Who ever at PBS who cancelled this show , should be fired. This was one of the best shows ever on TV. Fantastic acting, stories and educational. PBS blew it on this one big time.

Binge watched both seasons over a few days and just like another show I just binged on (The Returned), this one was a good show that ended too early. I love MEW and she did a great job in this, as did everyone IMO. I liked seeing some of the characters as they worked through their ingrained prejudice and finally saw people as PEOPLE and not a color. Then there were others, even when slapped in the face with examples of intelligence and humanity from those they thought of as less, still refused to change their bigoted way of thinking. We have made great progress since then, don't listen to those who try to divide us by saying otherwise. Sad to see this go, but with viewership at less than half for the 2nd season, there's no way they could justify the cost and manage the scheduling of the actors/actresses. I think the second season was just as strong as the first, so I don't see why over half the viewers abandoned the show after season 1. I was hooked from the start. The medical side of the show was very interesting, seeing what they had to work with back then in a sea of horrible injuries. I loved the crazy drama and conflict that went on within the hospital. The romance was entertaining, but it is a major let-down that it ended where it did. Even if the show were to continue into a 3rd season, I don't think S2 gave proper attention at the end for one of our main love stories. The subject matter in this show is one that is ever-important and I hope more people discover it as time goes on. It may have been a short run, but it was well worth the watch.

Just about to pull the plug on this show. They just keep churning more characters and plots into an already muddled mess. So many of the characters are cartoonish: the lusty English nurse, the noble black medical phenom, the parson struggling with doubt, the evil cook, the bizarre new peach slice counting hospital chief who is so over the top that I feel bad for the actor, and tonight, the British lord pining to see casualties and amputations. Last week we were introduced to a Union soldier who was obviously female (posing as male). It was obvious to me as soon as she spoke that it was a girl, but everyone in the hospital was convinced she was a he. But it was a nice opportunity to lecture us on intolerance. The writing is dreadful, the acting poor. There is a fixation with close ups of wounds and gore, not very convincing though they may be. The hospital staff seems more occupied with hi jinks and flirting than patient care. Then when the script tries to get serious, it falls flat because it's hard to see any of these characters as real people. The pace of the place seems quite leisurely. On the other hand, you often see one patient with a horde of staff hovering over him, not very realistic. I could go on, but why bother. This is far far below usual PBS fare.

Once and done for this Tar Heel. More stereotyped Southerners getting their noses rubbed in slavery of which only a very small percentage of the population owned. There are the stereotypical dumb Southern belles, loopy old fathers, carpetbaggers, Yankees telling Southerners how to do things, and so on. Hmmm...sounds like a former neighbor of mine from Massachusetts who prided himself on having all the answers and being the first one out the driveway during the occasional snow storm. I don't know what "experts" were brought in to do the Civil War such a disservice. I would imagine that no Southerners had any input into the script. The only thing Southern about Mercy Street is its Richmond location.