Season 3 of 'New Amsterdam' Is Tackling the COVID-19 Pandemic From the Perspective of Frontline Workers
Updated March 30 2021, 9:48 a.m. ET
It was rare for a television show to incorporate the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is quickly becoming more common. In New Amsterdam, the producers felt it would be a disservice not to tackle it in Season 3, so they had to rewrite the season and delay filming. Although New Amsterdam Season 3 is premiering in March 2021, it wasn’t filmed too long before that.
When the pandemic hit, not only did New Amsterdam have to completely pivot their third season, but it also affected their second season. They decided not to air one episode — “Pandemic” — because it hit too close to home with a flu pandemic storyline. Instead, they closed out the second season with “Matter of Seconds.” The writers then decided to pivot to focus on the pandemic in Season 3, but when did they have time to film it?
‘New Amsterdam’ Season 3 was filmed in the fall of 2020.
When TVInsider spoke with New Amsterdam showrunner David Schulner, he provided some insight into how the pandemic affected the plot of Season 3. He shared, “I don’t think we can ignore the reality of the pandemic, especially as health care professionals in New York City at a large public hospital. All our plans are out the window, and like everyone else in the world, we’re going to have to rethink everything we do.”
This meant that after March, the writers had to go back to the drawing board to create a whole new third season. Not only that, but they had to adjust filming to accommodate coronavirus restrictions and quarantines. Luckily though, because they film in NYC instead of LA, they were able to get back to filming without a hitch.
One blogger who follows the show, Matt Carter, wrote that in November 2020, New Amsterdam had restarted production. However, in October 2020, Fansided had reported that New Amsterdam Season 3 had not yet started filming. By this logic, we can assume that New Amsterdam Season 3 was filmed starting in November. It’s a quick turnaround to air the show in March 2021, but they did it!
‘New Amsterdam’ Season 3 was filmed when the pandemic had to play a role.
The showrunner felt that not including the coronavirus pandemic in the third season of New Amsterdam would be a major oversight. As far as what to expect, David Schulner shared, “In Season 3, Max and his team face the daunting task of sustaining that optimism while dealing with a pandemic that exposed the gaping inequities in our health care. Max is no longer content to fix a broken system. He’s determined to tear it down and build something better.”
As far as what storylines will continue, there’s no way of knowing. Dr. Floyd Reynolds left the hospital to move to San Francisco with his fiancee, Evie, at the end of Season 2, but it’s possible they could return. There are also a few romantic storylines, such as Max and Sharpe, that would have seen more airtime if Season 2 was not interrupted by the pandemic, but we’re not sure how much we will see of these storylines in Season 3.
It’ll definitely be eye-opening to see how a television show really tackles the day-to-day of frontline workers in the hospital during the pandemic. New Amsterdam Season 3 premieres on Tuesday, March 2 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
