New Amsterdam Ratings Reports for March 10

This gratuitous photo of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau should help ratings

Apparently the new Fox show, Canterbury’s Law, proved to be a poor lead in for New Amsterdam. But, NA still held on and actually picked up viewers compared to its lead in.

Here’s what the New York Times reports:

“Canterbury’s Law,” the new Fox legal drama, felt dark, mature and realistic — fare found more often on cable than on broadcast television. Julianna Margulies, the show’s star, said the network wanted to “bring a little FX to Fox.” But young viewers showed little interest in “Canterbury’s Law,” as the show’s premiere finished in fourth place in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic at 8 p.m. on Monday, Nielsen reported. Fox suggested that the transition to daylight saving time might have had some impact on the ratings. “Canterbury’s Law” averaged 7.6 million viewers, enough to place second in total viewers behind ABC’s “Bachelor,” but delivered a disappointing 1.7 rating in the 18-to-49 demographic favored by advertisers. At 9 p.m. “New Amsterdam” picked up some viewers for Fox, averaging 8.8 million viewers and a 2.5 rating in that demographic.

Unfortunately, TV Week reports “New Amsterdam” (2.5) moved into its official time slot yesterday. Without “American Idol” as a lead-in, “Amsterdam” dropped 29% from its previous airing. The show has dropped one full ratings point in each airing.” (The 2.5 is the share for the show.)

Let’s hope some stability in the Monday time slot will bring in some regular viewers. After all, it sounds like Canterbury’s Law won’t be helping.


My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found here.

New Amsterdam “Soldiers Heart” Gets My Pulse Racing

Image from Fox

In this episode of New Amsterdam, John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) handles a murder case of a doctor, recalls being a doctor himself in 1862, and has a face to face with his possible one true love, Dr. Sara Dillane (Alexie Gilmore).

Frankly, the story and the back story were both a little dull in this episode. Still, it had my heart racing. Why?

It’s John Amsterdam. Or shall I say Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. In just about every scene he is in, his mere presence steals it. I suppose for a guy who’s 400 years old, he seems to have learned the fine art of flirting very well. He literally flirts with the camera in every shot. And this is why I think the show could very well be a winner if they make some minor changes in either the cast or the dialog.

There are some flaws with the show. First, John is a little too free with offering information to his detective partner Eva (Zuleikha Robinson) that relate back to previous experiences years ago. If I had a partner like that who appeared to be making up stories, I think I’d have him submitted for a psych evaluation. (Eve does, however, call John a “freak of nature.” Little does she know how right she is.) I think the show should drop these constant obvious references with his partner to his past lives, or save them for his interactions with Omar(Stephen McKinley-Henderson) who DOES know John's secret.

Second flaw is that John sometimes doesn’t do what I think would be the obvious. He feels strongly that Sara is “the one” and by nearly stalking her (along with his very obvious dog), he finds out she’s an ER doctor at St. Francis; lives alone in the West Village; walks to work; and likes Tex Mex, Merlot, and take out Tandori. Now, keep in mind that he’s a detective, he probably could have used tools of his trade to find out that she has a husband. The look on his face when he realizes this was classic, but had he done his homework using his detective tools, he could have saved himself the shock.

But, there is a lot of good in the show. Personally, I think Nicolaj pulls off this role with perfection. I keep looking at him, thinking to myself that he reminds me of someone. I've come to the conclusion that he reminds me of several different people. I laughed out loud when he was told that he looks familiar, and he responds that he has “one of those faces.” That is absolutely true.

I also enjoyed when he seemingly lifted one of the lines from one of Fox’s hit shows “House” when Amsterdam says “Everybody lies.” And for some reason, I thought of the original Star Trek when Dr. Dillane said “I’m a doctor, not an angel.” (I am thinking back to Dr, McCoy and his famous “I’m a doctor, not a bricklayer”-type lines.)

The show is also a fountain of information, if one pays attention. I did some checking, and Walt Whitman’s brother George had fought at Antietam (the bloodiest Civil War battle), and in 1862, Walt searched hospitals and camps for him when his brother was listed as wounded. Walt got a horrific view of the war from the injured soldiers, and wrote accounts of some who had served in battle. Whitman published “Leaves of Grass” in 1855, so it was believable that he gave a copy to John. I also did not know that “soldier’s heart” is another term for post traumatic stress disorder, shell shock, and battle fatigue. I was always familiar with those terms, but somehow never connected them with the modern-named PTSD. This show wins points to me in its snippets of information like this.

