New Amsterdam Season 6: Could The Series Actually Return?
Although the final episode of NBC's medical drama "New Amsterdam" officially aired in January of 2023 following an 89 episode run, the show's return might not be entirely out of the question.
The most significant reason why "New Amsterdam" was canceled seems to have been declining viewership — when its series finale premiered to NBC, its viewer base decreased to approximately one-third of the number of people who watched its debut episode. Since NBC never explicitly shared a reason for canceling "New Amsterdam," it's impossible to know if these numbers were the sole factor behind the network's decision. But presuming this to be the case, a resurgence in popularity on streaming services could be the precise impetus needed to bring back "New Amsterdam" for more.
Notably, a Deadline report revealing Nielsen streaming numbers for mid-February 2023 has "New Amsterdam" in that week's number two spot after amassing 1.1 billion minutes streamed between February 13 and 19. At that point in time, Seasons 3 and 4 had just dropped on Netflix, so those numbers have inevitably decreased since. Nevertheless, this surge in streaming viewership could be just the motivation needed for either NBC or Netflix to pick "New Amsterdam" back up for a sixth season.
There's more story to tell following the New Amsterdam series finale
When the final episode of "New Amsterdam" premiered to NBC, Deadline published an interview with executive producers Peter Horton and David Schulner, during which Horton shared that he thinks the series could have gone on much longer. "I still think this thing could have, should have run for another couple years. There are still so many stories to tell and these characters are so interesting," he said. "David came up with just a raft of amazing characters and I want to know more about all of them."
Schulner then pointed out that "New Amsterdam" was tied for the number one spot in its timeslot when it ended, whereas Horton highlighted the fact that it was already number three on Netflix's Top 10 list that week. "It's a bit of a mystery as to why it was canceled, to tell you the truth," Horton continued.
At the end of the "New Amsterdam" series finale, viewers learn in a flash-forward sequence that Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold)'s daughter Luna (Molly Griggs) follows in her father's footsteps and becomes the director of the New Amsterdam hospital. A future season could either pick up her story or fill in the sizable gap prior to that time skip. In short, then, both interest from its producers and a direction for new episodes are in place — all that's left is a green light from a network or streaming service.