Hell on Wheels (TV series)

Hell on Wheels
Hell on Wheels Title Card.jpg
Genre
Created by
Developed by Endemol USA
Starring
Theme music composer Gustavo Santaolalla
Composer(s) Kevin Kiner
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 10 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Paul Kurta
  • Chad Oakes
  • Mike Frislev
  • (associate producers)
  • Jordan Feiner
  • Keri Young
Editor(s) Skip McDonald
Location(s) Alberta, Canada
Cinematography Elliot Davis
Running time 43 minutes
Production company(s)
Broadcast
Original channel AMC
Picture format NTSC (480i)
HDTV 1080i
Original run November 6, 2011 – present
External links
Website
Production website

Hell on Wheels is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Joe and Tony Gayton. Set in 1865, the series centers on the settlement that accompanied the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, referred to as "Hell on Wheels" by the company men, surveyors, support workers, laborers, prostitutes, mercenaries and others who make the mobile encampment their home. It stars Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier who works as a foreman on the railroad as he tries to track down the Union soldiers who murdered his wife and young son.

The series is broadcast in the United States and Canada on the cable channel AMC and premiered on November 6, 2011.[1] It was developed by Endemol USA, under the stewardship of senior vice-president of scripted programming Jeremy Gold, and is produced by Entertainment One and Nomadic Pictures.

On December 23, 2011, AMC renewed Hell on Wheels for a second season.[2] The second season will premiere on August 12, 2012.[3]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Series overview

See also: List of Hell On Wheels episodes

Season one (2011–2012)

Main article: Hell on Wheels (season 1)

In 1865, a former Confederate soldier, Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) journeys to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first transcontinental railroad to seek work and vengeance on the Union soldiers that have killed his wife and son. Cullen gets hired by the railroad and supervises an all-black "cut crew," one of which is Elam (Common), to prepare the terrain for track laying. Through conversation, Cullen learns more about his wife's death from railroad foreman Daniel Johnson (Ted Levine), who knows the name of her murderer. But tragedy strikes before this name is given. Thomas "Doc" Durant (Colm Meaney) begins his "mad, noble quest" to expand his Union Pacific Railroad westward in order complete the transcontinental railroad. Lily Bell (Dominique McElligott), accompanies her ailing husband Robert (Robert Moloney) as he surveys the landscape for the Union Pacific. Robert is killed by the Cheyenne natives and Lily must cope with being a widow on foreign soil. Reverend Nathaniel Cole (Tom Noonan) baptizes Joseph Black Moon (Eddie Spears), a Cheyenne, then takes him under his tutelage in the church.

Season two (2012)

On December 23, 2011, AMC renewed Hell on Wheels for a second season.[2]

Production

Development history

On November 8, 2011, co-creator Joe Gayton spoke of the series' origins. "We [Joe and I] started talking and remembered this story, American Experience, which was this really great documentary, and I thought, 'God, that’s great. I just learned a bunch of stuff I had never learned before.' You just have this cursory information that the Chinese and the Irish built the railroad, but it got in underneath all the dirt and stuff that went on, with the financing of it, and the greed and corruption. And then, I heard about this Hell on Wheels place and I went, 'What a great setting for a western.' So, we pitched that to Jeremy Gold [at Endemol] and ended up taking it to AMC, and they loved it," he said.[4]

Hell on Wheels was created by Joe and Tony Gayton in late 2008, at which point Endemol USA came onboard to develop the series for AMC.[5] The series was developed by Endemol USA's scripted television division, headed by senior vice president of original programming Jeremy Gold.[5] On May 18, 2010, after having been in development at Endemol USA for almost two years, AMC placed a pilot order for Hell on Wheels.[6] Joe and Tony Gayton wrote the pilot, David Von Ancken was attached to the project as director, with Jeremy Gold, Joe Gayton and Tony Gayton serving as executive producers. On July 6, 2010, Endemol USA announced that they had entered into a partnership with Entertainment One, who would serve as the production studio on the project.[7] Part of the deal between the two companies included provisions of international distribution, with Endemol retaining rights to the series across Europe, while Entertainment One acquired rights to Hell on Wheels in all remaining territories.[7] As a result of the deal, Entertainment One also holds global rights for DVD and Blu-ray sales, as well as video-on-demand and other digital distribution services.[7] The Canadian production company Nomadic Pictures was brought onto the project to serve as co-producers alongside Entertainment One.[8] The pilot was delivered to AMC executives in November 2010.[8] On November 12, 2010 it was reported by Deadline that the executives at AMC were impressed with the pilot which, coupled with the fact that the network had recently cancelled their drama series Rubicon, meant that the network was likely to order Hell on Wheels to series.[8]

On December 15, 2010, AMC green-lighted the series with an order of 10 episodes.[9][10][11] Along with the series pickup AMC announced that Nomadic Pictures would again co-produce the series as they had done for the pilot, with Mike Frislev and Chad Oakes joining the series as producers while John Shiban and David Von Ancken joined the series as executive producers, Von Ancken had previously served as director on the pilot.[11][12] The network also announced that John Morayniss and Michael Rosenberg would oversee production for Entertainment One, while Joel Stillerman and Susie Fitzgerald would oversee production for AMC.[11][12] On July 28, 2011, AMC announced that Hell on Wheels would premiere on November 6, 2011.[1] The series is produced by Entertainment One and Nomadic Pictures.

