Emergency: NYC: 5 Things To Know Before You Watch The Netflix Docuseries

An ambulance drives across the Brooklyn Bridge in Emergency: NYC
(Image credit: Netflix)

There is always something new on Netflix, be it some of the best movies on the streaming platform, shows perfect for binge watching, or incredible true crime stories. One of the latest additions to the streamer’s vast collection of documentaries and docuseries is Emergency: NYC, a new multi-part series centering on life-or-death medical situations in the Big Apple, and the healthcare workers on the frontlines.

If this is the first you’re hearing about the 2023 Netflix series, don’t worry, because we are about to break down five things you should know before you watch Emergency: NYC, ranging from what it’s about to its rating, and just about everything in between. Time is of the essence, so let’s get started…

Emergency: NYC Follows Paramedics, Nurses And Doctors As They Attempt To Save Their Patients' Lives

Emergency: NYC isn’t like the William Shatner-hosted Rescue: 911, in that it doesn’t look back on medical emergencies with dramatic reenactments. Instead, the series takes a “fly on the wall” approach to these emergency situations that show the events transpire as they happened. However, the new docuseries does feature brief interviews with the paramedics, nurses, and doctors, as they discuss what it’s like to work in the healthcare industry in the nation’s largest city.

The Cases Covered In The Docuseries Range From Gunshot Wounds To Organ Transplants

The docuseries covers a myriad of medical cases ranging from gunshot wounds to organ transplants, and everything in between. In a single episode, you will jump back and forth between various cases involving young children, teenagers, young adults, and the elderly, exposing you to all kinds of people in delicate life-or-death situations.

Emergency: NYC Is From The Creators Of The Lenox Hill Docuseries

Those who watched the 2020 Netflix docuseries, Lenox Hill, will be familiar with the format of Emergency: NYC, as both non-scripted series were created by Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz. The new show can be seen as a spin-off of the medical docuseries that was released during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the doctors and frontline workers from the 2020 series show up in Emergency: NYC.

Stream Lenox Hill on Netflix.

The Docuseries Is Split Into Eight Episodes That Are Around 40 Minutes Apiece

Though you could hypothetically watch Emergency: NYC in one sitting, it would take you more than a few hours, as the new docuseries consists of eight episodes that are around 40 minutes apiece. As mentioned above, each of these episodes focus on multiple stories; so, if you watch the entire series, you’ll see dozens of medical emergencies play out.

Emergency: NYC Is Rated TV-MA Due To Language And Graphic Content

Though it’s not as intense as some of Netflix’s true crime offerings, Emergency: NYC does carry a TV-MA rating due to the language and graphic content throughout the series. There are scenes of surgeries and other medical procedures, a lot of blood, and other situations that may be a little too much for those who are squeamish or faint of heart.

Hopefully, this helps you make a decision on whether or not you’ll watch Emergency: NYC. But if you do want to check it out, please note that you will need an active Netflix subscription to do so.

Stream Emergency: NYC on Netflix.

Philip Sledge
Content Writer

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.