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital, which this series is loosely based on. It's just that you've seen this type of thing before -- many times before. If it's what you like, you might like this.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how accurately New Amsterdam portrays the medical profession. Do you think the bed-hopping and personal problems are overblown for the sake of ratings, or is it rooted in reality?
How does this medical soap compare to others like it on the air, or even those that have come before it, such as ER or Grey's Anatomy? Is it like these shows? How? In what ways is it different? If you like one of these shows, will you like others?
Do the doctors on this show look like doctors you see? Why do people on TV usually look better than people in real life? Do you like that, or would you rather see people who look more realistic?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 25, 2018
- Cast : Ryan Eggold , Freema Agyeman , Janet Montgomery , Jocko Sims
- Network : NBC
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate