We Finally Know Whether Dr. Helen Sharpe Is Returning For Season 5 Of New Amsterdam

Running a hospital is one thing, but traveling the country promoting said hospital while also working in an oncology center? That takes a special kind of individual. Luckily for fans of "New Amsterdam," Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman) is more than capable of the tasks at hand. "New Amsterdam" kicks off with the arrival of Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold), who is summoned in order to turn a struggling hospital around. Unfortunately, it is established quite early in the series that Max is suffering from cancer, and he develops an off-again, on-again relationship with Helen through the course of his treatments. This dynamic is often a major plot point of the series.

According to NBC Insider, the upcoming fifth season of "New Amsterdam," which is set to premiere on September 20, 2022, will be the show's last. There have been several questions regarding Helen's future on the show, as she has made overtures of having kids or staying in London throughout Season 4. In the final episode, Max and Helen were supposed to be getting married, but the nuptials are called off when Helen reveals that she hasn't left London. So the real question is whether or not Helen will be sticking around for the final season of "New Amsterdam," or if her character will be pursuing a different life direction.

Taking to her Instagram account, Freema Agyeman announced that she will not be returning to the role of Dr. Helen Sharpe. She thanked all of the fans of "New Amsterdam" for their enthusiastic support, and added that she has enjoyed connecting with people over their mutual love of the story, and the emotional investment in her character. After she revealed that she is not coming back for Season 5, she added, "While I am saddened, I am also incredibly excited to see how the story concludes as a fan of the series." For her sendoff, she gave a shoutout to all the "New Amsterdam" fanfic writers who will be keeping her character alive in their own way. 

Entertainment Weekly released an official statement from showrunners David Schulner and Peter Horton that said, "We wish Freema the best of luck on her next chapter and the doors of 'New Amsterdam' will always be open if she wishes to return! ... As we head into the fifth and final season we want our #Sharpwin fans to know we still have a few surprises in store for them."

So it seems that even though Agyeman is leaving "New Amsterdam," she is more than welcome to return if a spin-off series ever happens, which Deadline confirmed as a possibility in 2020. Either way, it sounds like fans should hopefully get some closure on the relationship between Max and Helen in Season 5 of "New Amsterdam," considering what happened in the final episode of Season 4.