Funding woes prompt PBS to kill off ‘Mercy Street’
Antony Platt
Shalita Grant plays Aurelia Johnson on the PBS historical drama Mercy Street.
Mercy Street, PBS’s Civil War hospital drama, will not survive for a Season 3.
PBS said in a statement Thursday that it couldn’t secure funding for a new season.
The second season of Mercy Street ended Sunday. The program revolved around the lives of the staff and patients inside an Alexandria, Va., hotel that had been converted to a hospital by Union troops.
“We are extremely proud of both seasons of Mercy Street,” said Beth Hoppe, PBS chief programmer, in the statement. The six episodes of Season 1 reached 14 million viewers and was PBS’s second–most-popular drama after Downton Abbey that season, according to PBS and Nielsen. The first three episodes of Season 2, for which the most recent data is available, garnered 6.5 million viewers.
Mercy Street was PBS’s first original drama since 2004. Executive producers included Ridley Scott (Thelma and Louise, The Good Wife) and David W. Zucker (The Man in the High Castle). Leading the cast were Josh Radnor as Dr. Jedediah Foster and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Nurse Mary Phinney.
Funders for Season 1 included the Anne Ray Foundation, the Virginia Film Office and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which dropped its support for Season 2.
PBS also premiered the program with an in-season licensing deal with Amazon that gave exclusive streaming rights to Amazon Prime Video subscribers.
PBS never revealed the cost of Mercy Street. A PBS spokesperson said that it does not disclose production budgets.
But in a 2016 interview with Current, Hoppe said Mercy Street producers “accomplished a lot with what they had. … The price tags on some dramas out there are $10 million an hour, and this is a fraction of that.”
The cast worked for less than regular rates, and series creator Lisa Wolfinger said limiting shoots to two primary locations also reduced costs.
Correction: An earlier version of this post identified Aurelia Johnson as an actress. That is the character that actress Shalita Grant plays.
It can’t possibly be too late! If enough people jump on the #SaveMercyStreet bandwagon, they’ll find a way to keep it going…
Yes, I hope that happens, I love this show one of the best on tv
I will donate
Yes!! I’m on the bandwagon for season 3!!!!
I’m so disappointed that there’s no season 3 or more. This show was so good!
Well let’s do it. We have to also go in our pockets and support it. I loved this series. Call the programming office of PBS to see.
We want more of the best public television in the U.S. and the world. ?
Just finished watching the second season. The series should continue. We lack the shows about our country’s history, and this one was absolutely wonderful, done with deep historical perspective, intelligence and beauty.The show was both educational and highly exciting.
Heartily agree with your comment. US history is most interesting,; I favor the 19th century to study . So tired of the the CSI , NCIS, Law and Order SVU etc., and lame comedies So much of the repetitive themes and genre! I spent many years as a Civil War reenactor and valued Mercy Street, an American production of American history. I sometimes wonder about American values today. The colonials waged a war of independence from the English Monarchy, gained it. Now what? The US seems enthralled with the Royals, and with British dramas. I understand the dramas for US TV has hit the lows. I would rather watch Masterpiece Theater than any US program. It’s not as though American’s lack talent to do quality work, just the commitment to put $$$$ forth to do it. But, racy novels, programs always flaunting sex, fast action, violence appeals.
I sooo agree with everything you said. I was diheartened to hear Mercy Street ended with season 2. History doesn’t draw the interest of dex and violance….and pure stupidity. I hope M.Street finds a way to come back and continue a qualoty program
I love this show and hope there is some way to save it on another channel! (just a note: in the above photo, Shalita Grant is the name of the actress. her character in season one was named Aurelia). :)
Hi Kristin: We’ve made that correction, thanks for the heads-up.
This is an excellent series that showcases our history along with great drama. It is a great loss not to continue into a 3rd season. I would love to see another network pick it up.
I love films/shows about history, or anytime in the 1800s or the first half of the 1900s. I love old fashioned stories and music. Old fashioned cars, houses, families, and other quaint places of interest that people went to back then for either work or leisure. The unspoilt buildings and landscape. And I love seeing women in those beautiful old fashioned floor length hoop skirts. It all takes me back to that simpler more innocent time. A time before so many people stopped believing in God.
I think you may have missed the point. A time when people were innocent and believed in god!??? These were slave owners!! They owned people! These were not the good old days
Wow, I’m really late to this info, having just found seasons 1 and 2 on Amazon Prime. I finished binge-watching both seasons today, and was anxiously looking forward to season 3 when I discovered that it had been cancelled. Such a shame to see a good show lost due to a lack of funding.
Boooooo, so disappointing!!! We loved Mercy Street!!! Bring it back please!!!! #savemercystreet
NOT OK. Who do I need to call? What the hell happened? So, so disappointed and angry. What a waste.
There are so few shows I watch anymore this was one of my favorite. There has to be a way to save this show.
My wife and I loved the show .so disappointed to find out it had been cancelled.i love a civil war drama ,the story line between the doctors and nurses was done beautifully.We need shows like Mercy Street to show our history the way it was.Would love to see this show be brought back.
