Featured Article Summary #7

Mercy Point was a science fiction medical drama that aired for one season from 1998 to 1999. The show focused on the doctors and nurses on a hospital space station in the 23rd century. The series had an ensemble cast and was produced by Trey Callaway, Michael Katleman, Lee David Zlotoff, Joe Voci, and Scott Sanders. The show was originally a film project but was revised as a television series after the film it was based on had poor commercial performance. Despite the initial focus on medical cases, the show gradually shifted towards personal relationships to appeal to a teenage audience. Mercy Point received mixed reviews and low ratings, leading to its cancellation after only three aired episodes. The final four episodes were broadcast later that year. The show has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray but can be streamed on Crackle. Mercy Point is a science fiction television series set in the year 2249 on a hospital space station called Jericho. The state-of-the-art facility includes advanced medical equipment and a talking computer named Hippocrates. The show follows the doctors and nurses, referred to as "med-nauts", as they provide medical care to both human and extraterrestrial patients. The series is often compared to the medical drama ER, but with a futuristic twist. The series Mercy Point follows the characters as they navigate their personal and professional lives at a cutting-edge hospital. The main characters include lead doctor Grote Maxwell, surgeon Haylen Breslauer, and newcomer Dru Breslaur. Other characters include Dr. C.J. Jurado, Lieutenant Kim Salisaw, Rema Cooke, ANI the android head nurse, and Dr. Batung. The hospital is managed by Chief of Staff Harris DeMilla. "Mercy Point" was originally developed as a feature film concept called "Nightingale One". After the film's production was stalled, a producer decided to reformat it as a television series based on the original pitch. The series was inspired by "Star Trek: Voyager" and was considered a companion piece to it. After a positive response from UPN executives, thirteen episodes were ordered, making it one of four shows produced by Mandalay Television in the 1998-99 television schedule. The casting process for Mercy Point focused on finding actors who could deliver a character-driven plot. The series was filmed in Vancouver to take advantage of lower production costs and many crew members had worked on The X-Files. The show had extensive prosthetic work for characters like Dr. Batung and the non-human patients, which required several hours each day to apply.