Breaking barriers! The cast of New Amsterdam has a strong message to send for viewers: it’s not just another medical drama. In the world of Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Doctor and Chicago Med, it’s tough for a medical drama to break through – even for the stars of the show.
“One thing that separates this show from others is that there will be [romances] but I’m hoping we don’t lean into the soap opera qualities of the relationships that you’ve seen on other hospital shows,” Ryan Eggold, who plays Dr. Max Goodwin in the drama, told Us Weekly at SeriesFest in Denver, Colorado. “There is a larger discussion about we have about what isn’t working in the health care system and political system at large. But without the romantic tilt, the personal relationships are endlessly fascinating. At the end of the day, that’s what we all relate to. That’s what I relate to. That’s why I watch something – two people connecting.”
While Goodwin is the new medical director at Bellevue hospital, Janet Montgomery plays Dr. Lauren Bloom who runs the ER. “She’s a little ADHD, a very high-energy person. She’s moonlighting at other hospitals. When you see her, she looks like she should be one of the patients. But she’s actually running a department,” the This Is Us alum, 32, tells Us.
While their characters are very different, they both agree on something: this isn’t like any other medical drama on TV.
“There is a stigma about a hospital drama. ‘Oh, you’ve seen that show before.’ When I heard about this script, I said ‘Eh. There’s nothing new there. Why would I do that?’ I read it, and I thought it really was different,” the former Blacklist star, 34, said. “The characters are so real and honest. There was a tone that felt unique. If people can give it a shot, they’ll see what we see in it: A great deal of humanity.”
Of course, they do feel the pressure with their new show, especially given its time slot. New Amsterdam will air following This Is Us, one of the network’s most successful and beloved dramas.
“It’s amazing and flattering. Can’t say that NBC hasn’t given us a chance,” Montgomery noted. “We can’t believe the hype. We just want to make a show that’s good! We just don’t know. It’s like England in the World Cup. Nobody knows.”
New Amsterdam premieres Tuesday, September 25, at 10 p.m. ET.
With reporting from Mara Reinstein
