New Amsterdam Season 5: A Moving Goodbye

NBC just aired the New Amsterdam Season 5 finale. More than just a normal season finale, this was also the series finale. An episode that ties up all of the storylines for the key characters who made this show so special. Here's a look inside this show and why it's not your typical medical drama.

What is New Amsterdam About

New Amsterdam is the story of Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) and the team of doctors at New York's oldest, public hospital. Always under funded, and under staffed, the New Amsterdam hospital struggles to deliver the best care possible to all of its patients. When the TV show first aired back in 2018, it was a pre-pandemic look at the healthcare system. But unlike most medical dramas, this series had heartwarming characters and storylines that helped us understand some of the challenges that doctors face.

At the start of the show, Max comes on board as the new Medical Director for the hospital. He takes people by surprise when he immediately gets rid of some of the department heads and instead looks for doctors who put their patients first and their egos second. Max's catch phrase is, “How can I help?”

The Real Doctor Behind New Amsterdam

The New Amsterdam TV show was inspired by the book Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital. The book is a memoir written by Dr. Eric Manheimer, the doctor for whom Max Goodwin is based. This was one of the first audiobooks that I listened to years ago when I first joined Audible. Narrated by Eric, I found his life and his stories fascinating. And while the show doesn't follow his book, it is inspired by it and focuses on the social issues within the medical field. More specifically, for public hospitals.

A Look at New Amsterdam Season 5

As a fan of New Amsterdam since it first aired, I haven't always loved the direction that the show took. In fact, I wrote an article about New Amsterdam Season 3 and how I wasn't happen with the storylines for that year. The good news is that the last two seasons have been more of what I loved about the show. And in New Amsterdam Season 5, we really get to see the Max that we all love. He is back at the hospital that saved his life, both literally and figuratively. He is still fighting the good fight and trying to make the hospital work for everyone.

New Amsterdam Season 5 Cast

One of the nice things about New Amsterdam Season 5, is that the writers and the showrunner knew that it was the last season for the show. Therefore, they could use the abbreviated season to wrap-up story lines and really give a nice send-off to all of the characters who we've loved for the past five years.

While I won't give away what happens in the final two episodes of the show, I will say that these episodes give us closure. There's Iggy (Tyler Fabine) who has been dealing with personal issues. Coming to terms with his childhood, and how his issues have impacted his personal relationships. More specifically, how it impacted his marriage and why he needed to make changes.

There's also Floyd (Jocko Sims) and Lauren (Janet Montgomery), two of the original cast members who have been with the show since day one. We've watched Floyd struggle with his personal life as well, and how he's never been able to find the right woman. Lauren has tackled addiction and the devastating affects of having a dysfunctional family. We get to see both of them find peace in the New Amsterdam Season 5 finale.

And then there is the brilliant Sandra Mae Frank (Elizabeth), who joined the show in 2021. She was a bright spot to the last two years of the show. Her character was smart, strong, and independent. She is such an amazing role model to us all and I loved having Sandra on the show. The relationship that she and Max have is special, and she was the one who brought a smile back to his face.

New Amsterdam Season 5 Goodbye

NBC has lost two of its best dramas over the last year. This is Us and New Amsterdam are both heartwarming and emotional shows. Each one tackled difficult stories, and challenged us to think about social issues and how we can help make things better. I think that one of the biggest lessons that each of these shows taught us, is that networks should let a show know in advance when it will come to an end.

Both of these shows knew in advance that the last season would indeed be their final one. This let the writers, the actors, and everyone involved maximize the storylines and give the shows a proper goodbye. So while I'm sad to see the show go, I am happy that New Amsterdam Season 5 was one of its best. It really did finish on a high, and it came full circle with the storylines for all of the characters.