New Amsterdam

[Rich L]

I just posted a review of the pilot for New Amsterdam over at my blog. It's bloody good - much better than I expected from a premise that I thought sounded cliched. The review, to avoid linkage issues:

Last night I was at the New York TV Festival last night for a showing of the pilot of new Fox show New Amsterdam. You may recall that I referred to it as Highlander-meets-Angel - and now I'm going to have to eat my words.

Not that Highlander's shadow can't be felt in the show - despite executive producer David Manson's assertation that he's never seen those movies or shows - but it's the good Highlander and in a good way. It echoes the first movie - because it has the inherent romance of that movie.

John Amsterdam is a man who's lived over 400 years, all of them (as far as we know) in New York - he knows the city, the people like the back of his hand - and he still enjoys it. These days he's a homicide detective but he's had other careers over the years - carpenter, jazz musician, soldier and painter to name the ones suggested in the pilot. He still loves life even if he's a little obsessed by death - "It plays hard to get".

It's his death, or the potential of it, that drives him forward. Granted immortality until he finds his soul mate thanks to a selfless act during the founding of the Dutch settlements centuries ago, Amsterdam hasn't been moping around waiting for true love like a certain brooding vampire you could mention. He's lived, loved, married, had children - always knowing that he'll leave them all behind until he finds the one.

So when he has a heart attack on a subway platform during an arrest when his soulmate steps off a train, he's understandably surprised - and happy. Now the only problem is finding out exactly which commuter she was.

Luckily for Amsterdam, it looks like she's the good samaritan doctor who rushes to his aid and later pronounces him dead in the hospital. (Personally I wonder if that's true or just a huge misdirection...)

The core performance of Danish actor Nikolaj Coster Waldau is what holds the show together. By turns cynical, funny, charming and astonished, the ridiculously charismatic Waldau resists the urge to play Amsterdam as world weary, instead turning him into a man of routine and hope. Using a decades old camera, he takes pictures of Times Square every year, mapping the city's changes from the same spot for over a hundred years - this is his city.

Waldau's supported by Zuleikha Robinson (of Rome and, amusingly, The Lone Gunmen) - who is much prettier in person - as Amsterdam's new partner, Eva Marquez. Of course, given Amsterdam's tendency to rush headlong into danger and drop facts about the city that he knows only because he experienced them years ago, she's permanently bemused by him and you can see the banter and rapport developing between them.

Stephen Henderson and Alexie Gilmore round out the cast as Omar (Amsterdam's sole confidant, a gambling, bar-owning former jazz player who has known him since the 60s) and Dr Sara Dillane (the love interest destined to kill Amsterdam). While Gilmore doesn't really get too much to do in the pilot, Henderson steals every scene he's in, whether it's selling one of Amsterdam's just completed antique table or complaining about Amsterdam's bad moods - "That was a long damn ten years!".

It's a strong cast, a witty script and a twist on the old immortals theme - Amsterdam is alone; there's no head-chopping, no swords (at least in the pilot), no cameraderie from fellow immortals. Just Amsterdam, Omar and his dog - and New York, which acts almost as a fifth cast member.

I'm going out on a limb and saying that the New Amsterdam pilot is pretty much the best pilot I've seen since Lost. Yep, better than Heroes. Where it succeeds where the Heroes pilot - and entire season, actually - for me failed is that it focuses on a small core of characters, and they're all easy to like almost immediately. It helps that I have a pre-disposition towards the Highlander-esque elements, and that I saw it with an appreciative crowd but even if I hadn't this would be on my watch-list.

If I could offer one word of advice...please don't use the fake beard and moustache from the 'origin' sequence again - because it's probably the worst I've seen ever.

Anyway, it's a damn good show and should be premiering in January - hopefully after American Idol, according to Manson. Set your watches...


Y'know, if you want to go to the blog anyway.... (http://comicbycomic.blogspot.com/) :D

[The Xenos]

Zuleikha Robinson. That's about all I heard to make this sound interesting.

Though the concept sounds neat even if it is familiar. Not just Highlander or Angel, I'm also thinking of an arc in the comic Powers.

[Deathstroke]

Fox has put the show on hiatus following the completion of the 8th episode's filming. This despite the fact that the show hasn't aired yet.

I have a feeling that we will not see this show at all.

[Bouncing Boy]

Fox has put the show on hiatus following the completion of the 8th episode's filming. This despite the fact that the show hasn't aired yet.

