Mercy
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Premieres: September 23, 8pm on NBC
Stars: Taylor Schilling, Jaime Lee Kirchner, Michelle Trachtenberg, James Tupper, Diego Klattenhoff and Guillermo Diaz. (more)
Plot: The day-to-day trials of Mercy Hospital are presented from the perspective of its nurses, particularly the military-hardened Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling), whose tour in Iraq makes her more knowledgeable than the wet-behind-the-ears residents. At her side are her friends and co-workers Sonia Jimenez (Jaime Lee Kirchner) and Chloe Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg).
Why We're Excited: Sometimes one is just content to see their favorite second-tier actors and actresses get major TV roles for a change. Congratulations on landing network roles, Guillermo Diaz and Michelle Trachtenberg!
Why We're Not: Then again, we’d rather have Trachtenberg give us more Georgina Sparks on "Gossip Girl" instead of imitating a bunny turned into a real girl, which is apparently what happened here. She’s a better actress than this. It’s too bad we can’t say the same about Schilling, who interprets tension as an opportunity to histrionically explode. Couple these factors with some grating direction and mediocre writing, and “Mercy” becomes the most frustrating kind of dud: somewhere underneath this dark, sticky La Brea tarpit of failure, there’s a decent show struggling to get out. Perhaps it will, but in a season stuffed with shows about medical professionals – some better than others, almost all better than this one – that’s doubtful.
Trivia: Writer-creator Liz Heldens previously wrote for the acclaimed-but-little-seen "Friday Night Lights".
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