PBS’ ‘Mercy Street’ Ending After Two Seasons

It’s the end of the road for PBS’ Mercy Street.

The Civil War-era drama will not return for a third season, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

PBS and the producers cited “the complicated nature of aligning production timelines and funding commitments” as the reason behind the show’s sudden end.

“We are extremely proud of both seasons of Mercy Street,” said Beth Hoppe, PBS chief programming executive. “Our talented executive producers, Lisa Wolfinger, David Zabel and David W. Zucker, brought to life an entertaining and historically accurate account of this time, along with the equally talented team of actors led by Josh Radnor as Dr. Jedediah Foster and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Nurse Mary Phinney; the directors, producers and crew who created a visually rich, high-quality series; and our sponsors and partners who helped make Mercy Street possible.”

Related Stories

TV

Nearly 60 Percent of PBS Doc Content in 2022 Featured BIPOC Talent or Was "Diversity-Related," Per DEI Report

TV

Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards: PBS and CNN Lead With Two Wins Each

Premiering in January 2016 alongside the final run of Downton Abbey, Mercy Street marked PBS’ first original series in more than a decade. The drama opened to 3.3 million viewers and ranked as PBS’ second highest-rated drama of 2016, behind only Downton Abbey. Season two, which kicked off in late January and wrapped March 5, drew 6.5 million viewers for the first three episodes with seven days of DVR factored in.

In addition to Radnor and Winstead, the show’s sprawling cast also included Veep‘s Gary Cole, Bloodline‘s Norbert Leo Butz, and How to Get Away With Murder‘s Jack Falahee, among others, as well as season-two additions, including Patina Miller (Madam Secretary). Many castmembers were series regulars on other shows, which no doubt complicated production for the period drama. 

Following the doctors, nurses and soldiers of a city torn apart by the Civil War, Mercy Street hailed from exec producers Ridley Scott (The Good Wife); David W. Zucker (The Good Wife) of Scott Free; Lisa Q. Wolfinger (Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower) and David Zabel (ER). Scott Free and Lone Wolf Media co-produced.