I have a feeling that we will not see this show at all.

I had wondered why it wasn't on the list of new shows after all that hype they had been doing for it.

[Thorlief]

thats sure is an interesting concept, and Coster-Waldau is an excellent actor

[SPAfreak]

Fox has put the show on hiatus following the completion of the 8th episode's filming. This despite the fact that the show hasn't aired yet.

I have a feeling that we will not see this show at all.

Both shows from Fox that I've been interested in this year have had problems. First Sarah Connor Chronicles and now this.

[Deathstroke]

Both shows from Fox that I've been interested in this year have had problems. First Sarah Connor Chronicles and now this.

Yeah but at least SCC has a premiere date, Jan. 14th.

[Armless Penguin]

Both shows from Fox that I've been interested in this year have had problems. First Sarah Connor Chronicles and now this.

SCC didn't have problems--they just wanted to premiere it when they could cross-promote with a similar show like 24, which eventually led it to becoming the lead-in. New Amsterdam, on the other hand, was originally intended to air in the fall, but then was held-back as a mid-season replacement, which is different than shows like SCC or 24 which were intended to air then.

[SPAfreak]

SCC didn't have problems--they just wanted to premiere it when they could cross-promote with a similar show like 24, which eventually led it to becoming the lead-in. New Amsterdam, on the other hand, was originally intended to air in the fall, but then was held-back as a mid-season replacement, which is different than shows like SCC or 24 which were intended to air then.

They're also reshooting scenes from the pilot. That's a bit of a problem.

[Armless Penguin]

They're also reshooting scenes from the pilot. That's a bit of a problem.

They reshot scenes to edit out a school shooting because they thought it would be inappropriate after the shooting at Virginia Tech, not because it sucked.

[The Xenos]

That's retarded. So media can never refer to school shootings or any other tragedies and deal with those issues? That's pretty stupid. Not that Sarah Connor Chronicles really discussed it, but it's still a backward mentality to censor anything uncomfortable.

ALso, I hope this New Amsterdamn sees the light of day. Sounds good.

[SPAfreak]

They reshot scenes to edit out a school shooting because they thought it would be inappropriate after the shooting at Virginia Tech, not because it sucked.

I think you're kind of missing the definition of "problem" here. If you have to edit your pilot because you're afraid of media and viewer backlash, it has problems. The quality of the show doesn't matter.

[Armless Penguin]

I think you're kind of missing the definition of "problem" here. If you have to edit your pilot because you're afraid of media and viewer backlash, it has problems. The quality of the show doesn't matter.

I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. A creator choosing to change a portion of a work because of an outside factor which happened to uncomfortably resemble something in the work itself is not a "problem"; it's an artistic and societal choice implemented so as to not trod on the feelings of others. Now, if the change had been the result of something solely inherent in the original piece of work, such as extremely poor acting or writing or filming, and the change was being used to try to raise the quality of the work as a whole, then it had "problems."

[SPAfreak]

I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. A creator choosing to change a portion of a work because of an outside factor which happened to uncomfortably resemble something in the work itself is not a "problem"; it's an artistic and societal choice implemented so as to not trod on the feelings of others. Now, if the change had been the result of something solely inherent in the original piece of work, such as extremely poor acting or writing or filming, and the change was being used to try to raise the quality of the work as a whole, then it had "problems."

Look. Only a complete and utter idiot puts a scene about a school shooting into a show these days and thinks that it's going to fly with the network. The scene was good but both the director and the writer wasted time and money shooting something that they knew was going to be cut. If you believe that is was solely the showrunner's idea to cut the scene then you're being naive.

[The Xenos]

Funny. It wasn't a teacher shooting a student at VT anyway. Never mind that the teacher wasn't a robotic killing machine from the future. I think someone's parents never taught them to distingish fantasy from reality. Anyone know the phone numbers of the parents of the program directors at Fox?

[Armless Penguin]

Look. Only a complete and utter idiot puts a scene about a school shooting into a show these days and thinks that it's going to fly with the network. The scene was good but both the director and the writer wasted time and money shooting something that they knew was going to be cut. If you believe that is was solely the showrunner's idea to cut the scene then you're being naive.

I hardly think they "knew" it was going to be cut. In that case, it would never have been shot in the first place. I'm sure they weren't intentionally wasting their budget by filming a scene they knew wouldn't be allowed.

"Hey, we've only got a million dollars to shoot this pilot."

