Freema Agyeman leaving New Amsterdam prior to season 5

New Amsterdam season 4

Unfortunately, the worst fears of many New Amsterdam fans have officially come true — Freema Agyeman will not be back for season 5.

In a statement to TVLine, the actress (who recently joined a Sky comedy series in the UK) made it clear that she will be departing ahead of the thirteen-episode final season airing on NBC this fall:

“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 over these past few years, while rolling around in the skin of Ms. Helen Sharpe, and witness every ebb and flow of your emotional investment. What a ride! Thank you for being on it with me. She 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 … It has been such a joy to play Dr. Helen Sharpe for 4 seasons — those writers built a badass! Beyond grateful for the opportunity to tell some of her stories! Fanfic — it’s over to you to tell the rest!! Lots of love Fam!”

This news is undoubtedly shocking, and it will take a good while to process. Given that we were entering the final season, we hoped that we would at least have Sharpe around to see the rest of the story through.

Follow Matt and Jess TV on Instagram HERE!

Now that we know that this is not going to happen, it’s a difficult pill to swallow — especially when you consider the events of the season 4 finale. In that episode, Sharpe told Max that she couldn’t be at the wedding, but we did not learn why. While we still hope that we could see Sharpe in a series finale, we don’t want to sit here and give false hope that this is going to happen. For now, let’s just try to contend with the hard news currently coursing through our brain.

Are you shocked that Freeman Agyeman is leaving New Amsterdam after this season?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, be sure to come back for other updates you don’t want to miss. (Photo: NBC.)

Love TV? Be sure to like Matt & Jess on Facebook for more updates!