Smart Talk: Civil War drama comes to PBS

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, January 7, 2016:

Downton Abbey is in its sixth and final season as the most widely acclaimed TV program on PBS.  The next great series — Mercy Street  — premieres right after Downton Abbey on Sunday, January 17 at 10 p.m. on WITF-TV.

Mercy Street is another historical drama — this time set in an 1862 Civil War hospital.  Unlike other Civil War TV shows or movies, Mercy Street doesn’t focus on battles or commanders.  It follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposite sides of the conflict but working in the same Alexandria, Virginia hospital where wounded soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies are treated.

Mercy Street is about the people who lived through that time period and the challenges they faced.  It is probably different than any other Civil War era TV series you’ve ever seen.

We’ll discuss Mercy Street, the time period being portrayed in the show, and Civil War medicine on Thursday’s Smart Talk. 

Appearing on the program are Lisa Wolfinger, Executive Producer & Co-Creator of Mercy Street, Dr. Jill Ogline Titus, Associate Director, Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, and Dr. Ian Isherwood, Assistant Director Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College.

Learn more about Mercy Street here.