Why is this the final season of New Amsterdam?

New Amsterdam is coming to an end with the current season. Why is the series ending with Season 5? Has it been abruptly canceled?

When we learn that one of our favorite shows is coming to an end, we have one fear: that it’s been abruptly canceled. The last thing we want is a final season that ends on a major cliffhanger. We don’t want the fates of all our favorite characters left in the air.

So, there are understandable questions about New Amsterdam. Each promo makes it clear that this season is the final season. The good news is that this decision was made ahead of writing, so the writers have had time to craft an ending for the series.

That’s great, but why is the series coming to an end? Why won’t NBC continue the story?

Why is New Amsterdam ending?

The bad news is there isn’t a real reason out there for the ending of the series. The show was renewed for three seasons back in February 2020, and we always knew that it could be the way to bring the show to an end. It felt similar to the three-season renewal of This Is Us just a year earlier.

It’s no secret that the ratings for the medical drama have been down in recent years. Even the final season is the lowest-rated show of 2022 for NBC. We don’t know what the Peacock streaming figures are like, but those figures have only really mattered this year with Hulu still getting the show last year.

With already giving it a fifth season, NBC wasn’t exactly going to cancel it. After all, that would potentially be a lot more expensive than running the season. Instead, NBC opted for 13 episodes to give the writers a chance to say goodbye to the characters.

It does look like a cost thing. The show is expensive to film but wasn’t pulling in the live ratings to justify the costs. Broadcast networks are a business, after all.

New Amsterdam airs Tuesdays on NBC. Catch up the following day on Peacock.