New Amsterdam: Is the FOX Series Cursed? As Good as Cancelled?

If you were watching FOX during the Summer months, you surely saw promos for what seemed to be one of the network’s next big Fall series. So, where did it go?

New Amsterdam tells the story NYC homicide detective John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster Waldau). Described as brilliant, reckless and mysterious, John is also secretly immortal. He was fatally injured back in 1642 but was saved by a Native American girl’s spell. While the spell saved his life, John is doomed to watch his friends and family age and die while he remains unchanged by time. He won’t become mortal again until he’s able to find his one true love. Other series regulars include Stephen Henderson, Zuleikha Robinson, and Alexie Gilmore.

On May 11th, the series was given a 13-episode commitment. Six days later, FOX announced its Fall schedule and New Amsterdam was headed for Tuesday nights at 8pm. The romantic action series had a prominent place in the network’s promotions and was scheduled to be the lead-in for House’s fourth season premiere on September 25th.

At the July press tour, it seemed that the producers didn’t have a firm grasp on the show’s creative direction. Soon afterwards, the pilot was reportedly overhauled. On August 3rd, Amsterdam’s debut was pushed back to an unspecified midseason date. Rumors are that network execs still have creative issues with the series.

Word is that production on Amsterdam has been or will be shut down soon with just seven or eight episodes completed. This means that five or six episodes of the 13-episode order haven’t been filmed — and probably never will be.

The official word is that executives want to evaluate what’s been completed thus far before moving forward. The production halt is likely due, at least in part, to the fact that FOX is overflowing with midseason series. But, considering the network’s seeming lack of enthusiasm, it looks possible that Amsterdam could be bumped again and aired as a Summer burn-off series (ala Traveler or the second season of The Loop). Will this series about an immortal get a fair chance at life? Time will tell so stay tuned!