Medical dramas are a dime a dozen, but New Amsterdam stands out for a few reasons. While the main story is that of a charming medical director who isn’t afraid to adopt unconventional methods to get things done, beneath the surface of every episode is a poignant statement about the state of medical care.
Whether it’s pointing out how medications could get into the right hands if medical directors from different hospitals would simply communicate with one another, to ways to balance concerns about opioid addictions with patients who legitimately need them, there’s a thought-provoking message in every episode.
That, in part, is what makes New Amsterdam resonate so well with fans and why the series is easily rising up the ranks as one of the best medical dramas on television. But the series still wouldn’t be such a success without its amazing cast, which includes a mix of veteran actors with impressive resumes and relative newcomers.
11 Ryan Eggold (Dr. Max Goodwin)
It’s likely fans know Eggold as Tom Keen from the massively popular NBC series The Blacklist. And while his character was a popular one, the spin-off series based on him, The Blacklist: Redemption, didn’t quite pan out.
If not from The Blacklist, chances are fans recognize Eggold from The CW 90210 reboot, which aired from 2008-2013, where he played a teacher, Ryan Matthews. He has also been in movies, most recently in BlackKkKlansman, where he had a small part as Walter Breachway. Eggold captivates and charms viewers in his leading role on this series, and his performance is a big reason that New Amsterdam is one of the best medical dramas airing right now.
10 Freema Agyeman (Dr. Helen Sharpe)
Agyeman had a lead role on the Netflix sci-fi series Sense8, a show that was cancelled too soon. She played Amanita Caplan and was part of a large ensemble leading cast.
Additionally, the English actor played Martha Jones on Doctor Who, a role she reprised for the spin-off series Torchwood; she also spent two years as a member of the cast of Law & Order: UK, where she played Alesha Phillips. Her debut on U.S. television was in The CW series The Carrie Diaries, where she played a style editor for Interview magazine named Larissa.
9 Jocko Sims (Dr. Floyd Reynolds)
Fans remember seeing Sims from his role as Anthony Adams in in the series Crash, or as Carlton Burk in The Last Ship. Interestingly, Sims’ character on Crash aspired to be a hip-hop artist, and his performance of the song “Head Up” was released on iTunes.
Sims has also had small roles on Criminal Minds, NCIS, Masters of Sex, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and joined the cast of Jim Carrey’s series I’m Dying Up Here back in 2016. The same year he appeared as Dr. Reynolds on New Amsterdam, he also had a role as Dr. Ben Wilmot on The Resident.
8 Janet Montgomery (Dr. Lauren Bloom)
Her most recent role prior to joining the cast of New Amsterdam was as the lead on the series Salem. Montgomery also appeared on the series Human Target from 2010-2011 and in the TV drama Made in Jersey, which was cancelled after airing just eight episodes.
Fans might never have guessed that Montgomery is actually English given her flawless American accent on the show. Keen-eyed viewers might have also noticed her as Bethany Grey in the “White Christmas” episode of Black Mirror and as the recurring character Olivia Maine on the first season of This is Us, a Broadway actress who briefly dated Kevin Pearson.
7 Tyler Labine (Dr. Iggy Frome)
Most medical dramas leave out the mental health aspect of patient care, so it’s refreshing to see Labine playing a role that brings important mental health issues to light. The Canadian actor has starred in a variety of TV series, including Breaker High, Invasion, Reaper, and Deadbeat.
He might also look familiar from the comedy-horror movie Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. He had a lead role in the 2010 comedy Sons of Tucson, but the show was cancelled after just four episodes, though the full filmed season was later aired in its entirety anyway. Labine has a pretty extensive résumé of small roles in both movies and television series dating all the way back to the early ’90s.
6 Anupam Kher (Dr. Vijay Kapoor)
Anyone who has watched movies in the Hindi language will certainly recognize Kher seeing as he has appeared in more than 500 of them through his many decades long career. Some of his most prominent and award-winning roles include in Saaransh, Ram Lakhan, Lamhe, Khel, Darr, and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.
When it comes to Western viewers, however, Kher will be recognizable from Bend It Like Beckham and Silver Linings Playbook.
5 Alejandro Hernandez (Casey Acosta)
One of few from the cast who only started acting recently, Hernandez got his first role in an episode of Gotham back in 2014. He then went on to secure small roles in hit shows like Madam Secretary, Sneaky Pete, Elementary, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and, most recently, Chicago P.D.
His role of Casey, however, is Hernandez’s first recurring role on a series and one that deserves more screen time. He is also a writer; in 2018, Hernandez wrote his own short/stage play called The Spectacular Tito Garcia.
4 Daniel Dae Kim (Dr. Cassian Shin)
The newest member of the cast, Kim is a veteran actor who has appeared in some of the biggest TV series to date. But his most high-profile one was as Jin-soo Kwon on Lost. That role put Kim on the map as a serious actor, even though he had been acting for more than a decade prior.
His other notable roles prior to Lost include a recurring role on Angel as Gavin Park, on 24 as Tom Baker, and Star Trek: Enterprise as Corporal Chang. After Lost, the roles he’s probably best known for include Hawaii Five-O, The Legend of Korra, and The Good Doctor. He also has a recurring role on Flack. Additionally, Kim’s voice is probably recognizable from a number of video games, from Saints Row and its various sequels (he’s Johnny Gat) to Scarface: The World Is Yours (as Macau Fast Food manager).
3 Lisa O’Hare (Georgia Goodwin)
The English actor, who is a trained ballet dancer just like her character was on the show, has only been acting since 2003.
Her first role was as a dancer in Moloko’s “Forever More” music video. Her first role in a primetime series was in a single episode of The Closer. Her other credits include a guest role on Castle and one on Undercover.
2 Dierdre Friel (Ella)
Friel’s wonderful performance in this small role is likely what has driven the character to have a bigger and bigger role as the show continues. Like a few others among the cast, Friel only began acting recently, with her first role being a small one on an episode of The Sopranos.
She only has about 14 credits to her name, with mostly small guest roles on series like Little America, Second Act, Search Party, and Little Boxes. It’s safe to say that New Amsterdam is her biggest role to date.
1 Debra Monk (Karen Brantley)
Usually, the Chair of the Board of Directors for a hospital would be enemy number-one for a character like Dr. Goodwin. Yet the character of Brantley bucks those trends as a leader who is equally concerned with helping patients as she is with maintaining the business side of the hospital.
Monk captures the nuances and moral conflicts of the character beautifully, thanks to her many decades of acting experience. While she is best known for her many Broadway roles, has also been in a laundry list of movies and TV series since the early ’90s. She’s most recognized as Katie Sipowicz, a role she played from 1996-2001 on NYPD Blue. She also had a seven-episode run on Grey’s Anatomy as Louise O’Malley, was in a dozen episodes of Damages as Denise Parsons, and appeared in Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle as Betty Cragdale.
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