“MERCY STREET” to Premiere January 17 at 9:00pm on Ch.5.1
Original 6-Episode Series to Take Viewers Beyond the Battlefield With Intimate, Human Look at lives on the Civil War Home Front
Award-Winning Creative Team Includes Ridley Scott, David Zabel & David W. Zucker
Producers Worked To Ensure Historical Accuracy
Civil War Era Teacher/Classroom Materials Available
MERCY STREET, a new Civil War era drama produced in and around Richmond, Virginia, will debut Sunday, January 17, at 9:00 pm on NM PBS, with repeat presentations on both Ch. 5.1 – Thursdays at 8:00 pm, beginning Jan. 21 & Ch. 9.1 –Tuesdays at 8:00 pm, beginning Jan. 19.
Based on real events, MERCY STREET takes viewers beyond the battlefield and into the lives of diverse cast of characters — doctors, nurses, contraband laborers and Southern loyalists — who intersect in the chaotic world of Union-occupied Alexandria, Virginia, and the Mansion House Hospital in the early years of the Civil War.
The series is executive produced by Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Thelma and Louise); David W. Zucker (“The Good Wife” and “The Man in the High Castle”) of Scott Free; Lisa Q. Wolfinger (“Desperate Crossing, The Untold Story of the Mayflower”) and David Zabel (ER).
Set in Virginia in the spring of 1862, MERCY STREET follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposite sides of the conflict; Mary Phinney, (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a staunch New England abolitionist, and Emma Green, (Hannah James), a naive young Confederate belle. The two collide at Mansion House, the Green family’s luxury hotel that has been taken over and transformed into a Union Army Hospital in Alexandria, a border town between North and South and the longest-occupied Confederate city of the war.
Ruled under martial law, Alexandria is now the melting pot of the region, filled with civilians, female volunteers, doctors, soldiers including wounded soldiers from both sides, free blacks, enslaved and contraband (escaped slaves living behind Union lines) African Americans, prostitutes, speculators and spies.
The intersection of North and South within the confines of a small occupied town creates a rich world that is chaotic, conflicted, corrupt, dynamic and even hopeful — a cauldron within which these characters strive, fight, love, laugh, betray, sacrifice and, at times, act like scoundrels.
This series is not about battles and glory; it’s about the drama and unexpected humor of everyday life behind the front lines. It’s a fresh twist on an iconic story, one that resonates with larger themes we still struggle with today. Some of the cast includes:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (“The Returned,” The Spectacular Now) as nurse Mary Phinney, a feisty New England widow who is a newcomer at Mansion House Hospital.
Josh Radnor (“How I Met Your Mother,” Liberal Arts, Broadway’s Disgraced) as Dr. Jedediah Foster, the civilian contract surgeon who grew up in a privileged slave-owning household as the son of a wealthy Maryland landowner.
Gary Cole (“Veep,” “The Good Wife,” “Entourage”) as James Green, Sr., patriarch of the Green family, struggling to maintain his family business while living in an occupied city.
Newcomers Hannah James as Emma Green, an entitled Southern young woman who volunteers as a nurse at Mansion House Hospital, and Brad Koed as James Green, Jr., working alongside his father on the family businesses while he desperately wants to be on the front lines for the Confederate cause.
Norbert Leo Butz (“Bloodline,”2-TimeTony Award winner) as Dr. Byron Hale, an old-school Army Surgeon who does everything by the book.
Tara Summers (“You’re the Worst,” “Rake,” “Boston Legal,” “Hitchcock”) as nurse Anne Hastings, whose claim to fame is her experience working with Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War, and more.
To ensure historical accuracy, the producers engaged an all-star team of advisors headed by noted historian James McPherson and including leading experts on Civil War medicine, military history, African American history, women in the Civil War era and more. Each script was vetted with the entire advisory team, many of whom were on set during the show’s filming in Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia.
PBS LearningMedia will offer a range of materials designed to bring MERCY STREET into classrooms around our nation, including a series of student-facing videos that will explore ties between current events topics with roots in Civil War era history, clips from MERCY STREET and teacher-focused classroom support materials, such as background essays and lesson activities. These resources will enable teachers to connect content covered in MERCY STREET with curricular topics in Civil War era history, and connect themes covered in the series to issues relevant to students’ lives today.
MERCY STREET – The New Nurse
Ch. 5.1 – Sunday, January 17 at 9:00 pm and repeats: Thursdays at 8:00 pm, beginning Jan. 21
Ch. 9.1 -Tuesdays at 8:00 pm, beginning January 19
Ruled under martial law, Alexandria is now the melting pot of the region, filled with civilians, female volunteers, doctors, soldiers including wounded soldiers from both sides, free blacks, enslaved and contraband (escaped slaves living behind Union lines) African Americans, prostitutes, speculators and spies.
The intersection of North and South within the confines of a small occupied town creates a rich world that is chaotic, conflicted, corrupt, dynamic and even hopeful — a cauldron within which these characters strive, fight, love, laugh, betray, sacrifice and, at times, act like scoundrels.
The Haversack
Sunday, January 24, 2016 at 9:00 pm
Confederate belle Emma nurses her wounded friend. Dr. Foster wrestles with his marriage and career as Mary tries to improve her patients’ lives with Samuel’s help. Aurelia submits to Silas’ advances in exchange for his help.
The Uniform
Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 9:00 pm
Dr. Foster confronts his family’s divided loyalties when his mother and wounded Confederate brother arrive. Alice is shocked to find her fiancé, Tom, deeply changed by war. Samuel and Aurelia try to persuade a slave boy to seize a chance at freedom.
The Belle Alliance
Sunday, February 7 at 9:00 pm
During a Union ball at their house, the Green girls and Frank initiate a daring plan to help Tom escape. Mary releases Dr. Foster, still shaky from his detox, from his “quarantine” so he can guide Samuel through a delicate operation.
The Dead Room
Sunday, February 14 at 9:00 pm
The unexpected visit of a hospital inspector throws the staff into disarray. Mary feels empathy for a deserter, while Silas makes Samuel pay for his arrogance. A family tragedy forces James Sr. to take a risky step to earn his family’s respect.
The Diabolical Plot
Sunday, February 21 at 9:00 pm
President Lincoln’s visit sets in motion a diabolical rebel plot and offers an opportunity to free James Sr. Dr. Foster uncovers a scheme to undermine him at the expense of his patients. Aurelia recovered from her surgery makes a bold decision.