Mercy Point

*Mercy Point*
Mercy Point
	Title card
Genre	Science fiction medical drama
Created by	Trey Callaway; David Simkins; Milo Frank;
Starring	Joe Morton; Maria del Mar; Alexandra Wilson; Brian McNamara; Salli Richardson; Julia Pennington; Gay Thomas; Jordan Lund; Joe Spano;
Theme music composer	Jon Ehrlich
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	7
Production
Executive producers	Trey Callaway; Michael Katleman; Lee David Zlotoff; Joe Voci; Scott Sanders;
Production locations	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Running time	42 minutes
Production companies	Mandalay Television; Columbia TriStar Television;
Original release
Network	UPN
Release	October 6, 1998 –; July 15, 1999
	Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Mercy Point is an American science fiction medical drama, created by Trey Callaway, David Simkins, and Milo Frank, which originally aired for one season on United Paramount Network (UPN) from October 6, 1998, to July 15, 1999. With an ensemble cast led by Joe Morton, Maria del Mar, Alexandra Wilson, Brian McNamara, Salli Richardson, Julia Pennington, Gay Thomas, Jordan Lund, and Joe Spano, the series focuses on the doctors and nurses in a 23rd-century hospital space station located in deep space. The executive producers were Trey Callaway, Michael Katleman, Lee David Zlotoff, Joe Voci, and Scott Sanders.

Callaway adapted Mercy Point from his original screenplay, "Nightingale One". It was picked up by Mandalay Television, and the concept was eventually revised as a television project and renamed Mercy Point; production on the film project had ended due to the poor commercial performance of the 1997 film Starship Troopers. The television show was part of a three-million-dollar deal between Mandalay and Columbia TriStar Television to produce 200 hours of material. It was filmed in Vancouver to reduce production costs, the hospital sets being constructed on a series of sound stages. Director Joe Napolitano has praised the show for its use of a complete set to allow for more intricate directing. Despite Callaway envisioning Mercy Point as a companion to Star Trek: Voyager, it was paired with Moesha and Clueless as its lead-in on Tuesday nights. Initially focused on ethical and medical cases, the show's storylines gradually shifted toward relating the characters' personal relationships, to better fit UPN's primarily teen viewership.

Mercy Point was placed on hiatus after only three episodes were aired, and was replaced by the reality television series America's Greatest Pets and the sitcom Reunited. The show suffered from low ratings, with an average of two million viewers. The final four episodes of the series were broadcast in two 2-hour blocks on Thursday nights in July 1999. It has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray, but was made available to stream on Crackle. Critical response to Mercy Point was mixed; some commentators praised its characterization and use of science-fiction elements, while others found it to be uninteresting and unoriginal. Callaway stated that he had the potential story arcs for the full first season already planned before the show's cancellation.