With a new television season comes another medical drama hitting the airwaves. This month it's "Mercy," a show centering on nurse Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling), who has just returned to Mercy Hospital following a tour of duty in Iraq. Also part of the nursing staff are Veronica's best friend, Sonia Jimenez (Jamie Lee Kirchner) and Chloe Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg), a naïve newcomer fresh out of nursing school.
Now back home, Veronica must deal with her crumbling marriage, an affair and the countless patients who need her help at the hospital. Meanwhile, Sonia has hopes and aspirations of moving to Manhattan to start fresh, and Chloe finds herself struggling with her new job. In an interview with The Eagle, Liz Heldens, creator and executive producer of the series, describes "Mercy" as a medical drama "less about science and more about characters. Hopefully people will hook into these characters and recognize themselves a little bit."
Little-known Taylor Schilling, who plays Veronica, worked as a nanny prior to landing her role on "Mercy."
"I feel like I am living my dream right now," Schilling told The Eagle. "I am so happy and so thrilled to be at work. This is a remarkable experience for me."
According to Heldens, she wouldn't have cast anyone else.
"[Schilling] just blew the doors off the audition," she said. "That's what you want. You want someone to come in and own the part."
The time Veronica spent in Iraq is at the heart of the show and could help set it apart from other medical dramas such as "Grey's Anatomy."
"It gives her a different way of looking at the world," Shilling said. "It would be really exciting for me in this time in my life as a woman to see someone [on TV] who is strong and honestly trying to do the right thing, but not a hero."
Also linked to her time in Iraq is her affair with Dr. Chris Sands (James Tupper), who she met while overseas and is now also part of the staff at Mercy Hospital. Schilling describes their relationship as human and forgivable.
"To look for comfort in another human being -- someone who understands her and supports her and makes her feel safe -- that felt very honest to me," Schilling said.
However, this does not rule out Veronica's current husband, who is also committed to trying to rebuild their marriage.
Whether "Mercy" can hold its own against the rest of the competition will remain uncertain until it premieres on NBC, Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. EST.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
