Mercy Street

Set during the American Civil War, the PBS drama "Mercy Street" takes place in Alexandria, Virginia, a city occupied by the Union Army. The story centers on the Mansion House Hospital, a luxury hotel converted into a chaotic medical facility for wounded soldiers. The series follows the lives of two volunteer nurses from opposing backgrounds: Mary Phinney, a staunch New England abolitionist, and Emma Green, a young Southern belle loyal to the Confederacy. They must navigate the horrors of war, the crude state of 19th-century medicine, and their own personal conflicts alongside doctors, soldiers, and formerly enslaved individuals seeking freedom. This compelling look at a divided nation is full of historical detail and human drama. The series has ended, but sign up for a reminder just in case it returns.