The Big Problem New Amsterdam Fans Have With Max And Helen In Season 4

"New Amsterdam" is a medical drama on NBC that audiences seem to either love or hate. For a show that centers on a doctor breaking all the rules as a famous New York City public hospital in an effort to deliver the best care to patients, it hardly seems surprising that the series might be polarizing. Since its debut in 2018, the show has faced a lot of criticism for being less than factual with how they portray medical care, as well as certain storylines that fans expected more from, like Dr. Max Goodwin's (Ryan Eggold) Luna custody arc. Then again, "New Amsterdam" has an 8 out of 10 rating on IMDb, so maybe the team behind the NBC hit is doing something right.

One of the main plot points that keeps fans eager to see more is the will-they-won't-they romance between Max and Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman). At the beginning of Season 4, their close but platonic relationship finally evolves into a romantic one after that jaw-dropping Season 3 finale kiss (via TV Insider). Around the same time, fans were jumping for joy on social media because, for three seasons, "New Amsterdam" made an effort to develop the tight-knit connection between these doctors and deliver a connection worth rooting for to viewers (via YouTube). 

But now, we're left wondering if Max and Helen are destined for a happily ever after? Or is there a storm brewing on the horizon? Fans are picking up on some red flags that they aren't happy with, and it has them more than a little concerned.

An October 2021 Reddit thread posted to the r/NewAmsterdamTV subreddit shows fans buzzing as they discussed their issues with "Sharpwin," the portmanteau of Max and Helen's last names. (It's also worth noting portmanteaus are a common way to refer to a close relationship between two people, especially within fandoms.) The original poster laments how both characters aren't experiencing equal elation during their honeymoon phase and how the fact that "Helen just doesn't really seem happy enough" is ruining the magic, so to speak. Another fan, u/EmphasisOther8475, likens their incongruity to Max reading only "the first and last chapters" of the same book, while Helen is fully invested and reading the whole thing cover-to-cover. Their comment has one of the highest upvote counts in the entire thread, with many fans enthusiastically agreeing with their metaphor.

Honestly, even casual fans of the show might see this as a huge red flag. But it's a network TV show, which means they have to bump up the drama to keep ratings strong. Happy couples usually don't keep audiences engaged unless there are bumps in the road. As such, the writers could be doing this so they can keep people watching. Hopefully, they can find a middle ground and give fans a little bit more of what they want before Sharpwin fans get too frustrated.