Created by Allan Loeb (Things We Lost in the Fire, 21) and Christian Taylor (Showboy, Six Feet Under), NEW AMSTERDAM is the story of a New York homicide detective unlike any other. He is brilliant, mysterious, reckless, magnetic, unknowable. And he has a profound secret he is immortal. Pilot directed by visionary Lasse Hallström (My Life As a Dog, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, The Hoax).
In 1642, JOHN AMSTERDAM (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Kingdom of Heaven), then a Dutch solider in the colony of New Amsterdam later to become New York City stepped in front of a sword to save the life of a Native American girl during a massacre of her indigenous tribe. The girl in turn rescued Amsterdam, weaving an ancient spell that conferred immortality upon him. Amsterdam will not age, she told him, until he finds his one true love. Only then will he become whole and ready for mortality.
But Amsterdam has found this to be a mixed blessing. Over the course of three centuries, hes experienced endless adventure and honed his many talents. But everyone Amsterdam meets must leave him in time; lovers and children die while he remains young. His sole confidant and current lifelong friend is the sage jazz club owner OMAR (Stephen McKinley-Henderson, Law & Order: SVU), the keeper of Amsterdams secret, as well as a few of his own. As the exhilaration of eternal life has given way to emotional isolation and bitter loneliness, Amsterdam discovers the blessing has become a curse.
Having witnessed its entire history from colonial outpost to mega-metropolis, John Amsterdam is the living embodiment of New York City. He and the island of Manhattan are now part and parcel of each other. Bringing to bear the unorthodox techniques and unique knowledge gained from his vast life experience, Amsterdam today is one of the NYPDs best homicide detectives, sparring with his vibrant, strong-willed partner EVA MARQUEZ (Zuleikha Robinson, Rome, The Lone Gunmen) as they solve difficult murder cases. But when Amsterdam suffers and then recovers from what appears to be a massive heart attack while chasing a suspect, and DR. SARA DILLANE (Alexie Gilmore, Find Love) pronounces him dead in the ER, he realizes that the Indian girls prophesy may have come true he felt the pain in his heart that she had foretold so long ago. His soul mate must have been nearby. As he works to find a killer on the streets of New York, Amsterdam understands that his own life and possibly his death have changed forever.
From executive producers David Manson (Saved, Thief, Nothing Sacred), Allan Loeb, and Steven Pearl (Untraceable), this intriguing series invites viewers to explore the enduring mysteries of life, death and true love.
