| Hell on Wheels | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Western |
| Created by | |
| Showrunners |
|
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Gustavo Santaolalla |
| Composer | Kevin Kiner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 57(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Production locations | Calgary,Alberta, Canada[1] |
| Cinematography |
|
| Running time | 40-50 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | AMC |
| Release | November 6, 2011 (2011-11-06) – July 23, 2016 (2016-07-23) |
Hell on Wheels is an AmericanWestern television series about the construction of thefirst transcontinental railroad across the United States, which broadcast in the United States and Canada on the cable channelAMC, from November 6, 2011[2] to July 23, 2016. The series, which featuresAnson Mount,Colm Meaney,Common, andDominique McElligott, chronicles theUnion Pacific Railroad and its laborers, mercenaries, prostitutes, surveyors, and others who lived, worked, and died in the mobile encampment, called "Hell on Wheels", that followed the railhead west across theGreat Plains.
In particular, the story focuses on Cullen Bohannon (Mount), a formerConfederate soldier who initially joins the railroad to track downUnion soldiers who murdered his wife and young son during theAmerican Civil War. In the process he becomes a foreman and eventually chief engineer on the railroad. The first season is set in 1865, shortly after theassassination of Abraham Lincoln, with the fifth and final season set in 1869.
The series was created and produced byJoe andTony Gayton, and developed byEndemol USA, under the stewardship of senior vice-president of scripted programming Jeremy Gold, and it is produced byEntertainment One and Nomadic Pictures.[2] In 2012, AMC announced creators Joe and Tony Gayton were no longer involved in the day-to-day production of the series.[3] On December 12, 2012, AMC announced that writerJohn Wirth would take over asshowrunner for the third season.
| Actor | Character | Seasons | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| Part 1 | Part 2 | ||||||
| Anson Mount | Cullen Bohannon | Main | |||||
| Colm Meaney | Thomas C. Durant | Main | |||||
| Common | Elam Ferguson | Main | Does not appear | ||||
| Dominique McElligott | Lily Bell | Main | Does not appear | ||||
| Tom Noonan | Reverend Nathaniel | Main | Does not appear | Guest | Does not appear | ||
| Eddie Spears | Joseph Black Moon | Main | Does not appear | ||||
| Ben Esler | Seán McGinnes | Main | Does not appear | ||||
| Phil Burke | Mickey McGinnes | Main | |||||
| Christopher Heyerdahl | Thor Gundersen "The Swede" | Recurring | Main[a] | ||||
| Robin McLeavy | Eva Toole (née Oates) | Recurring | Main | ||||
| Kasha Kropinski | Ruth Cole | Guest | Recurring | Main[b] | Does not appear | ||
| Dohn Norwood | Psalms Jackson | Recurring | Main | ||||
| Jennifer Ferrin | Louise Ellison | Does not appear | Main | ||||
| Siobhan Williams | Naomi Hatch | Does not appear | Guest | Does not appear | |||
| MacKenzie Porter | Does not appear | Main | |||||
| Jake Weber | John Campbell | Does not appear | Main | Does not appear | Recurring | ||
| Tim Guinee | Collis Huntington | Does not appear | Guest | Main | |||
| Byron Mann | Chang | Does not appear | Main | ||||
| Reg Rogers | James Strobridge | Does not appear | Main | ||||
| Angela Zhou | Mei / Fong | Does not appear | Main | ||||
| Chelah Horsdal | Maggie Palmer | Does not appear | Recurring | Main | |||
| Actor | Character | Seasons | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| Part 1 | Part 2 | ||||||
| April Telek | Nell | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||
| Duncan Ollerenshaw | Gregory Toole | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||
| Chris Ippolito | Young Engineer | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||
| Ian Tracey | Bolan | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||
| James D. Hopkin | Senator Jordan Crane | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||
| Diego Diablo Del Mar | Dix | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||
| Wes Studi | Chief Many Horses | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||
| Gerald Auger | Pawnee Killer | Recurring | Does not appear | ||||
