The long wait for New Amsterdam Season 3 is almost over.
NBC announced Friday that its hit medical drama would be back on the air on Tuesday, March 2.
It will, once again, air in the Tuesdays-at-10/9c slot, which is currently home to Canadian import, Nurses.
As for what’s ahead for the characters, the NBC press release reads, “When Dr. Max Goodwin (played by Ryan Eggold) took over New Amsterdam, he asked a simple, revolutionary question: ‘How can I help?’ 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.”
New Amsterdam Season 2 averaged a 3.3 in the 18-49 demo and 13.8 million in total audience measurement and reached 45 million viewers over the course of its second season, according to the network.
While the series will tackle the pandemic in its third season, it looks like the flu pandemic episode that was supposed to air during New Amsterdam Season 2 will not see the light of day.
“The world needs a lot less fiction right now, and a lot more facts,” series creator David Schulner shared with Deadline last March, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We showed what happens when our hospital has to erect tents in the parking lot because every bed is taken.
“Today, we woke up to images of the military erecting tents to serve as makeshift morgues outside Bellevue hospital as New York is bracing for potential surge in coronavirus victims. Sometimes, what the mirror reflects back is too horrifying to look at.”
The good news for New Amsterdam fans is that the series was renewed for three seasons last year, meaning it will be on the air for three more full seasons, so there’s no end in sight … for now.
Many shows have been airing sporadically due to the production demands brought on by the pandemic, with shows like This Is Us and the Chicago dramas being scheduled whenever new episodes are available.
It’s unclear why New Amsterdam is getting a much later premiere, but it could mean that there will be a steadier inventory of episodes available, meaning less breaks when the show actually returns.
NBC recently announced that fellow Tuesday series, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, would be placed on a hiatus to accomodate two new comedies, one of which features The Rock.
It’s a difficult time for the TV industry due to the lack of shows with enough episodes available to air, but hopefully things will get better in the coming months.
Nurses has not been pulling in decent ratings out of This Is Us, so it’s likely New Amsterdam will pull in a considerably higher audience.
But one thing has been sure about New Amsterdam ever since it first aired:
It is a huge force in delayed viewing, meaning that many people check out the show post-airdate, which makes sense given the 10 pm time period.
New Amsterdam stars Ryan Eggold, Janet Montgomery, Freema Agyeman, Jocko Sims, Tyler Labine, and Anupam Kher.
What are your thoughts on the premiere date being announced?
Are you ready for more episodes?
Hit the comments below.
Remember you can watch New Amsterdam online right here via TV Fanatic.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.