"Really? Why don't we spend 250,000 of that on that one scene that we know they're going to cut out! That way we'll only have 3/4 of our budget left!"

That doesn't make a lot of sense.

And whether or not it was solely the showrunner's idea or not (which I guess I must have inadvertently implied I thought by way of a metaphor) is irrelevant. The fact is that scenes were reshot in reaction to an external event, either from pressure by the studio or the people who worked on the show, and not because of something inherent in the show itself, which I don't think qualifies it as the sort of "problem" your original post implied (when you compared it to what New Amsterdam is currently facing).

But I suppose this just boils down to a question of semantics.

[SPAfreak]

But I suppose this just boils down to a question of semantics.

Pretty much. I consider having to reshoot your biggest FX and action sequence so that you can put it on the air to be a problem for the show. As for New Amsterdam do we really know what's going on that put it on hiatus?

[The Xenos]

Everyone be a good American and assume the position.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6746/southparkheadinsandjd9.jpg

The only way to confront a national tragedy is to not talk about it ever, never even portray anything similar. It's also cearly that a shooting at a local school or college is a national tragedy.

God Bless America. Never forget. Just don't talk about it. Well, unless you're trying to pass a bill or get a budget for some government program or military campaign.

Anyone else sick of this?

Actually, I think the real reason behind this isn't pariotism or antyhing to do with America. It's about buisiness. These greedy spinless people at Fox or whatever studio are too afraid of getting sued by anyone offended by such fiction. Meanwhile, freedom of speech goes out the window because studios are afraid of lawsuits from insane lawyers like Jack Thompson.

[SPAfreak]

I bet New Amsterdam ain't looking too shabby now, is it Fox?

[SPAfreak]

I bet New Amsterdam ain't looking too shabby now, is it Fox?

Apparently not. New Amsterdam will premiere February 22, after Bones.

[Rik Levins]

Okay, it took a little longer than anticipated. But I'm finding I really enjoyed the first two episodes. Especially the little surprise at the beginning of the second one. I have to admit, I did NOT see that one coming.

I described the show to my wife, who said, "Wait, so if he finally meets the woman who is supposed to be his soul mate--he DIES? That's kind of stupid."

...and, of course, the Omar character on screen at that moment then said almost exactly the same thing. Which intrigued her enough to watch the shows, and now she's interested too.

Re-reading that review at the beginning of this thread I pretty much agree with everything that was written. Looking forward to more episodes.

I just hope it lasts longer than Journeyman, which was the last show the two of us enjoyed together...

[Deathstroke]

I liked the first two episodes and I really loved the twist on the relationship between Omar and John. Especially how it twists a rather important aspect of immortality from Highlander on it's ear.

[Enigmanaut]

I've really enjoyed it so far. I like that he seems different from other immortals in that it seems that, other than the fact he doesn't age or die, he works normally in every other way. He scars, he breeds... I'm guessing he's not even a fast healer when his life isn't on the line.

And I love that he numbers rather than names his dogs.

[Corrina]

Add me to the group who really enjoyed it.

The lead actor is engaging. I love the character's habit of actually telling the truth about things, knowing no one will believe him. Like the number of days that he's been sober, for instance.

And they're doing some different things with the immortality. Allowing him marriages and all that entails. The reveal at the end of the second episode is excellent, too.

I was very pleasantly surprised. Now watch, it'll get canceled. :sigh:

[Deathstroke]

Add me to the group who really enjoyed it.

The lead actor is engaging. I love the character's habit of actually telling the truth about things, knowing no one will believe him. Like the number of days that he's been sober, for instance.

And they're doing some different things with the immortality. Allowing him marriages and all that entails. The reveal at the end of the second episode is excellent, too.

I was very pleasantly surprised. Now watch, it'll get canceled. :sigh:

Well considering they only made 8 episodes before the strike and then Fox cut the order to just those 8 shows, the ratings would have to be gangbusters for the show to come back. Cancellation is NOT a surprise.

[SPAfreak]

Well considering they only made 8 episodes before the strike and then Fox cut the order to just those 8 shows, the ratings would have to be gangbusters for the show to come back. Cancellation is NOT a surprise.

The ratings aren't gangbusters. There was a HUGE drop in numbers after American Idol and most of the target audience went on to watch Lost instead. It's too bad, there really is a good show in there somewhere. The problem is that the show is trying to be too many things and really isn't succeeding at any of them. You've got the Highlander immortality stuff complete with flashbacks, a love story and you have them both grafted on to a cop show. I think that given time Amsterdam would grow into itself but I don't think that it will get that time.