| James Dugan | Carl the Bartender | Guest | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| Grainger Hines | Doc Whitehead | Does not appear | Recurring | Guest | Does not appear | ||
| Virginia Madsen | Mrs. Hannah Durant | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| James Shanklin | Aaron Hatch | Does not appear | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Kevin Davey | Paddy Quinn | Does not appear | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Haysam Kadri | Dutch Dufray | Does not appear | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Leon Ingulsrud | Major Augustus Bendix | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | Recurring | ||
| Tayden Marks | Ezra Dutson | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| Serge Houde | CongressmanOakes Ames | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| Damian O'Hare | Declan Toole | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| David Wilson Barnes | Martin Delaney | Does not appear | Recurring | ||||
| Gregg Henry | Brigham Young | Does not appear | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Andrew Howard | Dandy Johnny Shea | Does not appear | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Kevin Blatch | Judge Webber | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | Guest | ||
| Jonathan Scarfe | Sydney Snow | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| Billy Wickman | Heckard | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| Peter Benson | Marshal Jessup | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| Gia Crovatin | Mrs. Delaney | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| Amber Chardae Robinson | Mary Fields | Does not appear | Recurring | Guest | |||
| Josh Caras | Phineas Young | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
| Tzi Ma | Tao | Does not appear | Recurring | Does not appear | |||
In 1865, former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) journeys to theUnion Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad, seeking both work and vengeance on the Union soldiers who killed his wife and son. Cullen gets hired by the railroad and supervises an all-black "cut crew", including Elam (Common), whose job is to prepare the terrain for track laying. Through conversation with the railroad foreman, Daniel Johnson (Ted Levine), Cullen learns more about his wife's death, but tragedy strikes before Johnson reveals her killer's name. Thomas "Doc" Durant (Colm Meaney) begins his "mad, noble quest" to expand his Union Pacific westward, in order to complete the transcontinental railroad. Lily Bell (Dominique McElligott) accompanies her ailing husband, Robert (Robert Moloney), as he surveys the landscape for the Union Pacific; when Robert is killed by the Cheyenne natives, 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 one ends with Bohannon killing a man he believes was responsible for the rape and murder of his wife, only to discover that man was not there at the time.
Bohannon tries to find himself again while continuing to drive the westward expansion of the Union Pacific Railroad, under Durant's leadership. Bohannon takes up with a gang of train robbers but is turned over to the Union Army and imprisoned. Durant manages to get him pardoned. The railroad construction enters the Sioux territory, where The Swede and a misguided Reverend Cole assist the natives in attacking the railroad. Lily Bell seeks to gain control of the railroad from Durant and mails his accounting ledgers to the government. Army officers arrive to find the town has been attacked by the Sioux.
Bohannon abandons his quest to avenge his wife and son's deaths, in order to battle Durant for control of the Union Pacific Railroad. Eva gives birth to a baby who was sired during her marriage to Gregory Toole. Elam proposes marriage to her, even though her post-partum depression weighs heavily on her. The Swede takes up with a Mormon family on their way to the fictional Fort Smith and later reveals his true nature.
Conflict arises among the government and businesses, ranchers, homesteaders, and the railroad as all of those interests compete with one another for control ofCheyenne, Wyoming, the most important railroad hub in 1867. Meanwhile, the Union Pacific Railroad continues its expansion westward, and Bohannon adjusts to being a husband and father again.
