New Amsterdam boss responds to the show's emotional series finale

New Amsterdam series finale spoilers follow.

New Amsterdam wrapped its five-season run earlier this week with an emotional finale, and now the show's bosses have opened up about the big sendoff.

In 'How Can I Help?', which broadcast on January 17, Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) has his final day at the hospital before setting off for a new job at the World Health Organization.

While this is going on, viewers are introduced to a new character who has seemingly lost her way in the hospital, before a big twist is revealed – she is Max's daughter Luna in the future, beginning her first day working at the hospital.

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Speaking on the origin of the storyline, showrunner David Schulner said "it was something floating around in the ether that month", and his 11-year-old daughter actually pitched him the ending.

"I was like, 'You do your schoolwork and I'll focus on writing'," he recalled to Entertainment Weekly.

"A week later, Laura Valdivia, one of our writers, pitched me the same ending and then a week after that Erika Green Swafford, another one of our writers, was on set with me and was like, 'I know might sound crazy, but what if Luna came back as the medical director?'

"Within three weeks, they all pitched me this ending and I was like, 'This is our ending'."

Speaking on the emotional impact of the scenes, Schulner explained: "We opened the pilot essentially with Max in the auditorium and the first thing he says is, 'My sister died here, I grew up here and this is why I wanted to work here'.

"It felt fitting for Luna to be in that same auditorium and she got to say, 'My mother died here. I grew up here and that's why I wanted to be a doctor here'.

"Once we knew that, the foundation was there. Then we realised why not see the moment Luna was inspired to be a doctor like her father was and the moment when everyone was inspired to be the doctor they were? The story kept building upon itself until it became an origin story, not just for Luna, but for all of our characters."

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Speaking further about not being able to tie up all the storylines, executive producer Peter Horton explained: "We felt really satisfied with the endings we came up for everybody who was still with us.

"Obviously we wish we could have had a great ending for Helen Sharpe and Freema [Agyeman], same thing with Anupam [Kher].

"They were such great characters in our show and such good actors. It would have been great to have been able to resolve their stories with as much freedom, so that's a little frustrating.

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"Otherwise, I feel good about where everyone ended up. I love that Iggy asked his divorced husband out on a date. There's just something so wonderfully positive about that.

"Again, [viewers] can imagine if it will work. Will they make it through this? That's a satisfying place to leave that story."

New Amsterdam aired on NBC in the US, while Prime Video and NOW carry the show in the UK.

Spirit Entertainment New Amsterdam: Season 1 [DVD]

£22 at Amazon

NBC Universal New Amsterdam: Season 2 [DVD]

£25 at Amazon

Grand Central Publishing Twelve Patients by Eric Manheimer (Inspiration for the TV show New Amsterdam)

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Sam Warner

Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International.  Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.