The Truth About Why Anupam Kher Left 'New Amsterdam'
In early 2018, news began to swirl that NBC were showing interest in a medical drama project developed by David Schulner (The Event) and Peter Horton (Grey's Anatomy, The Philanthropist). By mid that year, the network had already ordered a pilot for the show - called New Amsterdam - and announced that they would be picking it up for an original 13-episode first season. This was later expanded into 22 episodes.
The casting for the series was eye catching. The Blacklist star Ryan Eggold was picked in the leading part of Dr. Max Goodwin, the new, idealistic medical director at the fictional New Amsterdam Hospital. The rest of the cast was a bit out of left field, with some names that would not exactly be considered Hollywood regulars.
Joining Eggold on the roster were actors such as Tyler Labine (Tucker & Dale vs Evil), Jocko Sims (Crash, The Last Ship) and Freema Agyeman. The latter is well known for her work on the Wachowski's Sense8, and she was not the only one tapped from the Netflix sci-fi drama for New Amsterdam.
One Of The Most Liked Characters
Bollywood legend Anupam Kher was also brought on board, to play Dr. Vijay Kapoor, head of the neurology department at the hospital. Kher had co-starred with Agyeman in Sense8, and even took to Twitter to celebrate their foray into New Amsterdam. "Dearest @FreemaOfficial my favourite co actor from #Sense8!! Looking forward to sharing the screen space with you in the new @nbc series #NewAmsterdam. Jai Ho.:)," he wrote.
Kher had also been one of the first to announce the news of the series pick-up, writing, "Happy to share the great news!! The @nbc pilot #NewAmsterdam, I shot for in New York has been picked up to be a series now. Here comes the Indian Actor to join the cast & crew in NY.."
As New Amsterdam grew in favor among audiences, Dr. Kapoor quickly became one of the most liked characters on the show. As it was at the height of its third season, a review of the series ranked Kher's character as the fourth most likeable, after Labine's Iggy Frome, Agyeman's Helen Sharpe and Eggold's Max Goodwin.
Production Was Halted
As with most other shows, production on the series was halted in March 2020, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic reverberated across the globe. The world rallied together to fight the virus, and New Amsterdam was not left behind. At a time when the medical world was suffering a shortage of protective equipment for their professionals, the show donated some of their gear to help mitigate the crisis.
"Our tireless crew - the costume dept., set dec., props - all went through every storage area, every nook and cranny of every set and put together half a truck load of PPE, masks, gloves, gowns and face masks," Schulner was quoted in a report by Deadline. "While we work closely with Bellevue and Kings County Hospital, we are working with NYC relief efforts to find the most needy."
Episode 18 of Season 2 was the last one to finish production before the pandemic struck. Coincidentally, it was meant to be about a flu outbreak in New York City and was originally titled Pandemic. The producers felt that this would be tone deaf, and changed the title to A Matter of Seconds.
Reeling From The COVID Fallout
Elements of the episode were also altered in post production, in order to be sensitive to the prevailing global situation. Understandably, A Matter of Seconds became the default Season 2 finale of the show. When the third season returned in March 2021, the characters were reeling from the COVID fallout. Chief among them was Dr. Kapoor, who was on life support as a result of having contracted the virus. While he finally made it through, Kapoor left the hospital and wrote to his colleagues to inform them that he would not be returning.
New Amsterdam already had a track record of teasing the departure of central characters, only to bring them back later. Janet Montgomery (Dr. Lauren Bloom) and Jocko Sims (Dr. Floyd Reynolds) had been written out of a number of episodes and then restored later. Fans who were hoping that it was the same case with Kher were however, soon disappointed.
The 66-year old took to Instagram to announce that he was in fact no longer part of the series cast, and was instead going to focus on taking care of his wife, who had been battling cancer. "I am grateful to the audience for their love, support and good wishes, particularly for my wife, Kirron, at this time. I hope you all will continue to join me on my journey and future projects," part of his statement read.
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