The Rise and Fall of New Amsterdam: Freema Agyeman’s Shocking Departure, & Final Season Reservations

New Amsterdam fans have a lot to process these days.

Coming off of one of its most tumultuous and poorly received seasons of this great series with New Amsterdam Season 4, the news that season five would be a shortened season, and a final one, came as a massive blow.

But now, the series is losing one of its biggest stars and characters with Freema Agyeman’s exit ahead of the final season, and that’s yet another thing that has the ‘Dam Fam reeling.

In the wake of Freema Agyeman’s shocking departure, my fellow TV Fanatic and Sharpwin shipper Whitney Evans and I had to chat about the series, where it went wrong, final season hopes, and our feelings about losing Helen.

Jasmine: Alright, so what, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the HELL has happened to our beloved New Amsterdam?

Whitney: That’s such a great question. “How can I help?” You can help by turning back time and returning to the amazing medical drama you used to be—the one with likable characters.

It’s crazy how much the show has changed from the early days when it had so much charm and heart. This last season actually made me loathe most of the characters, and watching became a chore. It makes me sad that we’re headed into a shortened final season, and I have no excitement whatsoever to find out how it ends. None.

Jasmine: You are me, and I am you. I’m in disbelief that this same series was the one they granted an instant three-season renewal because it was so great. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

I agree that the characters have become virtually unlikable or unrecognizable, and they don’t feel like the same people we fell in love with over time.

You know better than anyone how much of a chore it was to make it through last season. I was genuinely frustrated with the trajectory of many of the storylines, the pacing, characterization, all of it. It was a struggle to make it through the season, which made reviewing it so challenging.

Jasmine: Where do you think they went wrong last season (or before)?

Whitney: I think the characterizations were terrible. It’s hard for me because that’s why I watch things; the characters. I loved Helen, Iggy, and Max to an extent. I also loved many of the recurring characters. And it’s like they decided to give everyone personality transplants because I either barely recognized them or they weren’t on-screen.

Veronica as a villain was okay at first, but they beat her story into the ground, to the point it became laughable. They touted this season as “the season of joy,” and there was literally no joy to be found.

So, actually characterization and storylines. Because some of the storylines were just…bad. And felt very out of character to me. It truly did not feel like I knew the characters I fell in love with anymore.

Jasmine: Oh, God. The characterization. I don’t even recognize Iggy anymore. He was one of my absolute favorite characters, and they utterly destroyed him.

He became such a lousy therapist, a crappy friend, and a terrible husband and father. They would change his entire personality to suit whatever plot of the week.

I’m still trying to figure out where his personality disorder storyline went. I guess they tried to show us that without telling us that’s what they were doing last season with his selfishness, how he treated Martin and the patients, and his gaslighting. I’ve yelled at my TV so many times because of Ignatius Frome; it’s insane.

Whitney: Iggy was beyond frustrating, and you understood better than me what they were trying to accomplish because I still don’t know.

I used to adore Iggy. He was quirky, competent, and kind. If you asked me to describe Iggy with one word in the early seasons, I would have said devoted. He was a dedicated therapist, husband, and father.

But this season? Who even was he?

Jasmine: Yeah, and I agree with you about the Veronica plot. It had no business lasting the ENTIRE season. She was such a cartoon villain. And then the way they finally got rid of her was so anticlimactic I cannot believe that they couldn’t have gotten rid of her ages ago.

I also REALLY struggled with Floyd’s entire plot line with the polyamory that wasn’t polyamory.

The love child bullcrap that had him just giving up on his kid and the weird father storyline they tacked on at the end aggravated me. They could’ve let Floyd mentor, run the hospital in Max’s place, or just stay gone if all they would do was waste him on these storylines.

Whitney: Don’t even get me started on Floyd. They’ve never truly known what to do with him, and it really showed this season when they stuck him in that storyline that kept going in circles.

Jasmine: Were there any storylines or characters you enjoyed this season? Personally, Wilder was a saving grace of the season.

Whitney: Did I like any storylines or characters? Hm.

Jasmine: Haha! I know it’s tough. Lauren, right? You probably LOVED Lauren.

Whitney: Stop. One thing they did get right this season was continuing to make Lauren the most insufferable and entitled person on the show. So there’s something, I guess.

It’s funny, though, because anything I did like was literally over five seconds later. I loved the Resistance stuff with Wilder and everyone meeting in the morgue, and it lasted what? Twenty minutes before it was over.

Jasmine: I’m severely disappointed they didn’t actually devote time to the Resistance, so I feel you there.

Whitney: I enjoyed Wilder, but she couldn’t save this sinking ship.

Jasmine: Hm. You can say Sandra Mae Frank couldn’t save the season/series either, so that’s fitting.

Whitney: The whole season was so bizarre, but I remember multiple times thinking they were on the brink of something interesting, and then POOF, it was gone. And half the hospital was fired.

It was really just all downhill from the premiere, but was there anything you enjoyed outside of Wilder?