[Shellhead]

I watched the pilot episode and found it to be unremarkable. It didn't suck, but it didn't rise above the obvious pitch of Highlander/Angel. And I'm at the point where I don't trust Fox to keep new shows on the air anymore. They've got the Simpsons and Idol and most of the rest of their schedule seems like filler these days.

[Toonimator]

Putting this on opposite LOST, even following Idol's results show, was pretty dumb. I was just getting into the episode when I remembered LOST was on. Is Thursday the permanent timeslot for the next 6 eps? Dumb move, if so. Put that lie detector crap on Thursday instead. Game show vs. kooky supernatural sci-fi drama is better for a ratings battle than kooky supernatural sci-fi drama vs. kooky supernatural sci-fi drama that'd possibly share the same audience anyway.

What I've seen so far, I've liked. I hope Fox'll pick up some more episodes and give it a decent home.

[the goddamn batman]

I like this show so far. I guess there's only going to be 8 eps total? That's too bad.

[comicaze]

I know there's a thread about the pilot, but I wanted to start fresh. So, here goes...

Although I thought it would be like Moonlight (which I can take or leave) without the vampires angle, I gave the pilot a chance. It wasn't bad, but I still wasn't sold on it. It seemed all over the place with a lot of ground to cover and the murder case getting short shrift.

The second episode last week worked a little better IMHO. Especially liked the unexpected reveal about Omar and the talk Amsterdam had with his great-grandson about Superman. Being a comic geek, I had thought of the old argument about Supes outliving even Lois and all his friends during the pilot, and it was fun to see it addressed by Amsterdam himself.

Tonight's episode was definitely IMHO the best so far. We had romance (and a possible complication), another past life flashback, and an interesting case which felt like L&O to me.

I thought I was done with FOX after giving Sarah Connor a shot but, with this and Canterbury's Law, I might be around on the non-Idol/Moment of Truth nights. Anybody else watching?

[Neal R]

I just caught up with the episodes and I must say I'm thoroughly enjoying the show. It's resemblance to "Life" over on NBC is a bit uncanny, but that's not unheard of in network TV. Structurally they're exactly the same except instead of an ongoing conspiracy case plot, you have an old fashioned romance. I find that refreshing and it helps the performances sold me on this idea.

We'll get these 8 episodes, and like Sarah Connor Chronicles, they'll decide whether or not they bring this thing back in the fall. Here's hoping.

[the goddamn batman]

Yeah, I totally noticed that it reminded me of "Life".

[ForeverTaskmaster]

I will check out New Amsterdam.
However, is it too much trouble to
create an Eternal Warrior series ?
That would be much cooler.

[Surtur]

Eh, it is a good show, but I'm getting a bit tired of the "amsterdam has flashbacks to past experiences that tie in with the current plot"

Also they just did the ol' cliche "hero tells girl he loves his secret in an act of desperation, and of course she doesn't believe him"

Come on, sit her down and explain it, don't shout it at her at night in a park as she walks away.

[Deathstroke]

Can someone give me a spoilerific recap of the latest episode, I missed it.

[DonC]

I have a question: Is this a limited-run series? The overall storyline is that he has to find true love in order to age, right? Well, he's found her already. Yeah, they're in a rough patch right now, but all he has to do is explain stuff to her and she'll melt in his arms. Then he grows old and dies. The end.

[DF2506]

I have a question: Is this a limited-run series? The overall storyline is that he has to find true love in order to age, right? Well, he's found her already. Yeah, they're in a rough patch right now, but all he has to do is explain stuff to her and she'll melt in his arms. Then he grows old and dies. The end.

As far as I know, its not a limited-run series. Unless FOX cancels it (which is very possible) and then it will be...

But no, its not set out to be limited. There are two possiblities here for how they could continue if they go on with the series:

1) Like Clark & Lana in Smallville, through out New Amsterdam (if it lasts past this first season), these two will be on again off again. It'll just be one thing or another with them and just like Smallville, it'll get boring and repetitive.

2) This is the one I hope for. She's not really his true love. What about the grey hair you say? Well, I think something can be explained there. I'm not sure what, but I think there's a way out of it. She's not his true love or maybe she is BUT she dies. So its off searching again. Or if she's not his true love, maybe she's someone else. How much do we actually know about the doctor at the moment? Maybe there is more to her then meets the eye? Or perhaps after all these years, Amsterdam is just seeing side effects of his long life (grey hairs, heart attack). Maybe it has nothing to do with her!

