Series synopsis
Hell on Wheels is an American action & adventure drama western television series that premiered on AMC on November 6, 2011. It ended on July 23, 2016. It was created by Tony Gayton, Joe Gayton. It stars Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, Robin McLeavy and Common.
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.
Premise
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.
Premise: All roads lead to hell.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannan
- Colm Meaney as Thomas 'Doc' Durant
- Robin McLeavy as Eva
- Common as Elam Ferguson
- Dominique McElligott as Lily Bell
- Christopher Heyerdahl as The Swede
- Jennifer Ferrin as Louise Ellison
- Phil Burke as Mickey McGinnes
Supporting cast
- Tom Noonan as Reverend Cole
- Ben Esler as Sean McGinnes
- Dohn Norwood as Psalms
- April Telek as Nell
- MacKenzie Porter as Naomi Bohannon
- Eddie Spears as Joseph Black Moon
- Tim Guinee as Collis Huntington
- Jake Weber as John Campbell
- Kasha Kropinski as Ruth Cole
- Angela Zhou as Mei
- Byron Mann as Chang
Guest cast
- Ted Levine as Daniel Johnson
- Bruce Ramsay as Journalist
- Wes Studi as Chief Many Horses
- Jesse Lipscombe as William
- Ian Tracey as Bolan
- Diego Diablo Del Mar as Dix
- Gerald Auger as Pawnee Killer
- Sharon Taylor as Squaw
- Colin A. Campbell as Choate
- Duncan Ollerenshaw as Mr. Toole
- James D. Hopkin as Senator Jordan Crane
- Ian Kilburn as Harper
Episodes
This series spans 6 seasons with 86 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 29 | July 19, 2012 | July 23, 2016 |
| Season 1 | 10 | November 6, 2011 | January 15, 2012 |
| Season 2 | 10 | August 12, 2012 | October 7, 2012 |
| Season 3 | 10 | August 10, 2013 | October 5, 2013 |
| Season 4 | 13 | August 2, 2014 | November 22, 2014 |
| Season 5 | 14 | July 18, 2015 | July 23, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inside Hell on Wheels: Where Season 1 Left off | July 19, 2012 |
| 2 |
Inside Hell on Wheels: Where Season 2 Left off Anson Mount and the cast of Hell on Wheels analyze the unanswered questions from season 2. |
July 15, 2013 |
| 3 |
Inside Hell on Wheels: A Look at Season 3 Anson Mount and the cast of Hell on Wheels give us a taste of what's in store for season 3. |
July 22, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pilot A former confederate soldier journeys to the transcontinental railroad to seek vengeance. |
November 6, 2011 |
| 2 |
Immoral Mathematics Lily encounters natives in the wilderness. Cullen is questioned in regards to his recent actions against others. Meanwhile, Durant continues his push for political gain through his persuasions. |
November 13, 2011 |
| 3 |
A New Birth of Freedom When Lily goes missing, Durant organizes a search party. A subsidiary request prevents Cullen from his continued search for the sergeant involved in the murder of his wife. |
November 20, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Viva La Mexico In the Season 2 premiere, Durant and Lily steer the railroad further west, while Cullen and Elam land on opposite sides of the law. |
August 12, 2012 |
| 2 |
Durant, Nebraska Durant confronts a formidable threat to the rolling city, while a horrific crime leads Lily and Elam to join forces in order to attain justice. |
August 19, 2012 |
| 3 |
Slaughterhouse Cullen struggles to maintain order while Mickey's and Sean's lives are endangered; Lily and Elam clean up a mess of their own doing. |
August 26, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Big Bad Wolf After a hard winter, Cullen and Elam travel to New York to secure their positions on the railroad as Durant fights for his legacy from prison. |
August 10, 2013 |
| 2 |
Eminent Domain An unexpected roadblock forces Cullen to make a difficult choice as a reporter arrives in Hell on Wheels. Elam struggles with his new boss. |
August 10, 2013 |
| 3 |
Range War Cullen and Elam search for their stolen food on the prairie; a stranger's arrival threatens Elam's family. |
August 17, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Elusive Eden Cullen awaits the birth of his baby, laboring under The Swede's thumb at Fort Smith. Durant deals with the fallout from a railroad accident. |
August 2, 2014 |
| 2 |
Escape from the Garden As Cullen plans an exit from Fort Smith, he challenges The Swede; when a new adversary arrives, Cheyenne feels his presence. |
August 9, 2014 |
| 3 |
Chicken Hill Cullen goes back to work on the railroad and butts heads with his new boss. Durant and Campbell battle over a valuable piece of real estate. |
August 16, 2014 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Chinatown Cullen is in California with the Central Pacific Railroad, and must deal with the new workers. |
July 18, 2015 |
| 2 |
Mei Mei Cullen and Fong find themselves in peril as they transport a locomotive over the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Swede gains Phineas' trust. |
July 25, 2015 |
| 3 |
White Justice Cullen contends with violence in Chinatown set off by disgruntled railroad workers. Meanwhile, the Swede manipulates Phineas in his plot against the Mormons. |
August 1, 2015 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | AMC |
|---|---|
| First aired | November 6, 2011 |
| Last aired | July 23, 2016 |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Saturday at 21:00:00 |