In season 5, set in California andLaramie, Wyoming,[4] Bohannon is hired by theCentral Pacific Railroad to build the transcontinental railroad eastward over theSierra Nevada Mountains. He befriends its Chinese workers, including Mei, a woman disguised as a man known as Fong. PresidentUlysses S. Grant increases the competition between the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad companies. This is further complicated by Thomas Durant's corruption.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 10 | November 6, 2011 (2011-11-06) | January 15, 2012 (2012-01-15) | |
| 2 | 10 | August 12, 2012 (2012-08-12) | October 7, 2012 (2012-10-07) | |
| 3 | 10 | August 10, 2013 (2013-08-10) | October 5, 2013 (2013-10-05) | |
| 4 | 13 | August 2, 2014 (2014-08-02) | November 22, 2014 (2014-11-22) | |
| 5 | 14 | 7 | July 18, 2015 (2015-07-18) | August 29, 2015 (2015-08-29) |
| 7 | June 11, 2016 (2016-06-11) | July 23, 2016 (2016-07-23) | ||
Hell on Wheels was created by Joe and Tony Gayton in late 2008, andEndemol USA's scripted television division, headed by senior vice president of original programming Jeremy Gold, came on board to develop the series for AMC.[5] On May 18, 2010, AMC placed a pilot order forHell on Wheels with Endemol USA.[6] Joe andTony Gayton wrote the pilot, David Von Ancken was attached to the project as director, and Jeremy Gold, Joe Gayton, and Tony Gayton served as executive producers. On July 6, 2010, Endemol USA announced that they had entered into a partnership withEntertainment One, which 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 acrossEurope, while Entertainment One acquired rights toHell 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 byDeadline that the executives at AMC were impressed with the pilot, and, coupled with the fact that the network had just cancelled their drama series,Rubicon, were likely to orderHell on Wheels to series.[8]
On December 15, 2010, AMCgreen-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 thatHell on Wheels would premiere on November 6, 2011.[2] The series is produced by Entertainment One and Nomadic Pictures.
On November 8, 2011, co-creator Joe Gayton spoke of the series' origins: "We [Tony 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.[13]
On October 29, 2012, AMC renewedHell on Wheels for a third season,[14] however it was also announced that the series creators and showrunners, Joe and Tony Gayton, "will no longer be involved day-to-day on the show" and series producer/writer/directorJohn Shiban would take over.[3] Following the departure of Shiban, the renewal was put on hold until a replacement could be found.[15] On December 12, 2012, AMC announced thatJohn Wirth, a writer forTerminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, would be the new showrunner, starting with the show's third season.[16]
Casting announcements began in July 2010, withCommon first to be cast. Common portrays Elam Ferguson, "an emancipated slave who is working to achieve true freedom in a world entrenched in prejudice".[2][17]Next to join the series wereAnson Mount andDominique 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".[2][18]Colm Meaney was next to be cast as Thomas "Doc" Durant, a "greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times".[2][19]Ben Esler,Phil Burke andEddie Spears were the last actors to be cast, with Esler playing Seán McGinnes and 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".[2]It was later announced thatJesse Lipscombe, Gerald Auger,Robert Moloney andTed Levine had joined the series as recurring guest stars.[20][21]
Jennifer Ferrin joined the cast as a series regular for season three, playing aNew York Sun journalist covering the construction of the railroad.[22]AMC announced thatDohn Norwood (Psalms) became a series regular for season three.[23]
Jake Weber joined the fourth season's cast. He was initially to portray acarpetbagger seeking to profit from the frontier,[24] but his role changed toJohn Allen Campbell, first governor of Wyoming.MacKenzie Porter has also been cast. She will replaceSiobhan Williams in the role of Naomi, Bohannon's Mormon bride.[25]
Common spoke about the challenges of playing a formerslave: "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."[28]
Canadian actorChristopher 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."[29]
Irish actressDominique 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 Wheelswas the first one. I arrived on the 5th of July, and theHell on Wheelsaudition 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."[30]
Filming of the first season took place inCalgary, as well as areas in central and southernAlberta.[31] TheT'suu T'ina Native Indian Reservation, anIndian reserve in southern Alberta, was the location for most of the exteriors.[32]
Exterior filming of the second season was near theBow River in Calgary. Interior filming was in a building near the city's airport. Series producers expected the filming of the season's ten episodes to take about 80 days.[1]
