In 1642, John was a Dutch solider in the colony of New Amsterdam. During the massacre of a Native American tribe, he stepped in front of a sword to save a young Indian woman. Later, the girl rescued him with an ancient spell that has left him immortal until he finds his one true love and their souls "wed." The woman tells him he'll know it in his heart when his path crosses that of his true love.

Over the centuries, John has honed his skills and stayed in the area until New York City literally sprang up around him. He knows the city better than any human alive, a knowledge that comes in handy when he's trying to solve cases. Unfortunately, outliving lovers, wives and children has taken its toll, and he's turned into a loner with only one friend. Omar (Henderson), the owner of a jazz club, is his only confidant.

Into John's life comes a new partner named Eva Marquez (Robinson). A detective, she sees working with John as a challenge, and she refuses to let him scare her off. Together they take on the case of a murdered girl. At first the case seems easy enough. Everyone believes the boyfriend, Eddie Riley, did it.

But when John confronts Riley in the subway, he begins to suspect the man may be innocent. Just as he's about to apprehend Riley, John suffers a massive heart attack. Dr. Sara Dillane (Gilmore) pronounces him dead in the ER, but John doesn't stay dead for very long. He walks out of the morgue certain of one thing ... his path must have crossed that of his one true love.

As John attempts to solve the murder, he finds himself drawn to the mystery of finding the woman who just might be his true love. Meanwhile, Eva begins to learn that working with John Amsterdam has its challenges.

Plenty of promise

Last fall, Fox made a wise decision and pushed New Amsterdam to midseason. The new series certainly would have gotten lost in all the other sci-fi and fantasy. What hope did an immortal cop have, especially considering that the reason for the immortality was mystical mumbo jumbo?

Well, as it turns out, New Amsterdam is good. While the pilot does a decent job of setting up the series, the second episode, "Golden Boy" (which airs on Thursday, March 6, at 9 p.m. ET), surprises and brings home what really makes this series special. Once the show steps away from all the talk of John's search for his true love, it quite effectively deals with a man who has lived too long and lost too much.

John has fallen in love and had children whom he loved, and he's always had to leave his family behind when time has caught up with him to the point where he couldn't hide his immortality. His dog is named 36, and his best friend, Omar, is 65. John knows it's only a matter of time before he's alone yet again.

The flashbacks might be a little reminiscent of Highlander and Forever Knight, but still, this series comes into its own quickly and intertwines past and present stories very effectively.

While the romance will eventually come into play, especially considering there's a pretty lady doctor played by Alexie Gilmore in the cast, in the beginning it's simply a reminder that the fantasy element doesn't make a lot of sense.

As for the procedural story in the pilot, it's pretty standard stuff. However, it is fun to have John's exceptional knowledge replace the need to go to a computer to look something up. He's got just enough Sherlock Holmes in him.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau does a terrific job as John, offering a fair amount of aloofness and charm at the same time. His slight accent also gives his character a touch of otherworldliness that fits the role. Zuleikha Robinson provides some nice backup as his determined partner, Eva, and Stephen Henderson is funny and real as Omar. But the best co-star is New York City, thanks to John's knowledge of the city and the location shots.

So while New Amsterdam isn't an instant home run, it has loads of promise. And one last note—the final special-effects shot of New York advancing from 1642 to today is amazing.