The real winner in the show, though is Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. As I said earlier, this man can flirt with the camera. In every scene, his expressive face seems to be conveying genuine feeling. His eyes have a sparkle to them that is hard to fake. His face visibly brightens when he sees Dr. Dillane face to face. He is thrilled when she touches him to take his pulse, which is racing. (So is mine.) And wow, was that some kind of physical exam she was giving him? Yes, it was just a simple traditional exam, but with the look on his face, you’d swear she was making love with him. I swear he was enjoying his exam a little too much. It was as if at that point, he was the happiest he had ever been in years. And his face showed it.

At the very end, though, when he discovers Dr. Dillane is married, it was a great “Oops” moment. How could he have missed it? Poor guy, he looked so crestfallen that I felt very bad for him. Of course, what we’re not told is the exact state of her marriage, so maybe there is hope yet for John.

I think New Amsterdam has great possibilities. With someone like Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the lead role, it’s a certainty that I’m going to continue to watch.



My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.

New Amsterdam: "Honor" and "Keep The Change" Coming Up

Fox has released the summaries for episodes #4 and #5, air dates March 17 and March 24, respectively.

“HONOR” Episode # 4, air date March 17

A BRUTAL MURDER IS REMINISCENT OF ONE FROM THE PAST ON "NEW AMSTERDAM" MONDAY, MARCH 17, ON FOX

The brutal rape and murder of a nun and similar attack on a photographer’s assistant who escapes death leads Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) to remember similar crimes he witnessed in the 1800s when he was a coachman for a wealthy landowner. Meanwhile, Amsterdam and Sara get better acquainted on the “Honor” episode of NEW AMSTERDAM airing Monday, March 17 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Cast: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as John Amsterdam; Zuleikha Robinson as Eva Marquez, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Omar, Alexie Gilmore as Dr. Sara Dillane.

Guest Cast: Robert Clohessy as Detective Santori, Yazmin Kazi as Amartya Vikram, Marjan Neshat as Charvi, Tom Mardirosian as Samar, Aaron Lazar as Ben Robbins, Erik Jensen as Durst, Kristen Connolly as Fanny, Kathleen McNenny as Catherine, Katie Henney as K. Johanna, Michael Pemberton as Shannon, Jamie Harrold as Mank, Howard Overshown as Dr. Costello, Michelle Carano as Nurse, Christina Starbuck as Mary Worth, Tony F. DeVito as Phillip Long, and Trish McCall as Eastsider Nurse.


"KEEP THE CHANGE" Episode # 5, air date March 24.

12-STEPS BACK INTO AMSTERDAM’S PAST "NEW AMSTERDAM" MONDAY, MARCH 24, ON FOX

John and Eva investigate the death of a homeless man whose best friend believes that his overdose was actually a homicide. They uncover a mysterious connection between the new homeless shelter and an expensive guitar the dead homeless man kept in his locker. Meanwhile, John remembers when he struggled with addictions and entered a 12-step program back in 1964 after passing out drunk one too many times and ending up in the psych ward on the “Keep The Change” episode of NEW AMSTERDAM airing Monday, March 24 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Cast: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as John Amsterdam; Zuleikha Robinson as Eva Marquez, Stephen McKinley Henderson as Omar, Alexie Gilmore as Dr. Sara Dillane.

Guest Cast: Robert Clohessy as Detective Santori, Callie Burnett as Jamie Herrold, Nick Sandow as Frank, Brian Tarantina as Mick, Mandell Butler as Young Omar, Stephen Kunken as Ben Tucker, Bridget Regan as Daphne Tucker, Justin Hagan as Howard, Ian Brennan as Chris Duncan, Edwina Findley as Tara Brown, Bridget Barkan as Margaret, Anthony Desio as Bob and Silvestre Rasuk as Kid.

My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.

