Hell on Wheels

FavoritedFavorite 289
Sunday 10:00 PM on AMC
EDIT

Show Summary

  • Returning Series

The series focuses on former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon, a foreman working on the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad, and his mission to hunt down the Union soldiers responsible for his wife's death.
8.4
out of 10
Avg Rating: Great
258 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate Now!

Episode Guide

See All
S 2 :  Ep 4 Aired 11/27/11
S 1 :  Ep 10 Aired 1/15/12
go
Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
VUDU
Buy
S 1 :  Ep 9 Aired 1/8/12
go
iTunes
Buy
VUDU
Buy
S 1 :  Ep 8 Aired 1/1/12
go
iTunes
Buy
VUDU
Buy
S 1 :  Ep 7 Aired 12/18/11
go
Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
VUDU
Buy

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Watch Hell on Wheels Full Episodes

See All

Watch Hell on Wheels Clips

See All

Hell on Wheels News

See All

Fan Reviews (5)

See All

  • Love HELL ON WHEELS

    10
    "Perfect"
    By HelenWinters, 3 days ago
    love the show and can't wait for it to return. Thanks so much for bringing it back for another season. And for anyone that doesn't like the show I guess that's why you get a remote with your TV,

  • A comparison between David Milch's Deadwood and AMC's new Hell on Wheels in terms of complexity, writing, and appreciation for the audience.

    4.0
    "Poor"
    By JessicaRadin, Jan 08, 2012
    (For full review, see goo.gl/E6ELc)
    As I watched the first episode of Hell On Wheels this past Sunday night, I slowly began to realize that I was feeling something I had never before felt while watching the premiere of an AMC original dramatic series: I was bored. Reviewing a show based only on its first episode is a risky business, though I do generally feel less guilty about it when it comes to cable shows, with their relatively short seasons and high production values. (The first episode of AMC's The Walking Dead – which premiered almost exactly a year ago – told me everything I needed to know about the show and gave me every reason to keep watching.) And, much to the misfortune of AMC's new series, I fear the first episode of Hell On Wheels is equally representative of the series as a whole. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I don't think they were unrealistic. AMC had given us a string of ambitious, structurally and morally complex, shows over the past few years (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead), and I suppose I've gotten spoiled. Add to that that Hell On Wheels is the first major Western to appear on television since Deadwood went off the air in 2006, and you've got a recipe for disappointment. Perhaps the inevitable comparisons with Deadwood are unfair – after all Deadwood is as much a Western as The Wire is a police procedural, and there are few shows in the entire history of television that would survive the comparison. But Hell On Wheels, to its own detriment, invites the comparison: with a hero who can barely contain his seething anger, a recently widowed city woman, its lawless, frontier community setting, and its monologuing Machiavellian villain. And speaking for this one viewer, it was difficult to keep memories of Deadwood from rearing up.




    Common as Elam


    As the opening titles tell us, Hell On Wheels is set in 1865, on the heels of the end of the Civil War and Lincoln's assassination. It tells the story of the race to build the first U.S. intercontinental railroad, a project intended to both literally and metaphorically bind together a broken nation. The title of the show comes from the name that was given to the lawless rolling tent city that would follow the loose community of railway workers as construction on the Union Pacific rail line moved west ("Population: One less every day" as a sign tells us.) We enter the camp through the eyes of our main protagonist, Cullen Bohannon, played by Anson Mount (his last regular TV gig was NBC's Conviction, a short-lived legal drama created by Dick Wolf in 2006). Bohannon is a former Confederate solider who joins the Union Pacific crew as they move westward, but it turns out he isn't just looking for new opportunities: he is seeking vengeance against the former Union soldiers who were responsible for his wife's death.moreless

  • Great show

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Falco, Dec 25, 2011
    but is it starting to loose its momentum and story? Hope not!

  • You have to play a board game to see a railroad.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By cawylie, Nov 28, 2011
    This episode showed us the true nature of life during railroad development, even if the only train cars we see are cattle cars and fancy coaches.
    Everyone still plays their part well and John Shiban is a great writer of television. He was meant to write with his crew for the likes of Durant, The Swede, and Elam. He captured what Cullen was about in this episode, as if he knew Anson Mount would play him.
    The reason I gave this episode and its predecessors high marks is that this is such a good character show. We care about the ones we are supposed to care about and despise the ones we are meant to despise, although the needle swung the other way for Durant in this a little. Colm Meaney plays the railroad baron word for word. In just three short episodes, we give Durant a few sympathy votes for what this mission has done to him. Common also walks that tightrope of underlying hatred for what has happened to the people of his race, but has almost become Cullen's wingman.
    Which brings me to Miss McElligott, our lass Lily. She is growing into the woman pioneer-type that has shaped this country and eased it into civilization. I expected her to not scream and cry when the arrow remnant was removed. She now realizes that she's not protected by her husband anymore and quite possibly has to tuck in her skirt-tail and get scrappy! The only thing I can see coming down the unbuilt railroad is our widowed leads taking a liking to each other by season/show end. And with the two of them, where they're going, they don't need rails.
    If this show had less character work and more choo-choos, I still would not be upset.
    8.5/10 (only for the raucous language)moreless

  • Hell On Wheels - First Impressions

    8.0
    "Great"
    By crazylegs99, Nov 27, 2011
    I've been following AMC's new western, Hell On Wheels since it began a couple of weeks ago. Although I felt a little shortchanged after the first episode, 'Immoral Mathematics' and 'A New Birth Of Freedom' have since started to win me over. I'd like to present a little analysis of my own.
    First of all, the cast. Anson Mount plays Cullen Bohannan, a former confederate soldier on a quest to knock off all the people (Union soldiers) responsible for his wife' death, the circumstances of which haven't been revealed yet. Honestly, I've never seen Anson Mount before this show. He seems a good enough actor although his character is a little wooden, but that might be deliberate.Then there's Colm Meaney as Doc Durant. There was a time when Colm Meaney would pop up in every other movie. I'm not complaining. I think he's perfect for the role. It's still weird to see Chief O'Brien dressed up as a businessman.The rapper Common (Smokin' Aces) plays Elam Ferguson, a freed slave working on the railroad under Bohannan. I was actually quite impressed with his acting chops. Especially the last episode.A special mention for Christopher Heyerdahl as the Swede. I still remember him from Supernatural as one of the vessels for the demon Alastair, but he is probably more recently known for his role in Sanctuary as John Druitt. I hope he becomes a recurring character. He's fun to watch.Two other main characters round off the show. Lily Bell (played by Dominique McEligott.....I think I got it right), holds her own as the damsel in distress. I see a future relationship on the cards between her and Cullen.And hey.....there's Tom Noonan! He was actually one of the main reasons I wanted to watch this show.The setting and atmosphere are magnificent. The opening sequence is pretty cool. The groundwork has been set. I hope the show follows through on it's promise. A good western should always grace our TV screens every week.Tidbits- It was sad to see Ted Levine get killed in the pilot. I wanted to see more of him. He needs to be on television.- I'm not going to say the 'D' word. Deadwood. There I said it. Could this be the next Deadwood?- The gunfight in episode 3 was pretty kickass. Check it out if you already haven't.- I half expected Jean-Luc Picard or Benjamin Sisko to show up and take Chief O'Brien back to Federation space. The big reveal being this was one of those subspace disturbances that sent O'Brien back in time.Humph.....disappointing.
    moreless
WRITE A REVIEW
 

Hell on Wheels Forums


Add a Topic See All
Last Activity
Replies

Photos

See All

Related Shows

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings

More Info About This Show

Categories

Drama

Themes

Historical, Westerns

TV.com Properties | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use