The third season of New Amsterdam wrapped on a cliffhanger for just about every major character, ranging from Iggy making his massive career decision about not seeing patients to Reynolds making a very uncomfortable discovery about his new promotion. One twist in particular that has had fans talking for months was Max and Helen finally taking a big step forward, sharing a big kiss, and ending the season heading into her building together. Now, one star has opened up with his feelings about Sharpwin and how New Amsterdam will handle their dynamic moving forward.
Tyler Labine, who plays Dr. Iggy Frome on New Amsterdam, chatted with CinemaBlend to weigh in on the Season 3 cliffhangers and look ahead to Season 4. When Sharpwin came up and I noted that everybody loves that relationship, Labine was quick to confirm that he's a big fan too and wanted their hookup to happen from "the get-go" going back to the pilot thanks to the chemistry between Ryan Eggold and Freema Agyeman. He then shared his reaction to seeing that it was finally happening for the popular pairing:
Well, you know, unfortunately, we were doing table reads via Zoom. But I could still, I mean, all of us were just like, [makes excited face and claps] 'Ohhhh!' You know, like, 'Oh my gosh!' Yeah, man. You know, the one thing I really want to say about that, is that I have always been, because I'm a human being, invested in the will-they-won't-they of characters on TV. Jim and Pam, you know, Sam and Diane. We've always been like, 'Oh, man!' And it's amazing. The anticipation leading up to the will-they, and then they do, it's amazing. But then you have to remember, like, they've done it. Now you have to be willing to watch them doing it post-, you know, that anticipation, you have to like let all that stuff go, the thing that you were putting so much in is now out the door. And now we have to watch them just be a couple. And that doesn't always look great. [laughs] You know, it's not always the most exciting thing to just watch people be together. But this show is really, like I said, it's New Amsterdam, they're always throwing challenges at the viewer and the characters. So we're gonna watch an imperfect thing happen in front of us, which is two people getting together.
Zoom table reads meant that the Sharpwin celebration couldn't happen in person, but Tyler Labine's comments prove that there were some in the cast who were just as excited about the big kiss as fans were. Of course, as with any cliffhanger, the aftermath still needs to be explored, and the previous "will-they-won't-they" status quo has turned into "they did" with that kiss, so what's next? Tyler Labine may not have spilled all the spoilers for how Season 4 tells their story, but their journey should be "imperfect." Which sounds about right, considering even the best things are rarely easy on New Amsterdam!
If Max and Helen are anything like the examples that Tyler Labine cited, with Jim and Pam from The Office and Sam and Diane from Cheers, then fans don't have to worry that their story will become boring just because the "will-they-won't-they" chapter has ended. Labine has shared that Season 4 is "very much" about everybody trying to find their joy, and that will undoubtedly look different for all of the characters considering the Season 3 cliffhangers and their different goals. He weighed in on the process of that search for joy, saying:
I mean, you know, strictly from a TV standpoint, we want to keep the show going for as long as we can. So you got to keep the challenges, you know, rolling out. But we also really recognize that last season was very challenging, was really hard season, both in the execution of it and the viewing of it. You know, I think people were feeling a lot in the world. We didn't take it easy on the viewers. You know, we've definitely challenged people and we've asked a lot of big heavy questions and showed a lot of kind of ugly things and unfortunate things, but they were real, it was what was happening. And our showrunner and our writers really, I think, should be commended for that. They took a very courageous stance last year. But enough is enough. Like, we're still New Amsterdam, we're still gonna ask big questions. But we are now afforded the luxury after a season like that, of really giving people what they want. Because we really withheld, we held back and really kind of posed a lot of big challenging questions. And now it's time to just ease off.
New Amsterdam certainly did get off to a heavy start with the Season 3 premiere, particularly with the opening montage that showed exactly what the doctors of the hospital went through during the height of COVID, and then later Reynolds' realizations about what he missed by leaving New York shortly before COVID hit. Plus, the show continued to deal with the pandemic throughout the third season, even if the worst of the worst happened over hiatus. According to Tyler Labine, the show will take it a bit easier on viewers to start this season.
Tyler Labine also previewed what the beginning of Season 4 looks like for Iggy, although following through on his decision at the end of Season 3 is going to have its complications:
Although fans will have to wait until Season 4 kicks off to get all the answers about Sharpwin's future, how Iggy faces his Hannibal Lecter-like character, the upcoming new character, and more, the very good news is that the wait is nearly over. New Amsterdam returns for the fourth season on Tuesday, September 21 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, following a new episode of The Voice Season 21.
Don't forget to swing back to CinemaBlend after the premiere for more coverage. This week is packed with premieres, so be sure to check out our 2021 fall TV schedule for what you can watch and when to tune in!