New Amsterdam “Soldier’s Heart” Episode Summary Air Date March 10, 2008

The new episode for New Amsterdam will appear in its regular time period, Mondays at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

Here’s the episode summary for “Soldier’s Heart” from Fox:

SECRETS LEAD TO MURDER AND ONLY AMSTERDAM CAN FIND WHO IS REPONSIBLE ON AN ALL-NEW "NEW AMSTERDAM" MONDAY, MARCH 10, ON FOX

A homeless Gulf War veteran (Orlando Jones) confesses to the grisly murder of a controversial psychiatrist, but Amsterdam is skeptical. While reviewing the psychiatrist’s soon-to-be published book, Amsterdam contemplates the reliability of memories and the reasons people bury them. Could the motive for this murder lie in the psychiatrist’s own research? The murder also brings Amsterdam closer to finding “the one” who he believes will unlock his heart and make him mortal. Though he’s certain the sparks he feels are real, he encounters the unexpected in the “Soldier’s Heart” episode of NEW AMSTERDAM airing Monday, March 10 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Cast: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as John Amsterdam; Zuleikha Robinson as Eva Marquez, Stephen Henderson as Omar, Alexie Gilmore as Dr. Sara Dillane.

Guest Cast: Robert Clohessy as Detective Santori, Rock Kohli as Vendor, Chazz Menendez as Uniform Cop, Alice Barrett Mitchell as Dr. Evelyn Prender, CJ Wilson as Walt, Bruce Altman as Dr. Lewis Prender, Michi Barall as Martha Fox, Nick Westrate as Sullivan, Stivi Paskoski as Donny Amadee, Orlando Jones as Sgt. Harold Wilcox, Mark Blum as Dr. Macvittie, Thomas Waiters as James Lucas, Lauren Fox as Susan Lucas, Joanna Adler as Tech, Richard Short as Robert Camp, Aaron Ramey as Stockbroker, Georgia X. Lifsher as NYU Student, Christa Scott-Reed as Woman #1, Kari Swenson Riely as Woman #2, and Emily Dorsch as Nurse,



My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.

Fox NY Interviews Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

I thought you’d enjoy this short interview from Fox NY with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, that was done the day the show premiered.

The video is at this link, which opens in a new window

My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.

New Amsterdam: “Golden Boy” Shines

After a somewhat muddled pilot episode, this second episode was a great improvement. It handled both the back story and the current story line with better balance and flow.

In this episode, we get a glimpse into John’s (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) life in the 1940s, plus a little, well make that big, surprise about his current secret keeper and “friend” Omar (Stephen McKinley Henderson). We hear it early on, in this exchange between John and Omar, at the gravesite of Lily Rae York (Yolanda Ross):

Omar: Just seems like the only thing you care about these day is finding the girl.

John: Hey, I’ve been looking for her for 400…

Omar: 400 years, I know. The woman who’ll turn your hair gray. The one. So, so what does that make my mother? The fifth? The twenty-fifth? Does she get a number like your dogs?

John: Watch your step, Omar.

Omar: Or what? You’re gonna ground me? Take me to the woodshed? I’m a 65-year-old man.

John: You’re my son.

Omar: My mother loved you, and that was a hard thing for her to do. So if she wasn’t the one, what the hell was she? (Omar walks off.)

John is investigating a case of apparent autoerotic asphyxiation, which they later find was a case of a staged murder. The case itself was a little trite and dull, but it was saved by a few moments. For example, when John is in the morgue, one of the morgue guys tries to tell John numerous jokes, to which John knows the punch line only after the guy recites the first few words of the joke. I would imagine he’s heard then all. I couldn’t figure out, though, why John felt the need to chase down and stop the ambulance that he thought took him to the hospital during his heart attack. He couldn’t wait until the ambulance got to the hospital? For someone who’s lived 400 years, his impatience, and judgment, seemed out of place.

Also during the investigation, John cuts a discussion short with Peter Huygens (Casey Siemaszko) at the school. Eva (Zuleikha Robinson) is miffed and gives John a dressing down – of course he pulls the fire alarm and gets the distraction he needs. But frankly, I felt her outrage here was a little forced. Her upset just didn’t come through as real, it came through as acting. After watching the first two episodes, I think she is the weak link here in the cast.

While John investigating this murder, we see many flashbacks to the 1940s, where John was apparently the prestigious attorney John York in an office in the Chrysler Building, We also find that his secretary is also his daughter. She knows John’s secret, seeing that, she says, he looks as good as he did when she married her mother 50 years ago. I am sure John has kids, grandkids, and great, great grandkids (you get the idea) kids everywhere. This gives the show an awful lot to work with.

