New Amsterdam's EPs Explain How The Roe V. Wade Storyline Came Together
NBC just recently aired Season 5, Episode 7 ("Maybe Tomorrow") of the series "New Amsterdam," which deals with a powerful and current issue that Americans all face today. For this installment, the doctors of the show learn of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade. CNN reported in June 2022, that the Supreme Court overturned the decades-old law, making abortion no longer a federal constitutional right. The show's creator and showrunner, David Schulner, explains to TVLine that the series, which first premiered in September 2018, was equipped to deal with real-world issues such as this right from its development. "These kinds of issues, both in our country and the healthcare industry, is why I wrote the show to begin with, is why I created New Amsterdam," he said. And with this recent episode, Schulner and his writing team did just that.
The episode kicks off with the doctors of "New Amsterdam" learning about Roe v Wade being overturned. After that, viewers get to see how the court's decision affects them personally, as well as professionally. These scenes bounce back-and-forth from character to character, revealing personal feelings and stories such as Dr. Bloom (Janet Montgomery) revealing she once had an abortion, back when she was addicted to pain killers. From there, we see other stories unfold such as Dr. Wilder (Sandra Mae Frank) dealing with a patient who's celebrating the court's decision, as well as Dr. Frome (Tyler Labine) getting physical with protesters outside the hospital. All of these events show a unique perspective of these characters, who are dealing with an unprecedented real-life event. However, exactly how the writers put the storyline together is as interesting as the episode itself.
One possible storyline had the hospital set in the future
David Schulner, creator of "New Amsterdam," explains to TVLine that the creation of this episode began as soon as news leaked that the Supreme Court was going to address the issue of Roe v Wade. "Then we knew it was going to be overturned...," he says. "...and then once the news hit that it was overturned I was in New York and Aaron [Ginsberg] was in the writers room." Executive producer Aaron Ginsburg adds that the episode's writer, Shanthi Sekaran, along with the rest of the staff, had already begun crafting this important installment. "Everyone was contributing in this incredible way. And the result is this episode that we couldn't be more proud of," he reveals.
One of the ideas pitched in the writers' room, which never actually developed, focused on a possible jump ahead in time to a country with a total national ban on abortion. However, Ginsberg explains that the show is about dealing with moments that are less speculative. "That pitch was really cool. It led us to have this discussion of like, 'What will this road lead to?' But the thing that our show does so well is showcase the emotion and the cost of health care right now." Narrowing down that focus was exactly what the writing team needed to craft this episode, which gives fans an individual look into the characters' immediate reactions to the news that not only affects the medical industry but also the whole country.