Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who starred in “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” returns to the 19th century for the new drama “Mercy Street,” the first scripted PBS series shot in the U.S. in a decade.
The six-episode series follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposing sides of the Civil War in Alexandria, Virginia, and co-stars Shalita Grant (“NCIS: New Orleans”) and Josh Radnor (“How I Met Your Mother”).
“I’m pumped for people to see it,” Winstead told TheWrap. “It’s such a talented group of people, such a great story, a great bunch of stories kind of interwoven together … I think it’s really entertaining but also sort of educational.
“It’s these two opposing sides coming together,” added Winstead. “It creates a lot of drama.”
Winstead, who said she knew nothing about medicine except what she learned from watching “Grey’s Anatomy,” not only had to learn about nursing — but also about the history of the era and the true stories that inspired the characters.
“There is so much drama inherent in the story, inherent in the Civil War itself, and just the directions they go with the storyline — when I hear what they are based on — it’s kind of shocking, like, ‘Oh no, this really happened.’ It’s so fascinating and entertaining to watch,” she said.
“Mercy Street” will premiere on PBS Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. ET.