John again uses his talent – this time it appears to be forgery – to trick the suspect and solve the case. I thought the case itself was predictable and I have to admit I was a lot more intrigued in the back story. Did I hear correctly that he was born Johann van der Zee on June 1, 1607?

The flashbacks in this episode were very interesting and I thought really brought needed depth to John’s relationship with Omar. This includes how Omar probably got his name: from a gift John gave to his mother the day he was born, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. When John gives Omar the book, Omar returns the favor with the correct information on the ambulance number that carried John to the hospital, to help him find “The One.”

I found it interesting when the episode closed with a line and song I remember from the movie Moulin Rouge, “The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” It was originally performed by Nat King Cole, and is called "Nature Boy." Still, when it was used in Moulin Rouge, it became one of my favorite movie lines and thought it made a fitting end to this episode.

Again, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau shined in this episode, whether he was in the past or the present. I don’t think the could have found anyone better. He’s the real Golden Boy of this show.

My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.

New Amsterdam Premier Wins Time Slot

The web site Zap2it reports that New Amsterdam’s pilot episode lost some of the American Idol lead-in audience, but still won it’s time slot. Hopefully the viewers will come back on Thursday.

“'American Idol' Boosts 'New Amsterdam' Tuesday
As usual, FOX easily wins the night's ratings battle

FOX's new drama "New Amsterdam" reaped the benefits of a big lead-in Tuesday on its way to fairly solid ratings.

Per usual for a Tuesday, FOX dominated the night with a 12.1 rating/18 share. NBC came in second with a 5.9/9, drawing less than half the total viewers FOX did. CBS, 5.1/8, came in third, followed by ABC at 3.7/5. The CW put up a 1.6/2.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX's 7.5 rating lapped the field. NBC's 3.3 was good for second. CBS, 2.1, finished third, followed by ABC, 1.8, and The CW, 1.1.

"American Idol" scored a 15.9/24 for FOX at 8 p.m. CBS' "NCIS" rerun earned a 7.0/10 to take second. "The Biggest Loser" delivered a 4.6/7 for NBC, topping the 3.3/5 "Just for Laughs" brought to ABC. An "America's Next Top Model" rerun on The CW trailed.

The premiere of immortal-cop drama "New Amsterdam," 8.3/12, lost a little more than half the "Idol" audience but kept FOX in the lead at 9 p.m. "The Biggest Loser" improved to 6.5/10 on NBC. "Big Brother," 4.3/7, put CBS in third, while ABC held steady with "According to Jim" and "Carpoolers." The CW's "One Tree Hill" drew a 2.0/3.

NBC claimed the top spot at 10 p.m. with a "Law & Order: SVU" rerun, 6.5/11. "Primetime" scored a 4.5/8 for ABC, beating out the 3.9/7 for "Jericho" on CBS. "

My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.

New Amsterdam Pilot: Weak Start, Promising Finish

Image from Fox
If I had put this pilot episode together, I would have done it differently. If one didn’t know the show’s premise in advance, I believe it would have been a confusing start.

If you’re reading this and you don’t know the premise of the show, it’s this: In 1642, John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a Dutch solider in the colony of New Amsterdam (which later becomes New York City), stepped in front of a sword to save the life of a Native American girl during a massacre of her tribe. The girl in turn rescues John, and casts an ancient spell that made him immortal - that is, until he finds his one true love. Only then will he become mortal. At the present time, he lives in Manhattan as a homicide detective, with new partner Eva Marquez (Zuleikha Robinson). His current friend, jazz club owner Omar (Stephen McKinley-Henderson), knows Amsterdam’s secret.

Had I assembled this pilot, I would have started with a complete focus on his incident where he nearly lost his life and was rescued, then given immortality, by the Native American girl. I may not have spent any more time on it than they did over the course of the entire episode, but having the back story lead in to the show would have made everything else make more sense. I had to explain everything to my husband in the first 10 minutes or so of the show, which, after that point, it seemed to develop more into the present day story.

When John suffers a heart attack while chasing a victim, it may have been a little fuzzy at first if it was from exertion, or, if it was because he was in close proximity to “The One” true love (presumably Dr. Sara Dillane, played by Alexie Gilmore). Maybe it was a little of both. Again, for someone not knowing the premise of the show ahead of time, this could have caused some confusion for viewers.

