Prostitution, the use of morphine, corruption, and slavery are also addressed. Mercy street a civil war drama on pbs denver post blogs. Season 1 of the civil war medical drama opens with mary phinney mary elizabeth winstead, a widowed nurse from new england, arriving at a hospital in unionoccupied alexandria, va. Among the union soldiers, doctors, wounded men from both sides, freed slaves, politicians, speculators, and spies who passed through the hospital in the crossroads. But thats exactly how it is spun on the riveting new pbs drama mercy street, which weaves an edifying sixpart tale about. As a result, when the producers at pbs aired mercy street, a civil war period drama set in the hospitals of alexandria, virginia, in 1862, there was already a line of historians and civil war enthusiasts ready to criticize its historical accuracy. But mercy street public tvs first american drama in decades avoids the subject simply by avoiding it. Jan 27, 2016 check out mercy street on mercystreet airs sundays, january 17february 21, 2016 at 109c. Jan 15, 2016 mercy street, a new original series on pbs, tells the story of a onetime hotel turned union army hospital, and is based on memoirs and letters of real civil war medical staff.
Mercy street is an american period medical drama television series created by lisa wolfinger and david zabel. Toler is a chicagobased historian who writes for history buffs and nerdy kids and the general intelligent reader. In mercy street, civil war trauma meets modern medical drama. Uktvs drama channel has secured the exclusive uk rights to mercy street, the u. Today, visitors to alexandria can experience the mercy street story up close at the historic sites where the reallife soldiers, doctors and nurses depicted in the series lived out divided loyalties and moral dilemmas during the longest. Mercy street, a new original series on pbs, tells the story of a onetime hotel turned union army hospital, and is based on memoirs and letters of real civil war medical staff. Pbs civil war hospital drama is er version of downton abbey the combination costume drama and hospital procedural is immediately watchable for history fans, but its a. Visit mercy street pbs american drama visit alexandria va. Heroines of mercy street tells the true stories of the nurses at mansion house, the alexandria, virginia, mansion turned wartime hospital and setting for the new pbs drama mercy street.
Pbs civil war hospital drama is er version of downton abbey the combination costume drama and hospital procedural is immediately watchable for history fans, but its a mix of. Josh radnor, mary elizabeth winstead, gary cole and cherry jones are among the eclectic cast of new civil war drama mercy street the first american drama to. Among the union soldiers, doctors, wounded men from both sides, freed slaves, politicians, speculators, and a look at the lives of the real nurses depicted in. Pbs unveiled the cast and directors for upcoming civil war drama mercy street on wednesday. Jan 26, 2016 mercy street, a civil war hospital drama on pbs running sundays through feb. Watch full episodes of mercy street and get the latest breaking news, exclusive videos and pictures, episode recaps and much more at. Heroines of mercy street tells the true stories of the nurses at mansion house, the alexandria, virginia, mansion turned war time hospital and setting for the new pbs drama mercy street. Jan, 2016 civil war america takes a turn down mercy street.
The real nurses of the civil war, which tells the true stories of the female nurses who inspired the characters of the original pbs drama mercy street. The program revolved around the lives of the staff and patients inside an alexandria, va. Pbs mercy street depicts guts, glory of civil war hospitals. Im looking forward to the show, but unlike everyone else in tonights audience ill be waiting breathlessly for the promotional spot at the end of the show, when pbs plugs dvds of the show and my book, the heroines of mercy street. Mary phinney, a staunch new england abolitionist, and emma green, a naive confederate belle, collide at mansion house, the green familys luxury hotel that has been transformed into a union army hospital during the us civil war. The civil war is arguably one of the most studied subjects in american history.
Apr 29, 2015 josh radnor, mary elizabeth winstead, gary cole and cherry jones are among the eclectic cast of new civil war drama mercy street the first american drama to air on pbs in more than a decade. Its rare that the civil war is portrayed as a fortuitous time. The doctors of mercy street have made their final house call pbs civil warera medical drama starring josh radnor and mary elizabeth winstead has been cancelled, with the recent. Pbs makes a civil war medical drama with mercy street. The dickensian tale is centered on nurses from opposing sides at a unionheld hospital in the southern town of alexandria, va. Roxann dawson and jeremy webb will direct josh radnor, mary elizabeth winstead, gary cole, peter.
Schultzs scholarship attracted the creators of mercy street, a serial set in unionoccupied alexandria, va. Among the union soldiers, doctors, wounded men from both sides, freed slaves, politicians, speculators, and. Pbs first american drama in a decade, mercy street, is inspired by real events of civil war alexandria. Cast set for pbs civil war drama mercy street nonfiction. Reviews of new pbs series mercy street american civil war. In the upcoming pbc civil war drama, mercy street, hannah james, left, plays volunteer nurse and confederate supporter emma green alongside abolitionist mary phinney, played by mary elizabeth. Jan 16, 2016 but mercy street public tvs first american drama in decades avoids the subject simply by avoiding it. Pbs civil war drama mercy street casts josh radnor, mary. Mercy street, a new dramatic pbs series, tells the story of the civil war medicine and nursing through the professional and personal lives of the staff at the mansion house hospital in the. The real medical history behind pbs civil war drama mercy.
