From personal experience, hospital life is exciting at times but mostly dull and routine-fueled. That's why writers turn it up to 11 in medical dramas: to make medical careers seem like an endless stream of intense situations, with life-changing moments with patients occurring every single day. I know that you can't be 100% true-to-life realistic in a show, that fiction is always present.
But I think they overdid it with New Amsterdam. First I'll focus on what the show does right: * New hospital director is very dynamic, innovative and not afraid to get his hands dirty, he is persuasive and has a solid presence, and he speaks Spanish! * Plot twist: he's got cancer! It's not your average medical drama huh? * Characters are interesting and well-written, the pacing is great and it keeps you watching - the whole thing is entertaining, which should be the main goal of ANY show
However, there is an unfortunate number of things that stand out - and at first you try to turn a blind eye, not pay attention... but they start piling up, and for me, the stack collapses when you hear the psychiatrist say in a completely serious tone: "you're extremely gifted at Twitter", to a 16yo trans kid that tantrum-cancelled him on twitter for not green-lighting a sex change surgery. The kid literally slandered a doctor, potentially ruined his reputation online and there were zero consequences. None. Nada. And of course, the surgery was green-lighted (a year after the episode).
The show tries way too hard to portray this idealistic, ridiculous idea that there is always a happy ending. The "moral of the story" messages I've got from this show are as follows: If you're the boss, you can do whatever you want and change whatever you please with no consequences. If you're persistent enough and believe it hard enough, everything will be just fine. There are no sad moments, and if one slips in, it doesn't last too long - good vibes only! Everything always has a closure. Flings aside, every workplace is super healthy and there is no envy or jealousy. Everybody plays along well with each other and nobody tries to sabotage you, make you fail or seek an opportunity to replace you and your well-paid position. And most importantly: everybody loves the boss as long as he smiles and plays it cool. They will be super worried about you if you collapse due to having cancer, despite only knowing you for what, a month?
Like I said, the show has plenty of good moments and is entertaining enough, but boy is it corny. And as you watch more episodes it's more and more obvious that they're just pushing a political agenda.
But I think they overdid it with New Amsterdam. First I'll focus on what the show does right: * New hospital director is very dynamic, innovative and not afraid to get his hands dirty, he is persuasive and has a solid presence, and he speaks Spanish! * Plot twist: he's got cancer! It's not your average medical drama huh? * Characters are interesting and well-written, the pacing is great and it keeps you watching - the whole thing is entertaining, which should be the main goal of ANY show
However, there is an unfortunate number of things that stand out - and at first you try to turn a blind eye, not pay attention... but they start piling up, and for me, the stack collapses when you hear the psychiatrist say in a completely serious tone: "you're extremely gifted at Twitter", to a 16yo trans kid that tantrum-cancelled him on twitter for not green-lighting a sex change surgery. The kid literally slandered a doctor, potentially ruined his reputation online and there were zero consequences. None. Nada. And of course, the surgery was green-lighted (a year after the episode).
The show tries way too hard to portray this idealistic, ridiculous idea that there is always a happy ending. The "moral of the story" messages I've got from this show are as follows: If you're the boss, you can do whatever you want and change whatever you please with no consequences. If you're persistent enough and believe it hard enough, everything will be just fine. There are no sad moments, and if one slips in, it doesn't last too long - good vibes only! Everything always has a closure. Flings aside, every workplace is super healthy and there is no envy or jealousy. Everybody plays along well with each other and nobody tries to sabotage you, make you fail or seek an opportunity to replace you and your well-paid position. And most importantly: everybody loves the boss as long as he smiles and plays it cool. They will be super worried about you if you collapse due to having cancer, despite only knowing you for what, a month?
Like I said, the show has plenty of good moments and is entertaining enough, but boy is it corny. And as you watch more episodes it's more and more obvious that they're just pushing a political agenda.