The plot of the pilot was a little thin, but that is to be expected when you only have an hour to set up the back story and then get into the modern day homicide case. I did find it interesting, though, that the murder case led him to an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s who he knew in the past. Her question “Do I know you?” and his answer “Not any more” was a little predictable, but set up nicely for her running back out to him, clearly recalling how she knew him. Of course, she appeared to everyone else that she was off in the head, but John knew better. I suspect that there will be more situations like this as the episodes progress, but hopefully it will not be an overused plot device.

We also got to see some of John’s talents that he’s built over the years. Lip reading is one that came in handy working this case, and it will be interesting to see what other skills he has.

As far as the cast, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is perfect in the role of John Amsterdam. He’s got the right mix of seriousness, levity, and charm. He’s attractive. Only one downside is that his voice is a little quiet, which sometimes makes his dialog hard to hear. His partner Eva (Robinson) seems flat in her role, and at times delivered her lines as if she were reading lines in rehearsal. And his friend Omar (McKinley-Henderson) brings some depth and realism.

Despite a possibly poorly executed back story for the pilot, the show has a lot of possibilities. I am hoping for a long, long life.


My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.

New Amsterdam Video Preview

Here is a promo tease for New Amsterdam from Fox and the theme song.





My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.

New Amsterdam “Has Charms”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer today featured their review of New Amsterdam. See article below and at this link.

"Fox's 'New Amsterdam' isn't original, but has its charms
by Mark Dawidziak/Plain Dealer Television Critic
Monday March 03, 2008, 12:45 PM

You won't find much that's startlingly new in "New Amsterdam." The Fox series, which premieres at 9 p.m. Tuesday on WJW Channel 8, seems derivative because, well, it is derivative.

Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stars as John Amsterdam, a New York homicide detective who is daring, clever and, oh, yes, immortal. He has been on the law-and-order beat since 1642. That's when the island we know as Manhattan was part of the Dutch colony known as New Amsterdam.

After heroically saving a Native American girl, John was the beneficiary of an immortality spell. He will not age until true love enters his unnaturally extended life.

Sounds a wee bit like "Highlander." It also sounds a little like the CBS vampire drama, "Moonlight," which sounded a lot like "Angel" and "Forever Knight."

But "New Amsterdam," for all its familiarity, assembles the many used parts into a fairly attractive prime-time vehicle. And with the likable Coster-Waldau in the driver's seat, it gradually picks up speed through the first three episodes.


Part police procedural, part fantasy and part romantic adventure, the dark series makes intriguing use of New York's sense of history and mystery. That's not to say "New Amsterdam" manages to avoid every Cross Bronx Expressway-style pothole.

John's voiceover narration can get clunky. The police procedural stuff is too much by the numbers. And you can see some of the dialogue coming at you like a Fifth Avenue bus.

The series is at its best, however, when the narration and plots find ways to link John's past and present.

"New York City -- beautiful catastrophe, someone once called it," John tells us during tonight's opener about the murder of a Big Apple socialite. "I call it home. . . . When you've lived here has long as I have, when you've seen what I've seen, cynicism isn't just a pose. It's what gets you through the day. And there have been a lot of days. . . . Life was cheap in New Amsterdam. Still is."

Predictably, John wears immortality as a blessing and a curse. He has his demons, including alcohol. He has hit outlets, including woodwork.

He has a new partner Eva Marquez (Zuleikha Robinson). He has the hope of romance with ER doctor Sara Dillane (Alexie Gilmore), And he has one confidant, Omar (Stephen Henderson), the owner of a Manhattan jazz club.

"Romance, glamour, excitement -- the city has it all," John says.

"New Amsterdam" certainly has all of these elements. What it needs now is that one thing John has had in abundance -- time. It needs time to let a 17th-century hero settle into a 21st-century Fox series.

"It's the kind of thing we're dealing with in the writers' room every day," said the show's executive producer David Manson. "Finding a balance between these various elements of the show is in fact part of the challenge of the show."

While "New Amsterdam" hasn't quite found that balance, it's off to an impressive start. But Manson might need to worry more about the mortality of his star than the central character.

Calling the search for true love the main appeal of the show, Coster-Waldau said: "Isn't that the question that all of us ask? I mean, I'm married. Sometimes I love my wife to bits. Other times, I go, 'This can't be it.'

"She's in Greenland. She's not going to read what you write."

And John Amsterdam is the one who is supposed to be taking the chances.”



My New Amsterdam blog home page can be found
here.