This story contains plots points from theseries finaleofNew Amsterdam.
Watch on Deadline
PETER HORTONYes, that was the whole basis for the episode.
We thought chainsaws, what can we do with chainsaws?
Ryan EggoldZach Dilgard/NBC
DAVIDSCHULNERWe only thought about our core cast.
How do we honor those characters that weve come to know and love over five years?
DEADLINE Did you know how this was going to end from the very beginning?
SCHULNERWe knew the ending would have to come out of the beginning, just because thats good storytelling.
DEADLINE Did you talk for a while about killing off Max (Eggold) to cancer?
SCHULNERIt felt a little too easy.
And ER did it with Dr. Green.
There are many shows that came before us.
We just wanted to avoid any duplication.
HORTONAnd then we could never come back and do it again.
DEADLINE Was it a challenge to figure out what your final medical case would be?
Did you go back and forth on that?
We could not think of the right thing.
We butted our heads for an entire day, and finally I sent everyone away.
I came back with some bizarre, $5 million computer-generated like laser beam surgery.
We all just were trying to find something big and crazy.
And then Jai, our writers assistant, is the one who pitched a surgery that takes 50 people.
Immediately we knew that was the one because its about our characters.
Its not about a crazy surgery.
Its about all the characters that weve had on our show for five years, for 92 episodes.
It was about the patient, but even more importantly, it was about our characters.
HORTONOur Covid team wasnt thrilled.
Other than that, it was a really cool idea.
The shows basically a character piece.
The medical cases are there so we can talk about these people and themes.
So it was a group effort.
SCHULNERAnd then a week later, another writer emailed me the same ending.
So three people within a span of three weeks had this collective vision.
HORTONWell, I think one of the reasons you feel that way is because shes such a good actress.
You want to see her again.
Its just that she doesnt really connect to our people.
The ending really needed to be about the people weve lived with for five years.
It wasnt about our cases, it was about our people.
SCHULNERAnd by the final scene, its very clear shes going to die on the street.
We dont need to see that.
DEADLINE Did you know that no matter what, youd want to end this with some hope?
HORTONWe had to leave people with a hope taste in their mouth.
DEADLINE Are we to assume Max and Elizabeth (Sandra Mae Frank) stayed together?
SCHULNERThats for you to decide.
DEADLINE Do you feel like you had plenty of time to end this exactly the way you wanted?
I still think this thing could have, should have run for another couple years.
There are still so many stories to tell and these characters are so interesting.
3 on Netflix right now.
I dont think the audience is ready for it to end, either.
SCHULNERAnd were still tied for number one in our time slot.
HORTONIts a bit of a mystery as to why it was canceled, to tell you the truth.
