Fearless Prediction . . . 'New Amsterdam' is not so bad actually

I think you all know I'm quite fond of fearless predictions.

Just the other day I brazenly declared to a friend that Carly Smithson will not make it to the top six on American Idol. My friend then asked what I wanted to bet? That hadn't even occurred to me. I just enjoy throwing my fearless predictions out into ether.

Which, you may remember, is what I did last September when I declared that New Amsterdam was so bad it would never see the light of your TV set. Cut to seven months later and New Amsterdam premieres Tuesday at 9 p.m. on FOX. So I'll be the first to admit that sometimes my fearless predictions can backfire. Even more surprising is that after watching the second episode available for review (which airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on FOX),I think the series could actually turn out to be a fairly decent show.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stars as New York detective John Amsterdam. He's a 400-year-old man who will remain immortal until he finds his one true love. I'm almost tempted to tell you to skip this week and tune in next week when the show makes a marked improvement.

The premiere features laughably cheesy flashbacks to when John first was cursed by Native Americans. But by the second episode, the show begins to give viewers an idea of how each episode will play out. There will be the crime in the present day that John and his partner Eva Marquez (Zuleikha Robinson) have to solve and the show will flashback to some other period of John's life in New York City.

He'll also spend time chatting with bar keeper Omar (Stephen McKinley Henderson), the only man who knows his secret, and tracking down his possible soul mate Dr. Sara Dillane (Alexie Gilmore). There's a nifty reveal about Omar in the second episode that makes sense and makes the series instantly more appealing.

There's a lot familiar here -- from Highlander to Angel -- so the show doesn't get a lot of points for originality. But Danish actor Coster-Waldau brings the right amount of brooding charm to the role and John's back-story has the potential to be interesting. Warning: Don't try to apply much logic to the show. It won't hold up.

I certainly don't love New Amsterdam. But it's much better than I originally thought it was going to be. Three stars. After you watch the show, let me know what you think.

Ask TV Gal

I had read that NBC would be airing episodes of 'Monk' and 'Psych' on Sundays which was then changed to allow 'quarterlife' to air. Now that 'quarterlife' is no more, will NBC go back to their original plan of putting the USA shows on the air? Jackie

Excellent question, Jackie. Right now it looks like NBC will stick to its plan of airing Monk and Psych beginning Sunday, April 6 and that episodes of various Law & Orders and Deal or No Deal will fill in for quarterlife until then. NBC pulled quarterlife less than 24 hours after it premiered (not that you can blame them, the show had the worst ratings the network had seen in 17 years). Networks are fickle creatures these days so anything could happen. I'll keep you posted.

Breaking News!

The CW just announced that it has renewed Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Smallville, Everybody Hates Chris and (insert sighs of relief here) Supernatural for next season. Whoo-hoo!

Highlights of the Week Ahead

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for March 3-9

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles comes to a close with a two hour season finale Monday night at 8 p.m. on FOX. Let's all cross our fingers and hope that FOX, a network that doesn't necessarily have the best track record when it comes to science fiction, does the right thing and picks up the series for a second season.

Gregory Itzin, the much-missed President Logan on 24, guest stars as a corrupt Senator on Medium (Monday, NBC, 10 p.m.). This show has always had an undercurrent of realism from Joe and Allison's marriage to Patricia Arquette's realistic appearance (she actually looks like someone you could run into in the grocery store). And I love this season that the show has tackled the Dubois' financial troubles. I'm loving Medium this season, are you?

I have heard your rallying cries around Carpoolers (Tuesday, ABC, 9:30 p.m.) -- you want me to talk more about this show. Okay here I go. I really like the ridiculously silly Marmaduke character. T.J. Miller is doing so much with this role, I have to think that no matter what happens to Carpoolers, we'll definitely be seeing him again. The rest of the show is, as Randy Jackson likes to say, just alright for me man. This week, Aubrey takes his daughter to work. And you might as well here this from a friend, this week is the last episode of Carpoolers. Next week the show gets bumped for According to Jim and the week after for Dancing with the Stars results show. Carpoolers is on the bubble so we won't know for a couple of months if it lives to see a second season.

Who will take my business that Anne Heche's Marin is the most annoying aspect of Men in Trees (Wednesday, ABC, 10 p.m.). I honestly would like the show so much better if she wasn't on it. Marin is one of those characters who only exists in the world of TV. Which would probably be fine if I enjoyed watching any of her tomfoolery. This week Marin and the rest of Elmo await news of Jack who is lost at sea. They really shouldn't worry, James Tupper is still in the opening credits.

Blake Lewis performs on the American Idol results show Thursday at 8 p.m. on FOX. After this week, we'll know this year's top 12. The worst part of the show, to me, has always been the obnoxious banter between Simon and Ryan. So it would be great if Ryan could stop this whole "I don't thank Ryan at the end of the show" business. It's already so old. I'd rather have him start using "Seacrest out" again.

You know where my loyalties lie and I still have a lingering affection for that group known as the Brat Pack. So it pains me to say this but I positively cannot stand Andrew McCarthy on Lipstick Jungle (Thursday, NBC, 10 p.m.). He is so pompous and cocky and I can't figure how why the show is insisting on making him increasingly unlikable. Do they think it's a woman's dream to be swept off her feet by a man who is so self-centered that he doesn't want to even have dinner with her friends? Who thinks he can buy her love and solve her problems with his money? There's a scene in next week's episode that is supposed to be so romantic -- Victory and Joe dance around an empty ballroom -- but it made me cringe. Even as annoying as Victory is (and boy is she annoying) I still want her with someone else. Of course I have to keep watching because Kim Raver's old co-star Bobby Cannavale guest stars in a few weeks as a hockey player who takes a liking to Victory.

Seth Green was adorable when he guest starred on Grey's Anatomy (Friday, ABC, 8 p.m.).

That's all for today. I'll be back on Wednesday with this week's familiar faces and thoughts on Lost . Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com. Talk to you on Wednesday.

Amy Amatangelo, TV Gal ®

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