I just finished watching the second season of mercy street. What a wonderful show. After finding out that there will not be a third season, I was so disappointed. There are not many shows on television I personally like to watch. But this show I liked and was eager to watch. The show makes you see this time in history up close. I loved the attention to detail that showed you how things were then. We are ultimately so blessed to be able to learn from the past and should really be encouraged and support shows like these that open our eyes to our past.
Just watched season 1 on DVD. I’m a new fan who is as disappointed as everyone else that the show was cut after two seasons. BRING IT BACK. Find a way. I would contribute to the funding of this show. It’s gaining traction a year out from season 2. That says something.
i don’t get it. I live in the area where Mercy Street was filmed and they taped at least enough footage for 23 episodes 2 years ago. This was a terrific show and it deserves another season or two.
I loved this show. Please reconsider and bring it back!
I think instead of writing comments here you should be writing letters to the Alfred Sloane Foundation, a major contributor to the series, and ask them to restore their funding. Maybe also a letter to the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Hate the way USA cancel shows so quickly. Just watched seasons 1 and 2 really enjoying it to find out its been cancelled. Leaving it on a cliff hanger..Such a shame . Not watching Drama from USA anymore they do it far to often..
Mercy Street was well written and well acted and should have continued.
I am not American
But I love Gone with the Wind since forever
Because of that book I learn so much about that civil war. That fantastic serie is just beautiful !
And because I am a doctor I appreciated every bit of medical happenings
And we have to know about Mary’s future. It is agonizing not to know….
Yes we need to know!
What a shame that this lovely series has been cancelled. I have been waiting for Season 3 and just found out today that there will be no more. I found it educational as well as entertaining and thought it was well done.
Hi, I’m a bit, just finished watching Mercy Street last night, this had to be the best TV I’ve watched in a long long time, most of the American programmes we get here are are diabolical, but there’s an obsession in the UK at the moment for anything American, regardless of quality, I was at a point where I just didn’t watch tv very much at all. I started watching Mercy Street while I had a spell in hospital, it was Magic, what happens, typical American programmers they axe it. Shame on them.
They need to continue with Mercy Street!!! I have to know what happens with Mary!!! Doesn’t pbs understand that people are continuously bing watching programs and that it may take a little while to get to their show., but it will happen!!!!! This is an amazing show! and from reading all the dates on the comments above, should prove that what I say is true… it’s picking up and fast!!! Bring it back!!!!!!!!!!
Such sad news ? I loved this show. Seems like the best shows don’t make it. Please find a way to bring this back.
I just finished watching season 2 and came looking for season 3 only to find out it was cancelled. I am super disappointed and would love to see this series revived!
Great show, but it gets cancelled. Other garbage shows renewed year after year! I don’t understand, oh yes I do understand!! Black people shown doing good things!!!! That can’t be right!!!
Fantastic show both history and entertainment. This really gives the perspective of how it was to live in that time from both sides of the nation. Bring it by back
Please find a way to bring back Mercy Street. Hands down the best show the PBS channel.
I love this show. It doesn’t take sides just tells the story. So sad it’s gone
I LOVED this show, very disappointed it will not have a season 3! Such a great historical drama with excellent acting and story line. It’s clear the third season would have been watched by many, are there still no chances to bring it back? I’ve been checking for season 3 for several years now, very sad to see a great show stopped short due to funding!
I loved this show when I first watched it. I am enjoying it once again on Amazon. I always felt like it was such a loss not to have a season 3. I wonder if it will ever be filmed?
I am so very disappointed!!!! This was the best show that I have binged throughout this hell we call a pandemic! They should have found a way to make more seasons.
Yes, I agree. It was filmed in the area in which I live. Maybe they will eventually have a few episodes to close up loose ends, at least. I am sure they know by now how many people are disappointed.
Love this show! I just watched both seasons. I can’t believe it was canceled!
I’m so sad that there aren’t any more seasons! We just finished episode 6 without realizing it was the last and I’m in disbelief. So many plot lines left unfinished. ?
I am heartbroken to learn season 3 won’t be made. There is such lack of decent shows on now but violence n smut but at age 69 I LOVE PBS . What efforts are happening to find funding from other sources. I’m retired nurse but I would donate what I can n bet many other PBS viewers would do the same. Are any other channels like Amazon or NETFLIX willing to step up? Why did Alfred P Sloan, Foundation drop its funding. There must be way to save this show which has such great actors, portrays history so accurately, and does the best period pieces ever. I’m just heartbroken.
The question is the cancellation of season 3 related to budgeting of production or related to political decision. Right now there is huge division between people and the show might has opposite effects on division of people. It was great show, sadly season 3 is cancelled ,
I just found this amazing show a couple of weeks ago and I binged watch the 2nd season this weekend. I’m so disappointed that yet another highly recommended series was canceled. I hope that PBS will reconsider and resume with the 3rd season after our 2024 election season is over. Hopefully by then, our highly polarized political beliefs and ideology will have settled down to the point where everyone is once again civil and respectful to each other. Mercy Street was beautifully written, directed and acted . I hope that PBS will listen to its viewers and secure any additional funding to continue the storyline as there were too many story arcs that were left unfinished.