Jasmine: Honestly? I can’t say anything was memorable or stood out because it didn’t last long.

I liked Lauren and Leyla at first, but then their storyline took a disconcerting and problematic turn. They had a couple of compelling cases and some great guest stars, but that’s about it. Anything I latched to disappeared when they ruined it moments later or went in different directions.

And then there is the Sharpwin of it all. We’re both Sharpwin Shippers, so a moment of silence for that, I guess.

In this season of “Joy,” “Love,” and “Healing…” ahem, what did you think about Sharpwin’s arc?

Whitney: Do I have to answer this?

Jasmine: We must suffer this together, Whitney. Preferably without swearing, but I won’t hold it against you.

Whitney: Ships get ruined all the time. I should be used to it.

But the way they built a couple up over three seasons, truly showing us what the progression from friends to lovers looks like, only to throw EVERY single obstacle they could at them… And THEN decided to double down on all the BS by having Helen leave him at the altar?

I honestly don’t even have the words for how horrible this was and what a terrible taste it left in my mouth.

I loved Helen Sharpe. She was relatable in her strength and in her flaws. I’m okay with showing a character’s flaws because we all have them. I never saw Helen as perfect, but what they did to her in the end was criminal!

Jasmine: I was shaking with anger.

The London storyline was already pretty bad, but it kept getting progressively worse. I was just getting over Max playing Oliver Twist in the back alleys of London like a freaking heathen, and then they started throwing all this Helen unresolved trauma at us that kept interfering with things…

By the time they got to the stroke, I was just DONE because there weren’t enough words.

You’re right. The series did a beautiful job of exploring Max and Helen’s relationship journey from friends to romantic partners. But then they wouldn’t give them or us enough time to just enjoy that without doing everything under the sun to challenge them or pull them apart. It was exhausting and frustrating.

It made the moments when they were happy and sweet feel hollow when they’d rip the rug from under us again. And now she left him at the altar, and …

I cannot express enough how angry I am at how they’ve vilified Helen only for this to be how she leaves. I was stunned at how poorly they handled this pairing and just obliterated them. It felt like they were punishing us for daring to love this ship, and they gave it to us with all these caveats. It was offensive, honestly.

It does feel like they threw Helen to the wolves. I don’t even know if I have the mental acuity and energy to express how layered and disturbing that was just as a Black woman, honestly, to see how they handled this character, particularly in what is now her last season.

Whitney: That’s such a good way to describe it. It did feel like we were being punished. It was like they were getting back at us for wanting Georgia out of the way back in the day, and it was like, ‘be careful what you wish for.’

It was shameful what they did to them and how it eventually was twisted to turn Helen into the bad guy and prop Max up as the aggrieved party. Ugh, it still just makes me so upset all these months later.

Jasmine: I nearly threw my laptop across the room after that finale. I was just so upset, tired, and aggravated. I think I blacked out reviewing it, maybe after ranting to you first.

Whitney: I have my issues with Max, but the one thing I always thought worked before this season was Sharpwin. They were truly a great balance for each other, and Helen brought out all the things I like about Max.

For them to then crap on all of that and try to denigrate Helen in the process, which is what I felt they did, honestly disgusted me. Like you said, as a Black woman, it was disturbing.

My jaw was on the floor because I could not believe THAT was the avenue they went down. It was so wrong, and Sharpwin as a couple deserved so much better, as did the fans.

I don’t think shows need to cater to shippers, BUT I also believe that you write yourself into a corner sometimes, and once you’re in that corner, you owe it to the stories and the audience to tell that story to the best of your ability. I believe they could have done better.

Jasmine: Yes. These are wonderfully, realistically flawed characters. They did such a great job of exploring that in the first two seasons and then dropped the ball for the last two.

But I resented the notion that they had to denigrate Helen to prop Max up when it was unnecessary. We already cared about them both, and the more authentic way of handling things would have been showing that there aren’t “faults.”

No one has to be “the bad guy.” They did the same thing with Iggy and Martin, and that’s just such a reductive, stale take.

Whitney: That’s a great parallel and so true.

As a culture, we’re obsessed with ‘good vs. evil.’ Like it’s the only compelling dichotomy. But why couldn’t we just explore two flawed people without firmly placing them into one column or the other? I truly felt like, toward the end, they were doing everything they could to prop Max up, and I despised it.

Jasmine: They definitely wrote themselves into a corner.

They didn’t have to cater to fans in the least. They just had to stick to writing good stories. Even though I loved the pairing, I didn’t NEED them to be together if the storytelling wasn’t right or it would result in whatever this mess is.

Whitney: In hindsight knowing the place we got to, I would have preferred we never got Sharpwin. They washed away all the beautiful stuff with the way it ended. And even if Helen pops up at the end for a little meet-cute ending, it’s just not going to erase New Amsterdam Season 4.

Jasmine: I COMPLETELY agree. I feel the same.

