STUDIO: Fox
PREMIERE: March 4, 2008
STARRING: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Alexie Gilmore, Stephen Henderson
CREATED BY: Allan Loeb

Like Nosferatu, Wolverine, and Connor MacLeod, Detective John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), the star of Fox's new sci-fi series New Amsterdam, has a significant advantage over the people who might try and fight him - he can't die. Amsterdam has been around for over three centuries, unable to age or be killed until he finds his one true love. As you can imagine, immortality might make you a kick-ass crime fighter but it can lead to some serious bouts of depression. In 1642, Amsterdam was a Dutch soldier in the colony of New Amsterdam (which, for those of you that haven't passed History 101 yet, would eventually become New York City). He stepped in front of a sword and saved the life of a Native American girl, who then saved his life by making him immortal until he finds his one true love. Only when he finally crosses her path will he become whole again and join us mere mortals.

As you probably know, it can be tough finding true love anywhere and 365 years later, John Amsterdam is still searching. John has experienced countless adventures, made many friends and had many lovers, but he's been forced into isolation by the difficult task of having to explain why he's not aging and he has yet to find his mortal match. Only one lifelong friend, a jazz club owner named Omar (Stephen Henderson), who we'll learn in the second episode, has a very close connection to Amsterdam and knows his secret. Having been there since before it was the "big seed" much less the "big apple", John Amsterdam has an advantage that might be even better than immortality, he knows EVERYTHING about New York City. That makes him one of the best homicide detectives in the city that never sleeps. In the premiere, Amsterdam is paired with Eva Marquez, a strong-willed partner played by the excellent Zuleikha Robinson, and John heads out to save the day... again.

Great concept, right? But those of us who suffered through the ups and downs of Bionic Woman, Heroes, and Prison Break will tell you - execution is everything. After the first two episodes of New Amsterdam, the jury is still out on how well-executed this new Fox series will turn out to be. Star Coster-Waldau adds a heaping dose of charisma to the piece and sometimes a likable lead can get you over nearly any storytelling speed bump (Wentworth Miller saved Prison Break a few times) but there are definitely some kinks that need to be worked out if New Amsterdam is going to survive the glut of new shows sure to start production in the post-strike era. First and foremost, the show hits its concept too firmly on the head to not get annoying real fast. It's kind of clever the first time Amsterdam makes a joke about his age or the writers make some other reference to it (John goes to an AA meeting and his "days since his last drink" numbers so high that it puts his boozing days back in the mid-'60s), but even by the end of the second episode, you'll have grown tired of the immortal shtick, especially since we're still seeing straight-to-DVD Highlander movies. It's going to become very cliche in just a few episodes, unless it's being used to drive the plot forward.

It's clear however that the 'high concept' of New Amsterdam is going to be the main focus at least for a while. Each episode features new details about the history of John Amsterdam through flashback, but the team behind the show would be wise not to hit it too hard. In the same sense that not every episode of Lost is about the smoke monster, New Amsterdam works only if the show can use the immortal concept as a springboard not an end point. A charismatic lead, a good supporting ensemble, a clever concept, and a great production value should make viewers interested enough to check out New Amsterdam at least once. But as with countless other shows that started strong and fizzled, the success or failure of Fox's latest offering is all going to depend on what happens next.