Hell on Wheels
Seen it?2011 | 5 seasons | Action & Adventure, Drama, Western
Saturday SpecialWhy it’s a Saturday Special
It drew serious awards attention and it's still drawing plenty of interest. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for action fans. If you loved 1883 or Deadwood, start here.
- The mood
- Exciting.
- The pace
- 5 seasons: a few months of evenings.
- What might put you off
- Rated TV-14: peril. Probably too much for younger kids.
The epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on Cullen Bohannon, a Confederate soldier who sets out to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who killed his wife. His journey takes him west to Hell on Wheels, a dangerous, raucous, lawless melting pot of a town that travels with and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, an engineering feat unprecedented for its time.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
61% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
7.6 out of 10
- AwardsStrong
Won 1 DGA Award: Directors Guild of Canada Awards: Best Production Design - Television Series. Plus 12 other awards.
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Ran for 5 seasons and reached a modest audience
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 300K people sought it out in the past year
Season by season
The show overall is a Saturday Special. Here's how each season stacks up; Season 2 is the high point.
- Season 12011 · 10 episodes · 7.8 out of 10Saturday
Season 22012 · 10 episodes · 8.4 out of 10Friday- Season 32013 · 10 episodes · 8.4 out of 10Friday
- Season 42014 · 13 episodes · 8.4 out of 10Friday
- Season 52015 · 14 episodes · 8.2 out of 10Saturday
Trailer
More like this
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Deadwood Friday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed Wild West ern.
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Lonesome Dove Saturday SpecialAnother Wild West drama.
Warrior Saturday SpecialAnother drama, and a Saturday Special.
Cast & crew
Created by Tony Gayton, Joe Gayton
- Anson MountCullen Bohannan
- Colm MeaneyThomas 'Doc' Durant
- Robin McLeavyEva
- Christopher HeyerdahlThe Swede
- Phil BurkeMickey McGinnes
- Tim GuineeCollis Huntington
- Angela ZhouMei
- Byron MannChang