How do you feel about the shocking Freema departure news? Do you think this final season even stands a chance without her?

Whitney: I want to think they’ll up their game and swing for the fences in their final effort, but that would be a lie.

I was shocked by Freema’s departure, and I won’t presume to say why she’s not coming back, but it’s tough to picture New Amsterdam without her.

She’s the heartbeat of the series in every single way. If you think it’s Max, I urge you to go back and watch from the beginning.

I also shudder to think how they’ll write her out and what kind of character assassination she’s liable to go through off-screen. I mean, I guess she’s already been written out, but we surely haven’t heard the last of Helen, especially as it relates to Max.

Jasmine: Yes. Helen was the grounding force that kept everything together and right. She was Max’s tether — the hospital’s tether. And she managed to do and be that while all eyes were on Max.

I always found that fascinating in a sense, and it has been that way since New Amsterdam Season 1 Episode 1. Max knew instantly he couldn’t do this job without Helen, so it’s hard to imagine what this hospital or show can be like without her.

I love Wilder, and I think they set her up well enough to be a partner to Max moving forward, but it won’t be the same. Max won’t have anyone to ground or anchor him. The hospital won’t either. So that’s interesting.

I’m not looking forward to how they’ll write Helen out either. It’s been months, and I’m still not even looking forward to the show returning, and that’s a terrible feeling to have about a series I invested so much in and adored.

If last season is any indication and the shortened season, too, I’m not sure they can pull anything out of their hats to salvage the series or squeeze out a decent farewell. I fear New Amsterdam will go out with a whimper rather than a bang.

I also feel like they lost many of their viewers with this season and that finale. Freema’s departure may have put a nail in the coffin. I’m not confident the audience is coming back.

Whitney: I adore Wilder, but as you said, it won’t be the same. And with less time than usual, I don’t really know that I’m interested in seeing them butt heads or whatever angst they will add to their dynamic.

Jasmine: Do you plan on tuning in to the final season, or are you done? What do you hope to see in the final season? Do you have any expectations at all?

Whitney: I am still owed joy. So, somehow, someway, without my favorite character and one of my favorite ships torn to smithereens, they better give me some joy!

I will tune in, but that’s only because I’ve invested so many hours in the series. It takes A LOT for me to jump ship completely, but if they’re still struggling after an episode or two, I may rethink it.

I’m just so disappointed in how things have played out, and it makes me sad because I truly adored this show, and words can’t express how much I loved Helen.

Joy is really all I want. Let people heal and grow instead of pulling them backward. Show their flaws while also showing the parts of themselves that we can connect with and understand.

I wish they capture just 10% of that early magic for the sake of the fans who have spent so much time with this series and the characters. The Dam Fam deserves it.

Jasmine: There’s something oddly liberating about going into a final season like this with zero expectations. Joy would be nice. Something akin to it would be great. I’ll settle for comfortable contentment.

I honestly would love a fraction of that magic to give the Dam Fam something to cling to and lay this show and these characters to rest. Everyone deserves that.

I’ll still be here, tuning in and reviewing too. It’s been one of my babies since it aired, so I’m in it until the bitter end. I’m already apologizing for the sheer level of snark that may befall me or spill into my reviews.

I would love for Max to get some closure and maybe grow…

I just want a final moment when we realize how far he’s come as a character.

I would like so much more with Wilder and her background and for her to take the partnership role with Max because New Amsterdam will need it.

I hope Floyd just… I don’t even know anymore. Can we just focus on him being a surgeon? His personal storylines are bad.

I want Iggy to go to therapy since we can’t yeet him into the sun. And maybe something interesting with Lauren too.

I just want all the characters to have decent arcs that lead to closure.

And at the heart of this series — I want all the emotional, beautiful, moving, heartwarming, tragic cases and patients. I love when New Amsterdam focuses on medicine. I love the guest-stars they land. Prayer Circle that they won’t ruin what’s left of Helen as a great character.

Whitney: Oh gosh, you actually went in depth!

I have so much disdain for this show right now. I can’t even think about individual character things I’d like to see beyond Iggy and Lauren being less terrible, Floyd not dating and just enjoying life (if he’s capable of that), and Max being a good dad and running the hospital.

Don’t even speak Helen’s name unless it’s to say something positive.

I adore your coverage, and no matter what happens with me and this show, I will always read them, so please give us all the realness and snark as only you can.

Jasmine: Ha! Thanks. Any final thoughts to wrap things up?

Whitney: To wrap up, I’m hoping and praying for you, Dam Fam. Let us all hope when the series ends, it’s not so irrevocably broken that we can’t remember all the positive things it gave us over the years.

Jasmine: Amen and praise hands, my friend. I couldn’t agree more.

Over to you, Dam Fanatics. How did you feel about the fourth season? Can the series still do well without Helen? Sound off below.

If you want to view your favorite episodes or binge before the final season airs, you can watch New Amsterdam online  here via TV Fanatic.

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