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".

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

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 love me those immortal-crimefighter shows, and this is an understated, smart and amusing update. Sure, the pilot looked like CSI Highlander (or Forever Knight, or Angel...), but the next couple episodes show that, while some programs(cough*Moonlight*) just lower the common denominator of this mini-genre, New Amsterdam gives it a fresh, understated twist.For instance, instead of being a tortured loner or part of a tragically hip crypto-elite, Amsterdam has scores of descendants running around, at least one of whom knows all about the immortality thing. Instead of having a whole elaborate vampirism-as-addiction plot like Forever Knight/Buffy/Angel/Moonlight, this has (so far) one throwaway scene where Amsterdam goes to an AA meeting and reports he's been sober for several decades. Instead of being "enigmatic" (as the Fox website folk claim, for reasons best known to themselves), he blithely reminisces about his history to everyone in sight, secure in the knowledge they won't believe him.Oh, and he can't hook up with the love of his life not because of some elaborate supernatural sex curse or immortal war, but because she's garden-variety married.On the downside, the hero is a bit smug, although fortunately, Fox is also wrong about him being "brilliant" (he is very well-informed, though).P.S. The only thing this show has in common with its ultra-lowbrow cousin Moonlight is that the hero is sometimes gratuitously naked for brief periods. I guess beefcake is the official flavor of the new millennium.