The cast of season two of PBS’ critically acclaimed Mercy Street has expanded, with Brían F. O’Byrne, Patina Miller, and Bryce Pinkham joining the series. PBS also announced directors Stephen Cragg and Laura Innes have come on board for season two of the popular series set in the 1800s, and additional directors will be announced later. Cragg is directing episodes one and two, and Innes will direct episodes three and four. Filming is currently underway in Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia.
Returning cast members from season one include Mary Elizabeth Winstead as nurse Mary Phinney, Josh Radnor as Dr. Jedediah Foster, Gary Cole as James Green, Sr., Hannah James as Emma Green, Brad Koed Jr. as James Green, Jr., Norbert Leo Butz as Dr. Byron Hale, Tara Summers as nurse Anne Hastings, McKinley Belcher III as Samuel Diggs, Jack Falahee as Frank Stringfellow, AnnaSophia Robb as Alice Green, Donna Murphy as Jane Green, L. Scott Caldwell as Belinda, Suzanne Bertish as Hospital Matron Brannan, and Luke Macfarlane as Chaplain Hopkins.
Brían F. O’Byrne (Mildred Pierce) joins the cast as Allan Pinkerton, “head of the Union Intelligence Service, based on the real Pinkerton.” Patina Miller (Madam Secretary) is on board as Charlotte Jenkins, “a black Northern abolitionist and former slave who escaped to freedom years before through the Underground Railroad (a composite of numerous historical figures, most prominently Harriet Jacobs).” And Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is Maj. Clayton McBurney III, the new hospital chief.
“We are thrilled to add these talented actors and directors to the Mercy Street production, both behind and in front of the camera,” said co-creator and executive producer Lisa Q. Wolfinger. “They each individually bring a new perspective to the series, and together, will take Season Two to new heights.”
“It has been a privilege for all of us on Mercy Street to be able to tell these stories at the intersection of drama and history. This new season, with new faces, presents an exciting opportunity to build on all we’ve accomplished in Season One,” said co-creator and executive producer David Zabel. “Having worked with Stephen Cragg and Laura Innes for many years at ER, and then on many projects since, I am eager to bring their considerable talents to this great ensemble.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome a new set of actors, directors and historical advisors to the Mercy Street family for Season Two, as well as introduce viewers to compelling new characters with captivating story lines,” said executive producer David W. Zucker.
The Plot: Mercy Street‘s first season took place in the spring of 1862 in Alexandria, Virginia, a border town between North and South and the longest-occupied Confederate city of the war. Ruled under martial law, Alexandria was the central melting pot of the region, filled with civilians, female volunteers, doctors, wounded soldiers from both sides, free blacks, enslaved and contraband (escaped slaves living behind Union lines) African Americans, prostitutes, speculators and spies. Mercy Street follows the lives of all of these characters, who collide at Mansion House, the Green family’s luxury hotel, which has been taken over and transformed into a Union Army hospital.
Season Two picks up directly from the dramatic events at the end of the Season One finale, continuing to explore the growing chaos within Alexandria, the complicated interpersonal dynamics of Dr. Foster, Nurse Mary and the Mansion House staff, the increasingly precarious position of the Green family and the changing predicament of the burgeoning black population. The season will introduce a number of new elements, taking us closer to the fight and into the halls of Confederate power, all set against the intensifying war, starting with the Seven Days’ Battle and culminating with Antietam.