I agree with you. Its much too early for him to have found her. So either its one or the two things I mentioned. I hope its the second one, cause I really like the show. I think the twist of his son is excellent and there just needs to be another twist (especially with the doc). So ya, I'm rooting for the "she's not his true love". But maybe she is someone he can confide in? Maybe she'll turn out to be his new wife or something. lol. But I doubt she's THE ONE, unless they plan on going for the whole "will they/won't they" type of thing. Which would just get so boring...

I really like this show. But it is on FOX too. So I'm crossing my fingers big time, but I'm prepared for it to not come back...

DF2506

[Toreador]

As far as I know, its not a limited-run series. Unless FOX cancels it (which is very possible) and then it will be...

But no, its not set out to be limited. There are two possiblities here for how they could continue if they go on with the series:

1) Like Clark & Lana in Smallville, through out New Amsterdam (if it lasts past this first season), these two will be on again off again. It'll just be one thing or another with them and just like Smallville, it'll get boring and repetitive.

2) This is the one I hope for. She's not really his true love. What about the grey hair you say? Well, I think something can be explained there. I'm not sure what, but I think there's a way out of it. She's not his true love or maybe she is BUT she dies. So its off searching again. Or if she's not his true love, maybe she's someone else. How much do we actually know about the doctor at the moment? Maybe there is more to her then meets the eye? Or perhaps after all these years, Amsterdam is just seeing side effects of his long life (grey hairs, heart attack). Maybe it has nothing to do with her!

I agree with you. Its much too early for him to have found her. So either its one or the two things I mentioned. I hope its the second one, cause I really like the show. I think the twist of his son is excellent and there just needs to be another twist (especially with the doc). So ya, I'm rooting for the "she's not his true love". But maybe she is someone he can confide in? Maybe she'll turn out to be his new wife or something. lol. But I doubt she's THE ONE, unless they plan on going for the whole "will they/won't they" type of thing. Which would just get so boring...

I really like this show. But it is on FOX too. So I'm crossing my fingers big time, but I'm prepared for it to not come back...

DF2506

But wasn't the grey hair just in his dream? And then his dog woke him up interrupting his dream wanting to be fed.

I hope it's not his 'soulmate' as well. Then the show sort of drops down to a regular cops-and-robbers show. With his immortality intact he can take more risks in his job that a regular cop can't.

[Deathstroke]

If I remember correctly, Fox cut the original 13 episode order down to just the 8 episodes that had been produced before the writer's strike.

[Neal R]

Can someone give me a spoilerific recap of the latest episode, I missed it.

Go to fox.com and you can catch it streamed through their website.

[kalorama]

Yeah, I totally noticed that it reminded me of "Life".

Minus the interesting characters, sharp writing, and solid lead performances, maybe.

I watched a couple episodes and it bored me. The lead actor has almost no presence or charisma, and neither he nor the actress who plays his partner are even remotely convincing as cops. The premise comes across as similar to the vampire detective show (Angel, Moonlight, Blood Ties) but without the angst/moral dilemma over drinking blood or the search for redemption for past evils, which also robs the premise of a lot of spark.

[DF2506]

But wasn't the grey hair just in his dream? And then his dog woke him up interrupting his dream wanting to be fed.

Hmm. I don't think it was a dream. If it was, it definitly wasn't made clear...

I hope it's not his 'soulmate' as well. Then the show sort of drops down to a regular cops-and-robbers show. With his immortality intact he can take more risks in his job that a regular cop can't.

Yep. They definitly need to keep the immortal element and the flashbacks. I think they could easily drop the cop element though. That seems to be, imo, the weakest element of the show. Either drop the cop element or beef it up some. Make the mysteries more interesting. Maybe they should do an episode (or more) that focuses on a mystery all the way through with no flashbacks. Just focus on a case that has his complete attention. Or they could some kind of continuing mystery...

I think the flashbacks are really the most interesting parts of the show though, well those and his relationship with Olmar. I haven't felt extremly interested in him and the doc yet. I want there to be a twist on that relationship. Some suprise there. I don't think she should be his 'soulmate'.

The one idea that I really liked and I know this isn't going to happen now, because she acted like he was insane when he told her the truth...well that one idea is: I wish the doc had been an immortal too. I think, after all this time, it would be cool to see that he runs into another immortal. Maybe someone in the same situation as he is. Looking for a soulmate.

