Alumni POV

David Zabel ’88

David Zabel ’88 wrote for the NBC medical series “ER” for the last eight years of its historic run, serving the last five as its showrunner. He wrote more than 45 episodes of the program and was a recipient of a Prism Award and a Humanitas Prize. Subsequently, Zabel was showrunner and executive producer of ABC’s 2010-11 police series, “Detroit 1-8-7.” In 2013, he was executive producer/showrunner for two shows he developed on ABC: “Betrayal” and “Lucky 7.”  He has directed numerous episodes of “ER,” “Detroit 1-8-7” and “Betrayal.”

His latest project is Mercy Street, a new six-part Civil War-era television series on PBS that premieres this January.

Mercy Street

Watch the trailer for Mercy Street, which premieres January 17, 2016 on PBS:

Mercy Street Panel Discussion - 12/7/2015

David Zabel joined cast members from Mercy Street along with historians James McPherson and Audrey Davis for a panel conversation moderated by Lewis Center for the Arts screenwriting professor Christina Lazaridi on December 7, 2015 at Princeton University.

PBS’s MERCY STREET at Princeton Panel discussion. Panelists (from left) James McPherson, Audrey Davis, Christina Lazaridi (moderator), Josh Radnor, McKinley Belcher III, Tara Summers, David Zabel.

MERCY STREET co-creator and Princeton University alumnus David Zabel ’88 (next to cast member Tara Summers)

MERCY STREET cast members Josh Radnor, McKinley Belcher III and Tara Summers with David Zabel

Cast members Josh Radnor and McKinley Belcher III

Historians and show consultants James McPherson and Audrey Davis with moderator Christina Lazaridi.

Photos by Maddy Cohen ’16

David Zabel in PAW

David Zabel featured as Tiger of the Week in Princeton Alumni Weekly, December 2015

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