Casting

Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) is the central character of the series.

Casting announcements began in July 2010, with Common first to be cast, Common portrays Elam Ferguson, "an emancipated slave who is working to achieve true freedom in a world entrenched in prejudice".[1][13] Next to join the series was Anson Mount and Dominique McElligott, with Mount playing Cullen Bohannon, "a former soldier hell bent on avenging his wife’s death", and McElligott playing Lily Bell, "a newly widowed woman trying to survive in a man’s world."[1][14]Colm Meaney was next to be cast as Thomas "Doc" Durant, " greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times."[1][15]Ben Esler, Phil Burke and Eddie Spears were the last actors to be cast, with Esler playing Sean McGinnes and Phil Burke playing Mickey McGinnes, "two young brothers looking to find their fortune in the new West", Spears was cast as Joseph Black Moon, "a Native American man torn between his culture and the changing world around him."[1] It was later announced that Jesse Lipscombe, Gerald Auger, Robert Moloney and Ted Levine had joined the series as recurring guest stars.[16][17]

Cast Quotes

"There’s a lot of just being in the right place at the right time, as well as being in the right place and time in my life. I couldn’t have played this role 10 years ago—I needed a little bit of life behind me. I’d been wanting to do a western for years but never had the opportunity to do that. So I immediately responded to this project, and I especially responded to the fact that the lead was a southern character who’s not stereotyped and not villainized."[18] — Anson Mount
"I usually read a script from an audience perspective first, and then look more closely at the character. With this, it was a complete page-turner. It was fantastically entertaining. And then, specifically looking at the character that they wanted me to play, it really got my juices going. You don’t see writing like this, nowadays. The vocabulary he uses is just fantastic. There was no hesitation."[19] — Colm Meaney

Common spoke about the challenges of playing a former slave: "Very challenging. And that's why I took it on. It's a lot of responsibility because what black people went through in slavery, within that system of slavery, was really treacherous. And for me, I felt like I owed it to the people that lived during that time to bring something truthful to the character. And even just revisiting some of the experiences of it, [there] was just a lot of emotion and a lot of pain. At the same time, a lot of strength came from it. What I enjoy most about the character is the fact that he was written so strong, not as just a person that was oppressed and kept his head down."[20]

Irish-born Dominique McElligott never expected to be cast in a period American role: "I was hanging out in London, having drinks with friends who are all flight attendants, and they said that they would get me over to America for free, and I could stay and do some meetings and auditions. Hell on Wheels was the first one. I arrived on the 5th of July, and the Hell on Wheels audition was on the 6th or the 7th. It was crazy! They didn’t know me, at all. Obviously, I loved the pilot and I loved the character, but I didn’t anticipate ever actually getting the chance to do it. When you go up for these brilliant parts, you just figure, 'Okay, well, they’re going to pick some American actress, and that will be that.' But, the opportunity was there, and I really enjoyed the audition. It was fun."[21]

Canadian actor Christopher Heyerdahl talks about how he got his role and the rarity of a Scandinavian character: "Well, luck and providence, I suppose. They say, 'What’s luck? Preparation and opportunity.' So, I guess the opportunity came, in the form of an audition. I put myself on tape, and they responded to it. I went in and did a call-back audition, and they felt that we were on the same track. My idea of who The Swede was, was the same as theirs, and vice versa. This kind of character is very rare, with the fact that it fit so well with my background and my understanding of a Norwegian man. It all just fell into place. I still get a little choked up thinking about how often a character like this comes along. For the viewer, it’s quite interesting. It’s not a character that we see very often, and certainly not in this form. As an actor, it seemed to be tailor-made for me. It’s quite wonderful."[22]

Season-two production

Exterior filming will be done near the Bow River in Calgary. Interior filming will be done in a building near the city's airport. Series producers expect filming the season's ten episodes will take about 80 days.[23]

Reception

Critical reception

The show was given a 63 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 27 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[24]

The Washington Post's Hank Stuever rated the show highly, commenting, "Hands down, the most intriguing show on the fall slate. Though imbued with epic sweep, 'Hell on Wheels' is a western at heart, even if that heart is cold. Plenty of guns, knives, arrows, scalpings – mixed with the incendiary socio-psychological wounds left in the Civil War’s wake."[25]

Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times says the show "takes its cues more from the movies than from life. Never, in the episodes I watched, did I feel as if I were actually seeing how a railroad got built, and sometimes it took a bit of squinting not to see the characters as actors in a field, reading lines. Still, for all the unlikely things [the creators] make happen in order to get their characters into place, and the dogged refusal of a couple of those characters to become interesting at all, the show gathers steam as it goes on."[26]

The Wall Street Journal's Nancy Dewolf Smith considers the episode "like a bag of unpolished stones… 'Hell on Wheels' finds enough beauty, danger and emotion to make some part of every episode seem fresh and worth waiting for. Not that new is always a good thing. Despite striking performances even in many of the smaller roles, the actors sometimes are made to symbolize very modern obsessions, e.g. with race and gender. The sight of modern sensibilities lurking behind the curtains can break ye olde spell."[27]

Brian Lowry of Variety thinks "while the diverse mix of characters could work to the program's advantage over the long haul, jumping to and fro among them creates a diluted, herky-jerky ride in the early going."[28]

Popular reception

The pilot premiered on November 6. 2011. It was watched by 4.4 million viewers – AMC’s second-highest series premiere in history, following The Walking Dead. Among key demographics, the pilot episode delivered 2.4 million viewers in adults 18–49. Among adults 25–54, it delivered 2.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen. The total viewership bested network slot rivals CSI: Miami or Pan Am.[29] The sixth episode was watched by 2.15 million viewers, the lowest viewership of the first season and had a 0.6 rating with the 18–49 age range.[30] The viewership numbers eventually rebounded with the season one finale being watched by 2.84 million viewers and maintained its steady 0.7 rating with the 18–49 age range.[31] In January 2012, following the season one finale, AMC put out a press release confirming Hell on Wheels as the network's second-highest rated original series behind The Walking Dead, averaging three million viewers per episode.[32]

Controversy

The show has been criticized for its lack of depiction of Chinese immigrants who labored on the transcontinental railroad. Due to scheduling and budget restraints the show's creators could only focus on one railroad. They chose to focus on the Union Pacific believing it was more "American".[33] Since the show only depicts the Union Pacific, the absence of Chinese laborers is historically accurate.

