TV Show review
Review basis: 5 seasons · through January 17, 2023
September 25, 2018 · TV-14 · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
New Amsterdam follows Dr. Max Goodwin as the new medical director at America's oldest public hospital. He fights bureaucracy with his "How can I help?" motto to give better care to patients from all backgrounds. The show features a diverse cast in prominent doctor roles and centers many episodes on systemic racism in medicine, Indigenous land issues, a gay main character's family life, and reproductive rights after the Roe v. Wade decision. Later seasons shift toward social-issue stories that drew complaints for feeling preachy.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for New Amsterdam.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse ensemble with prominent competent roles for Black doctors, a gay psychologist with substantial family storylines, and other minority characters. NYC public hospital setting makes broad diversity logical, but casting directors include DEI committee members awarded for inclusive work on this show, and reviews frequently praise the representation as a standout feature with identity elements tied to stories.
Woke political dialogue
Episodes include direct framing of health problems through racism and systemic bias, such as the Season 2 internalized-racism tumor case and staff discussions. Season 5 Roe v. Wade episode treats the legal change as a major crisis with characters pursuing workarounds and sharing personal stories in progressive terms. Later seasons draw repeated viewer notes of political or preachy dialogue.
Identity-driven story themes
Recurring focus on racial disparities in care, a Season 3 episode centered on hospital reckonings with Lenape/Indigenous history and reparations-style actions, prominent queer family arcs for Iggy Frome including adoptions, and reproductive rights plots. Later seasons increase emphasis on social-issue patient stories and institutional biases per reviews and audience feedback.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Core story critiques hospital bureaucracy and U.S. healthcare access barriers. This extends to portrayals of systemic racism in medicine, colonial legacies via the Lenape storyline, and framing the Roe v. Wade overturn as a setback requiring activist-style responses from staff. Viewer complaints describe some episodes as critiquing broader social norms or institutions through identity lenses.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. This is an original series loosely inspired by a nonfiction book about real Bellevue Hospital operations, with no established fictional canon, legacy characters, or historical figures reinterpreted through modern identity or DEI lenses.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Consistent online complaints on Reddit, X, and review sites label specific episodes and later seasons "too woke," "preachy," or agenda-driven, highlighting the racism-tumor plot, land acknowledgment, and shift to social justice issues over pure medical stories. Right-leaning outlets and users amplified clips as examples of pushed messaging; backlash treats the content as identity-politics focused even without always using the word "woke."
Creator track record context
Creator David Schulner centers healthcare reform stories with ties to post-election policy discussions but lacks a strong personal activist or identity-politics record. Pockets of the crew show clearer patterns: Lucy Liu's public Asian representation advocacy, Erika Green Swafford and Laura Valdivia's work and statements on underrepresented stories and inclusion, and casting directors' active DEI efforts. Overall leans standard network TV with targeted representation emphasis rather than dominant activist output across key creatives.
Production
