New Amsterdam
immortal cop turns mortal when he meets his one true love
Type of Pilot: Fantasy; Cop Drama
Similar Shows: Highlander (particular during the awesome Season Three when Duncan, the immortal, was dating Dr. Anne Lindsay), Life (quirky cop with a new female partner)
The Inner Light: Sometimes you have to wait a hell of a long time for true love.
Strengths: Imaginative twist on the Highlander forumula. Imaginative twist on the cop procedural.
Weaknesses: None, really. Sure, it's a clone of Highlander and it's a clone of loads of other cop shows, but - I feel - they have brought more than enough to the table. It's pretty much a winner all round in my book.
Impressive Characters: Amsterdam is impressive because he's cool and lonely. His fascination with death leads to his becoming a homicide detective, which makes sense, and he is surprisingly open about his long life (constantly making jokes about it, in front of people). Most important, though, is his lonliness which is well illustrated without ever going over the top. His new partner, Eva Marquez, is given a good background and she seems like a great partner for the quirky Amsterdam.
Impressive Actors: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is simply superb as the hero. He brings everything to the role that is required and, thanks to him, Amsterdam is cool, quirky and lonely in equal measure. Alexie Gilmore only has a couple of scenes in the pilot but she is exceptionally beautiful and - therefore - perfectly cast as the woman he's waited hundreds of years to meet. Finally, Zuleikha Robinson (also exceptionally beautiful, it must be said) is impressive as Amsterdam's new partner. He treats her like crap at first (because that's the way quirky cops on tv behave, I guess) but soons warms to her and, by the end of the pilot, they have formed a likable partnership.
Continuity: Slight. Probably be more of a case-of-the-week show, with minimum continuity.
Rewatchability: Lots.
Three Things I Really Like About This Pilot:
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Alexie Gilmore
Zuleikha Robinson
Miscellaneous Comments:
It's got elements of Highlander (one of my all-time favourite shows) mixed in with two of this seasons new offerings. You've got a quirky cop paired with a new female partner (which is what you get in Life) and this also has a very romantic storyline wherein the immortal hero faces the prospect of death now that he's met his One True Love (which shares similar themes, if not exact details, with Pushing Daisies). I enjoyed the cop procedural aspect, and I absolutely loved the Love Story. Alexie Gilmore is truly beautiful. When she walked into shot, in the midst of a large crowd, I noticed her straight away. And when her presence causes our hero's heart to stop. I got it. I totally got it.
GRADE: A
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