This weekend, pbs debuts its first homegrown drama in decades with mercy street, a series set in a military hospital during the civil war. A look at the lives of the real nurses depicted in the pbs show mercy street. The series takes place in a luxury hotel thats been turned into a union hospital in alexandria, va. Alexandria, virginia, a confederate city that was occupied by union troops for almost the entirety of the war. Pbs first american drama in a decade, mercy street, is inspired by real events from alexandrias civil war history. Mercy street uses a real civil war hospital as the setting for a fictionalized and quite gorgeous drama. Finally, we have mercy street, another american period drama set during the civil war, and focusing on the dramas of two nurses working at the same hospital. Among the union soldiers, doctors, wounded men from both sides, freed slaves, politicians, speculators, and spies who passed through the. The cast and crew discuss the mercy street sets and costum. Apr 29, 2015 the cast for the pbs series mercy street is set. Based on real events, mercy street takes viewers beyond the battlefield and into the lives of a distinctive cast of characters doctors, nurses, contraband laborers and southern loyalists realizing the chaotic world of unionoccupied alexandria, virginia, and the mansion house hospital in the early years of the civil war.
This civil war era historical drama focuses on the doctors, nurses, contraband laborers, and confederate loyalists at the mansion house hospital in unionoccupied alexandria, virginia. Fans of the show are invited to explore the real sites and stories that inspired the show. Funding woes prompt pbs to kill off mercy street current. Allegiances blur and loyalties shift as the war pushes the drama beyond the hospital.
An exclusive look at mercy street, pbss new civil war medical drama nurse mary phinney mary elizabeth winstead and jedediah foster josh radnor in mercy street, which premieres. Mary phinney begins work at mansion house, a hotel turned union hospital. The one show that got the civil war right the shortlived show offered the best screen portrayal of the war the country has ever seen. The nearly flawless new series on pbs about the civil war by kevin levin. Parents need to know that mercy street is a civil war hospitalset miniseries that contains strong content, including very graphic images of bloody injuries and surgeries and frequent use of the n word. The first season of six episodes premiered ondemand on january 14, 2016 and made its. As escaped slaves flooded into the areaforming their own selfsufficient communities on the outskirts of townthe local citizenry found itself torn between working surreptitiously to advance the southern cause and accepting the. Schultz has spent nearly 30 years revealing the world of civil war hospitals and medicine. Of the approximately 375 scripted series on tv this season, its unlikely that any come close to the demanding standards of historical authenticity found in mercy street. This is primarily a medical drama, too, so get ready for something that deals with the effects of war, but without the battle being the primary purpose.
Check out mercy street on mercystreet airs sundays, january 17february 21, 2016 at 109c. But the same economic, racial and genderbased tensions still come to a head in pbs new historical drama mercy street. A look at the lives of the real nurses depicted in the pbs show mercy street heroines of mercy street tells the true stories of the nurses at mansion house, the alexandria, virginia, mansion turned war time hospital and setting for the new pbs drama mercy street. Based on real events, mercy street takes viewers beyond the battlefield and into the lives of a distinctive cast of characters doctors, nurses, contraband laborers and southern loyalists realizing the chaotic world of unionoccupied alexandria, virginia, and the mansion house. Mar 09, 2017 the doctors of mercy street have made their final house call pbs civil warera medical drama starring josh radnor and mary elizabeth winstead has been cancelled, with the recent. With mckinley belcher iii, suzanne bertish, norbert leo butz, gary cole. Madisonborn actress stars in new pbs civil war drama, mercy. Medical drama series about two volunteer nurses on opposing sides of the civil war. Heroines of mercy street tells the true stories of the nurses at mansion house, the alexandria, virginia, mansion turned wartime hospital and setting for the pbs drama mercy street.
Mercy street, a civil war hospital drama on pbs running sundays through feb. Pbs said in a statement thursday that it couldnt secure funding for a new season. Set in unionoccupied alexandria, va, the show chronicles. The sixepisode civil war drama, which debuts on pbs jan. There are no battles, nor much of a sense of the sweep of history either, for that matter. The series will focus on a washington hospital during the civil war. Mercy street, pbss civil war hospital drama, will not survive for a season 3. Indianapolis when jane schultz, professor of english and medical humanities and director of literature at indiana universitypurdue university indianapolis, was asked to be a historical consultant for mercy street, a pbs civil war medical drama series, she said she would think about it. Mar 09, 2017 mercy street, pbss civil war hospital drama, will not survive for a season 3. The first season of six episodes premiered ondemand on january 14, 2016 and made its broadcast debut on january 17, 2016 on pbs with 3.
Indianapolis when jane schultz, professor of english and medical humanities and director of literature at indiana universitypurdue university indianapolis, was asked to be a historical consultant for mercy street, a pbs civil war. Mary elizabeth winstead and mckinley belcher iii in mercy street. Mercy street wraps after two seasons on pbs deadline. Jane schultz helps bring historical accuracy to mercy street. Heroines of mercy street tells the true stories of the nurses at mansion house, the alexandria, virginia, mansion turned war time hospital and setting for the pbs drama mercy street. An exclusive look at mercy street, pbss new civil war.
Apr 29, 2015 pbs unveiled the cast and directors for upcoming civil war drama mercy street on wednesday. The sixepisode civil war drama mercy street, which debuted jan. Feb 03, 2016 mercy street, a new dramatic pbs series, tells the story of the civil war medicine and nursing through the professional and personal lives of the staff at the mansion house hospital in the. Mercy street will not be back for a third season, pbs and producers announced days after airing the civil war era drama s season 2 finale, citing funding and the complicated nature of. Oct 27, 2015 of the approximately 375 scripted series on tv this season, its unlikely that any come close to the demanding standards of historical authenticity found in mercy street. On sunday, the network will air the fourth installment of its ambitious civil warera drama mercy street. Follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposing sides of the civil war new england abolitionist mary phinney and confederate supporter emma green. The sixpart series delves into the medical and social issues that medical.
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