International distribution

Country Channel Premiere date
Africa Fox[34] February 19, 2012
Asia Sundance Channel[34]
 Australia ABC2, FX[34]
 Greece Sundance Channel February 2, 2012
 Israel Yes[34] April 23, 2012
Latin America HBO[34]
Netherlands Film1 March 3, 2012
 New Zealand Sky[34]
 Sweden TV6 February 3, 2012
 Turkey CNBC-e February 26, 2012
 United Kingdom TCM May 20, 2012[35]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Seidman, Robert (July 28, 2011). "AMC Announces Premiere Date for 'Hell on Wheels'". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/07/28/amc-announces-premiere-date-for-hell-on-wheels/99071/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (December 23, 2011). "AMC Renews ‘Hell On Wheels’ For Season 2". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/12/amc-renews-hell-on-wheels-for-season-2/. Retrieved January 5, 2012. 
  3. ^ http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/05/amc-sets-breaking-bad-hell-on-wheels-return-dates.html
  4. ^ Radish, Christina (November 8, 2011). "Creators/Executive Producers Joe and Tony Gayton Talk HELL ON WHEELS". Collider.com. http://collider.com/joe-gayton-tony-gayton-hell-on-wheels-interview/124909/. Retrieved December 10,2011. 
  5. ^ a b Schneider, Michael (December 16, 2008). "Endemol USA unveils major TV plans". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997501?refCatId=14. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 18, 2010). "Endemol AMC Orders Western Pilot From Endemol USA". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/amc-orders-western-pilot-from-endemol/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  7. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (July 6, 2010). "E1 To Produce & David Von Ancken To Direct AMC Pilot 'Hell On Wheels'". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/e1-to-produce-david-von-ancken-to-direct-amc-pilot-hell-on-wheels/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  8. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (November 12, 2010). "The Cancellation Of AMC's 'Rubicon' Opens The Door For 'Hell On Wheels'". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2010/11/the-cancellation-of-amcs-rubicon-opens-the-door-for-hell-on-wheels/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 15, 2010). "It's Official: AMC Picks Up Period Drama Pilot 'Hell On Wheels' To Series". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2010/12/its-official-amc-picks-up-period-drama-pilot-hell-on-wheels-to-series/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  10. ^ Mittovich, Matt (December 15, 2010). "Hell, Yeah: AMC Orders Post-Civil War Drama". TVLine. http://www.tvline.com/2010/12/amc-orders-post-civil-war-drama-hell-on-wheels/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  11. ^ a b c "AMC Greenlights “Hell on Wheels” To Full Series Order". AMC. December 15, 2010. http://www.eonetv.com/press.asp?id=70. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  12. ^ a b "AMC Annouces Production On New Series 'Hell on Wheels'". AMC. http://www.eonetv.com/press.asp?id=72. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 27, 2010). "Common Cast In AMC Pilot 'Hell On Wheels'". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/common-cast-in-amc-pilot-hell-on-wheels/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 27, 2010). "AMC Pilot 'Hell On Wheels' Finds Its Leads". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2010/07/abcs-pilot-hell-on-wheels-finds-leads/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 3, 2010). "Colm Meaney To Star In 'Hell On Wheels'". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2010/08/colm-meaney-to-star-in-hell-on-wheels/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  16. ^ "Nomadic Pictures — 'Hell On Wheels'". Nomadic Pictures. http://www.nomadicpictures.com/movies/hell-on-wheels/. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  17. ^ "Hell on Wheels — AMC's First Look At 'Hell on Wheels'". AMC. http://www.amctv.com/amc-news/videos/amcs-first-look-at-hell-on-wheels. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  18. ^ Barone, Matt. "Hell On Wheels" Star Anson Mount Talks, Complex.com, November 3, 2011.
  19. ^ Radish, Christina. Colm Meaney Talks HELL ON WHEELS, Collider.com, November 6, 2011.
  20. ^ Hyman, Dan. Common on AMC’s Hell on Wheels, Playing a Freed Slave, NY Mag, November 4, 2011.
  21. ^ Radish, Christina. Dominique McElligott HELL ON WHEELS Interview, Collider.com, November 5, 2011.
  22. ^ Radish, Christina (November 28, 2011). Christopher Heyerdahl Talks HELL ON WHEELS and THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 1, Collider.com, December 1, 2011.
  23. ^ Valmers, Eric (May 7, 2012). "Hell on Wheels rides into Season 2". Calgary Herald. www.canada.com. http://www.canada.com/entertainment/Hell+Wheels+rides+into+Season/6578093/story.html. Retrieved May 17, 2012. 
  24. ^ Hell on Wheels: Season 1,Metacritic
  25. ^ Stuever, Hank.2011 TV season: Few smooth takeoffs, many bumpy arrivals, Washington Post, September 20, 2011.
  26. ^ Lloyd, Robert. 'Hell on Wheels' review: It takes a while to get chugging along, Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2011.
  27. ^ Smith, Nancy Dewolf. "Tales of the Old West", Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2011.
  28. ^ Lowry, Brian. Hell on Wheels, Variety, November 3, 2011.
  29. ^ Adalian, Josef.Hell on Wheels’ Ratings, NY Mag, November 7, 2011.
  30. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 13, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Kourtney & Kim Top 'Housewives Atlanta' + ' 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Bag of Bones,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/12/13/sunday-cable-ratings-kourtney-kim-top-housewives-atlanta-boardwalk-empire-bag-of-bones-homeland-dexter-more/113485/. 
  31. ^ Gorman, Bill (January 18, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Kourtney & Kim' Take The Crown + 'Cajun Pawn Stars, Atlanta 'Housewives,' 'Mob Wives 2,' 'Hell On Wheels' 'Leverage,' 'Shameless' & More". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/18/sunday-cable-ratings-kourtney-kim-take-the-crown-cajun-pawn-stars-atlanta-housewives-mob-wives-2-hell-on-wheels-leverage-shameless-more/116803/. Retrieved January 19, 2012. 
  32. ^ Gorman, Bill (January 17, 2012). "'Hell on Wheels' Season Finale Delivers 3.8 Million Viewers, Reigns As AMC's Second Highest Rated Original Series". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/17/hell-on-wheels-season-finale-delivers-3-8-million-viewers-reigns-as-amcs-second-highest-rated-original-series/116779/. Retrieved January 19, 2012. 
  33. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (July 28, 2011). "TV Column: AMC at a loss for words over 'The Killing,Hell on Wheels'". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tv-column/2011/07/28/gIQA2FczfI_story.html. Retrieved December 5, 2011. 
  34. ^ a b c d e f Vlessing, Etan (2011-11-08). "AMC's 'Hell on Wheels' Bags Big Overseas Deals". hollywoodreporter.com (subscription required). http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amcs-hell-wheels-bags-big-258739. Retrieved 2011-11-30. 
  35. ^ Munn, Patrick (March 29, 2012). "TCM Sets UK Premiere Date For Hell On Wheels". TVWise. http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2012/03/tcm-sets-uk-premiere-date-for-hell-on-wheels/. Retrieved March 29, 2012. 

External links

1990s debuts
2000s debuts
2010s debuts