Filming of the third season was suspended part way through the sixth episode when the location was included in the mandatory evacuation area due to theflooding in southern Alberta.[33] Originally, producers had announced a two-day shut down, when the only road to the location was underwater.[34] Later, on June 21, producers announced that the production hiatus, scheduled to begin June 27, would take effect immediately.[33] Anson Mount shared pictures of the nearby river and exterior sets flooding on June 20 and 21.[33][35][36]
Filming of the fourth season's 13 episodes took place along the Bow River. Filming occurred from April 24 to September 24, 2014.[37]
The fifth season's production filming occurred on the CL Ranch, west of Calgary, for theTruckee, California, andLaramie, Wyoming, locations. TheKananaskis Country park system, 40 miles west of the ranch, served as theSierra Nevada mountains the Central Pacific must cross.[38]
For season one, the review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes reported a 61% approval rating based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Its Old West setting and central revenge plot may be overly familiar, butHell on Wheels holds just enough intrigue to keep things interesting."[39] The first season was given 63% onMetacritic based on 28 reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" impression.[40]The second season was given 60% on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average" reviews,[41] while Rotten Tomatoes reported a 75% approval rating based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7.0/10, and a critical consensus that reads, "While it still feels like it's finding its legs, the second season ofHell on Wheels is more confident than the first and perfectly acceptable for those in need of a Western fix."[42]
TheWashington 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."[43]
Robert Lloyd of theLos 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."[44]
TheWall Street Journal's Nancy Dewolf Smith comments: " '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."[45]
Brian Lowry ofVariety writes: "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."[46]
TheWashington Post reported that the series has been criticized for not depictingChinese immigrants during the transcontinental railroad construction scenes. Creator Joe Gayton said "budget-wise and time-wise ... we could really only concentrate on one side of [the railroad building], and that's probably why we, you know, that's why we chose the [emanating from the East Coast] Union Pacific as opposed to the [emanating from the West Coast] Central Pacific."[47] By the fifth season, the show expanded its focus to include a significant look at the role of Chinese immigrant workers in the growth of the railroad.
The pilot, premiering November 6. 2011, was watched by 4.4 million viewers – AMC's second-highest series premiere in history, followingThe Walking Dead. Among key demographics, the pilot episode was viewed by 2.4 million viewers in the adults 18–49 category, and 2.3 million viewers in the adults 25–54 demographics, according to Nielsen. The total viewership bested network slot rivalsCSI: Miami andPan Am.[48] The sixth episode was watched by 2.15 million viewers, the lowest viewership of the first season and had a 0.6 rating in the 18–49 age range.[49] The viewership numbers eventually rebounded with the season one finale being watched by 2.84 million viewers, maintaining its steady 0.7 rating in the 18–49 age range.[50]In January 2012, following the season one finale, AMC confirmedHell on Wheels as the network's second-highest rated original series, behindThe Walking Dead, averaging three million viewers per episode.[51]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Gustavo Santaolalla | Nominated | [52] |
| BET Awards | Best Actor | Common | Nominated | [53] | |
| Directors Guild of Canada Awards | Best Production Design - Television Series | John Blackie | Nominated | [54] | |
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing - Short Form Dialogue and ADR in Television | John Kincade, Todd Niesen, Shannon Beament | Nominated | [55] | |
| 2013 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actor on Television | Colm Meaney | Nominated | [56] |
| BET Awards | Best Actor | Common | Nominated | [57] | |
| Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor TV | Colm Meaney | Nominated | [58] | |
| Hollywood Post Alliance Awards | Outstanding Color Grading - Television | Steven Porter | Nominated | [59] | |
| Leo Awards | Best Casting in a Dramatic Series | Jackie Lind | Won | [60] | |
| Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Ryan Robbins | Nominated | |||
| Directors Guild of Canada Awards | Best Production Design - Television Series | John Blackie | Won | [61] | |
| Rosie Awards | Best Dramatic Series | Chad Oakes & Michael Frislev | Won | [62] | |
| Best Performance by an Alberta Actor | Duncan Ollerenshaw | Won | |||
| Best Performance by an Alberta Actress | Sydney Bell | Nominated | |||
| Best Editor (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Bridget Durnford | Won | |||
| Best Overall Sound (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Frank Laratta | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Designer/Art Director | John Blackie & Bill Ives | Won | |||
| Best Costume Designer | