Hell on Wheels

(series)
Trailer 2
Canada / UK, (2011–2016), 41 h 29 min (Length: 42–87 min)

Creators:

Joe Gayton, Tony Gayton

Composer:

Kevin Kiner

Cast:

Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Dominique McElligott, Common, Robin McLeavy, Kasha Kropinski, Eddie Spears, Christopher Heyerdahl, Tom Noonan, Barb Mitchell (more)
(more professions)

Seasons(5) / Episodes(57)

Plots(1)

Set in the 1860s it centers on former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan, whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad. (official distributor synopsis)

Reviews of this series by the user Necrotongue (63)

The Lord's Day (2012) (S02E08) 

English Like the previous episode, the eighth part also lacked action scenes, but the arrival of Durant and especially his wife interestingly intensified the atmosphere and triggered a series of interesting plot twists and important conversations. Oh yeah, I had a really good time. ()

Blood Moon (2012) (S02E09) 

English In the ninth episode, I was most impressed by the creators' ability to escalate tension in a great way. Although the episode wasn't particularly action-packed, the tension and atmosphere elevated it to a five-star category. I’m not a fan of night scenes, which are commonly used to save money, but this time I really enjoyed the darkness. ()

Blood Moon Rising (2012) (S02E10) 

English I was a little disappointed by how some issues turned out too predictably (Lily's fate, Gundersen's execution), but overall I couldn't rate it lower than a five. The creators managed to perfectly combine the atmosphere, tension, action, and the story into one whole, and I definitely had something to watch. ()

Season 3 (2013) (S03) 

English Season 3 didn’t get the highest rating from me, although the effort of the creators cannot be denied. Nevertheless, they didn't manage to keep up the pace which I was used to, and Episode 5 was downright disappointing because it seemed quite pointless. On the other hand, despite all my quibbles, I am still a satisfied viewer, and the rather weird ending makes me excited to watch the next season. ()

Big Bad Wolf (2013) (S03E01) 

English The first episode of the third season belonged to the less action-packed affairs, with gunfights being replaced by rather word juggling, and it was done excellently. Negotiations, intrigues, and pretending were once again done to the fullest, and additionally, I found scenes that made me laugh. Only the unfreezing of the locomotive was too naive for my liking. But alas! ()

Eminent Domain (2013) (S03E02) 

English In the second episode, there was much more talking than shooting or building, but it wasn't a problem at all because the conversation was meaningful and some sentences could be carved in stone. For example, the passionate speech by Mormon farmer Hatch about why no one can take away the land that rightfully belongs to him because he drove out the Indians from it. It was absolutely captivating. ()

Range War (2013) (S03E03) 

English The third episode was so far the most action-packed out of all the episodes of the third season, but even so, I found the circumstances surrounding it far more interesting, which led to an intense action with weapons. Durant's intrigues gained momentum, and once again, I witnessed a splendid speech, this time delivered by Major Bendix, who excellently complemented Farmer Hatch's speech from the previous episode. If I had Native American blood running through my veins and listened to both speakers, burning the American flag would probably become my favorite afternoon entertainment. ()

The Game (2013) (S03E04) 

English Although I had a great time with the adventure in the Kiowa village, I decided to give it a slightly lower rating this time because the episode lost some pace. Previous parts were full of intrigues, but now Durant appeared on the scene much more often, and yet it didn't feel quite the same. ()

Searchers (2013) (S03E05) 

English For the first time since I started watching the series, I was disappointed. Besides Durant's new treachery, it was basically a blind subplot that was not important to the story, did not move it forward, and was therefore practically unnecessary. Still, I couldn't go lower than three stars because everything else worked well, except for the script. ()

One Less Mule (2013) (S03E06) 

English After the previous storyline deviation, the story returned to the railway again, and although it wasn't a action-packed whirlwind, I had a great time with Durant's clever tricks. The creators managed to present Cullen's hearing before the board so intriguingly that I had no reason to lower my rating. ()

Cholera (2013) (S03E07) 

English The biggest problem of the seventh episode was the missing pace, so the plot felt somewhat dragged out. Some parts move the action forward, others lack action, but they compensate with intrigue, cunningness, and discussions about significant matters. However, this episode contained very little of everything. ()

It Happened in Boston (2013) (S03E08) 

English The eighth episode, similarly to the fifth part, did not mostly focus on the construction of the railway. Cullen's trip with Durant to the Mormons was a bright exception. Although the other events were not uninteresting, they somewhat drifted away from the main storyline, and that doesn't please me twice. ()

Fathers and Sins (2013) (S03E09) 

English All the sweet scents of the Wild West (excrement, urine, sweat, decomposing carcasses/corpses) once again overpowered the smell of gunpowder and bullets whizzed through the air almost as frequently as the doors of the Czech Post branch on the days when social benefits are paid out. After some time, the creators once again bet on action and they definitely won with me, I even decided to almost unnoticed go past Elam's motivational speech. ()

Get Behind the Mule (2013) (S03E10) 

English I suspected that the final episode would not reach the quality of the previous installment, and I was not mistaken. In Fort Smith, the story somewhat slowed down, trivial matters such as agriculture, marriage, execution, and the like were addressed, and there was actually no action. However, it was still a successful and so far the most open-ended end of the season. ()

Season 4 (2014) (S04) 

English In episodes 6 and 7, the creators brought back a totally unnecessary character into the game who shouldn’t have returned, resulting in an unnaturally stretched plot, which really got on my nerves. I’d rather the season was one episode shorter than to have such unnecessary filler. Here’s hoping that the final season will steer clear of such strategies. ()

The Elusive Eden (2014) (S04E01) 

English In the first episode of the fourth season, the character Naomi caught my attention. I hesitated for a moment whether there had been a change in the cast or if the Mormons had a top-notch plastic surgery department. Eventually, I reluctantly leaned towards the first possibility because the second one promised an interesting plot twist. Otherwise, it was clearly a weaker episode because when Cullen and Hell on Wheels are apart, it's not quite the same. ()

Escape from the Garden (2014) (S04E02) 

English Even this time, Cullen wasn't present near the track, but there were a lot of interesting things happening in the fortress and on the railway, so I wasn't bored for a moment. It's already clear that the appointment of an interim governor will bring some liveliness to the story, so I'm looking forward to the next installments. ()

Chicken Hill (2014) (S04E03) 

English Cullen finally returned to Cheyenne and this backwater town suddenly turned into the center of everything. If it were just about action, the third episode would be a disappointment, but the creators once again came up with excellent dialogues and an intriguing plot, thus creating a fantastic atmosphere again, and I couldn't help but enjoy it. ()

Reckoning (2014) (S04E04) 

English Similar to the previous episode, this time it wasn't exactly about action-packed spectacle either, and yet I wasn't bored for a moment. True, I was somewhat surprised by how Cullen handled the night loading truck, but shortly after, the creators amused me with the character of an Indian who mastered his bow so skillfully that he was surely the only vegetarian of his tribe. ()

Life's a Mystery (2014) (S04E05) 

English The fifth episode was a nice example that Hell on Wheels is not just about action. There was more action in this episode than in both previous ones combined, and yet I didn't feel excited. The character of Sid Snow seemed completely unnecessary to me and reminded me of series where a new character appears in every episode, the plot revolves around them, but then we don't hear about them anymore. ()