Although fans know that New Amsterdam was canceled after a five-season run, they are unaware of why it was cancelled and why the medical drama ended so abruptly. Here is everything you need to know.
Why was New Amsterdam canceled?
New Amsterdam was canceled because of poor viewership ratings.
When the show first premiered in the U.S., it had a strong viewership of 8.39 million (via TV by the Numbers). However, with each successive season, the viewership faced a sharp and steady decline. This decline worsened to the point where by the final episode of the final season, the viewership was a staggeringly low 2.83 million.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the world during New Amsterdam’s second season’s airing, drastically affected the show in two major ways and likely contributed to its eventual cancelation:
- One way was the indefinite shutdown of television show production schedules which also included New Amsterdam.
- The second way was an episode of the second season being pulled from its lineup in March 2020. This episode was reportedly centered around the Influenza outbreak, which was eerily similar to the scary COVID-19 situation at the time.
- David Schulner, the series creator, revealed to Deadline that this was pulled from the schedule as the world did not need to be reminded of the situation they were in at the time.
Furthermore, the exit of two popular starring cast members, Anupam Kher’s Dr. Vijay Kapoor and Freema Agyeman’s Dr. Helen Sharpe, may also have affected the show and its viewership.
Why did New Amsterdam end so abruptly and suddenly?
The official reason for New Amsterdam’s abrupt end is currently unknown as NBC Universal hasn’t made any statements about it. However, it is likely due to the show’s poor ratings.
The sudden cancellation of New Amsterdam even shocked the creator of the show, David Schulner, and executive producer, Peter Horton, who believe that the official reason for the cancelation is a mystery to even them, as they revealed in an interview with Deadline. In the interview, they also admitted that the show’s cancelation was quite premature and that they were hoping to make more seasons for it.
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