Well, doesn't look like thats the direction they are going. It appears, right now, that she is supposed to be a his soulmate. But I think that goes too much into the will they/won't they thing. And we've seen that too much already in shows like Smallville, Lois & Clark, and Moonlighting. We need something different here. There definitly needs be a twist.

Though, most likely, the show won't make it that far. This is FOX. So the show will prob end at the end of this season and we probably won't know if she was the one or not. lol.

Well, anyway, we'll see...

DF2506

[Julusnc]

It was a dream.

[Farealmer]

What i'd really like to see is some other supernatural elements in this show. I mean if their is magic rituals that can make people immortal what else could be out there?

[the goddamn batman]

Minus the interesting characters, sharp writing, and solid lead performances, maybe.


I didn't say it was as good as LIFE. Just that it kind of reminded me of it.

Man, is LIFE coming back?

[SPAfreak]

I didn't say it was as good as LIFE. Just that it kind of reminded me of it.

Man, is LIFE coming back?

In the fall.

[kalorama]

I didn't say it was as good as LIFE. Just that it kind of reminded me of it.

In what way? Because aside from the fact that the lead cop has a pretty female partner, I don't see any similarity between the two.

[Mac Danny]

What I like about the show is more than just the history, which is fun. I love that he is honest with people about who he is, it's just that people think he';s full of shit.

It's so much better than the "oh I can never tell my shameful secret"

[kalorama]

What I like about the show is more than just the history, which is fun. I love that he is honest with people about who he is, it's just that people think he';s full of shit.

It's so much better than the "oh I can never tell my shameful secret"

That's another element that doesn't really scan for me. I can understand him thinking he can screw with people and get away with telling them he's immortal because no one will believe him. But, at some point, after he keeps on with it, telling more and more people over and over, won't they just think he's nuts? And is that really something he wants to encourage?

[Neal R]

In what way? Because aside from the fact that the lead cop has a pretty female partner, I don't see any similarity between the two.

I mentioned this in one of the posts earlier, drawing comparisons to NBC's "Life" and Fox's "New Amsterdam." Structurally these two shows are exactly the same. In "Life", you have a crime story to follow between Crewes and his partner. The other part of the show is an ongoing conspiracy angle involving the case that put Crewes in prison. Often, the crime either sheds light on the conspiracy or in some cases sheds light on the characters. "New Amsterdam" is exactly the same except in this case, the crime ties into something in Amsterdam's past that sheds light on who he is or used to be. In place of the conspiracy plot of "Life" we have this ongoing romance with the doctor.

This is longer than I thought it would be, but I'm just saying from a screenwriting perspective these shows are identical. It's been noted already that "Life" is coming back in the fall. I doubt New Amersterdam is.

[kalorama]

I mentioned this in one of the posts earlier, drawing comparisons to NBC's "Life" and Fox's "New Amsterdam." Structurally these two shows are exactly the same. In "Life", you have a crime story to follow between Crewes and his partner. The other part of the show is an ongoing conspiracy angle involving the case that put Crewes in prison. Often, the crime either sheds light on the conspiracy or in some cases sheds light on the characters. "New Amsterdam" is exactly the same except in this case, the crime ties into something in Amsterdam's past that sheds light on who he is or used to be. In place of the conspiracy plot of "Life" we have this ongoing romance with the doctor.

This is longer than I thought it would be, but I'm just saying from a screenwriting perspective these shows are identical.

I saw your earlier post. And while your explanation is well stated, I still don't buy it. Other than the very superficial parallels of a male/female detective team and a lead character thying to solve a mystery, they're nothing alike in any substantive way.

[the goddamn batman]

Because it's a quirky cop show. That's all. I was watching it, and it made me think about LIFE. That's al, really.

[Toonimator]

Well, doesn't look like thats the direction they are going. It appears, right now, that she is supposed to be a his soulmate. But I think that goes too much into the will they/won't they thing. And we've seen that too much already in shows like Smallville, Lois & Clark, and Moonlighting. We need something different here. There definitly needs be a twist.
Here's a twist, but it'd need a couple seasons to pay off: the doc isn't his soulmate... but a daughter she'll shortly after their brief romance WILL be. He'll somehow realize it when he encounters the baby, and freak out thinking he's the father and that the fates wouldn't be that cruel, blah blah. Just one random idea.