What is the relationship between “American Idol” and an immortal cop? They share more of a connection than you might think.
“New Amsterdam” (8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, WFLD-Ch. 32) is the latest pallid, forgettable Fox drama. (The show moves to its regular 8 p.m. Monday slot.)
“American Idol” has raked in billions for Fox. As a result, the network has gotten lax in its development of new shows. Sure, “House” is terrific, but that medical drama (which returns in late April) is the exception. But the usually enjoyable “24” was not up to snuff in its most recent season, and “Prison Break” has become an overly convoluted mess.
As for newer Fox offerings, do you recall “Justice,” “Standoff,” “Vanished” or “Happy Hour”?
I’d like to be able to tell you that “New Amsterdam” — and the upcoming Fox programs “Canterbury’s Law” and “The Return of Jezebel James” — are the exceptions to the rule that most of the network’s shows are lazily constructed and highly derivative.
Sadly, that’s not the case.
The “twist” on this otherwise by-the-numbers cop drama is that the lead character, detective John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), was granted immortality in 1642.
The first two episodes of the colorless “New Amsterdam” have John solving cases using information he’s picked up during his long stint as a New Yorker, and also searching for his true love, whom he was told would make him mortal.
It’s not a bad premise, or at least it wouldn’t be if Amsterdam’s partner (Zuleikha Robinson) weren’t the typical angry female cop and if Amsterdam’s attitude toward his 300-plus years on Earth weren’t one of bland cynicism.
*Host Geoffrey Baer investigates fascinating nooks and crannies of the Windy City on “Hidden Chicago” (7:30 p.m. Tuesday, WTTW-Ch. 11). Baer tours remnants of the 1893 World’s Fair, finds a silent-movie studio where Charlie Chaplin worked, locates an alley that is paved with century-old wooden blocks and explores the remains of a storefront that melted in the Chicago Fire.
Baer also tells the tale of why the Northwest Side has so many “alphabet streets.”
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