"Downton Abbey" may be ending this year, but PBS hopes "Mercy Street" will be a good replacement for the series.

PBS is hoping that the new series that the company is currently working on will garner the same appeal as "Downton Abbey" has over the past six seasons. The show will launch after the third episode of "Downton Abbey" airs on Jan. 17, 2016.

"Mercy Street" is a Civil War drama that follows the lives of two nurses, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Hannah James, on opposite ends of the massive conflict.

In an interview with Variety, Beth Hoppe, PBS' chief programming executive and general manager of general audience programming, said, "['Mercy Street' is] the thing you want to bring as many eyeballs as possible to, and we get such an incredible audience for 'Downtown.' It's an opportunity to connect the audience."

The strategy seems perfect especially since the fifth season of "Downton Abbey" was viewed by 25.5 million people, and the season won a weekly average audience of 12.9 million viewers. The series was one of the biggest hits for PBS as it not only scored rave reviews but also won numerous awards including the Emmy, a Golden Globe and SAG awards.

"Downton Abbey" stars Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael and Elizabeth McGovern. Julian Fellowes created the series and has been adamant that a spinoff for the series could take place in either a stage version or a film version. However, no plans have been revealed.

"Mercy Street" and "Downton Abbey" will air as part of a season that also includes a new Ken Burns documentary about baseball hero Jackie Robinson and a 90-minute episode of "Sherlock." Other shows that will air this season on PBS include a tribute to Willie Nelson and a series of "American Masters" devoted to Carole King, Janis Joplin and Loretta Lynn.