Sumith Prasad
Dr. Helen Sharpe and Dr. Max Goodwin’s relationship forms one of the most integral and heart-rending storylines of NBC’s medical series ‘New Amsterdam.’ Their togetherness gets challenged when Helen moves to London to be the medical director of her former workplace. Still, they continue to nurture their relationship, which leads them to their wedding day. Even though their wedding plans get affected by a hurricane, their friends and colleagues team up to help the couple move forward with their wedding plans, only for Helen to make a life-altering decision. Since the same affects Freema Agyeman’s character’s appearance in the show, we have found out whether the actress had departed from the show. Here are our findings! SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Happened to Dr. Helen Sharpe?
Towards the end of the fourth season, Helen and Max realize that they should marry at the earliest. They plan to get married in New York City and Max starts to wait for Helen’s arrival, only for their plans to get affected by a hurricane. Still, his colleagues transform the roof of New Amsterdam into a wedding venue. Meanwhile, Helen informs Max that she doesn’t want to marry him and adds that she doesn’t even know the reason behind the same. She stays back in London, leaving Max and Luna alone in New York City.
In the fifth season premiere, Max gets affected by the absence of Helen severely but deals with the same with the help of his colleagues, who regularly check in on him. As Helen decides to part ways with Max and her friends in New Amsterdam, at least for now, the viewers must be wondering whether we have seen the last of Agyeman’s character. Let’s find out!
Did Freema Agyeman Leave New Amsterdam?
Yes, Freema Agyeman did leave ‘New Amsterdam’ ahead of the fifth season. The actress announced her departure from the show in July 2022 in a post addressed to the “Dearest Dam Fam.” “First off I would like to say a huge heartfelt THANK YOU for your unending, dedicated and deliciously ferocious support! I feel very fortunate to have connected with so many of you, while rolling around in the skin of Ms. Helen Sharpe, and witness every ebb and flow of your emotional investment in her. What a ride! Thank you for being on it with me,” Agyeman wrote.
“She [Helen] has meant so much to me, but the time has come for me to hang up her white coat, as I officially share the news that I will not be returning for the final season of New Amsterdam. While I am saddened, I am also incredibly excited to see how the story concludes as a fan of the series,” Agyeman added. As per sources, the actress made the decision to leave, possibly to involve in other projects as indicated by the conclusion of her announcement, “Every ending is a new beginning,” a quote by Marianne Williamson. The actress is currently a part of the cast of ‘Dreamland,’ a Sky comedy series.
Even though Agyeman had left the show, series creator David Schulner and executive producer Peter Horton made it clear that they are happy to open a door to the show if the actress wants to return as Helen. “We wish Freema the best of luck on her next chapter and the doors of New Amsterdam will always be open if she wishes to return! We are extremely proud of the impact Freema and Dr. Helen Sharpe have made over these past four seasons and are so grateful to have been a part of that story,” Schulner and Horton expressed in a joint statement.
In an interview given to TV Line, Ryan Eggold, who plays Max, revealed that his reaction to the news of Agyeman’s exit was “many things, many mixed up things, but first and foremost, so much love for Freema and wanting Freema to do what’s best for her, always.” “[I’m] sad to not play those scenes with her [Agyeman] because they’re always so fun and engaging, and the romantic arc that we’ve had for these seasons now has been so dynamic and shifting and fluid,” the actor added. Even though Agyeman is not part of the cast of the fifth season, we may continue to see scenes from previous seasons that feature Helen as flashback sequences.
Read More: Did Genevieve Angelson’s Mia Castries Leave New Amsterdam?
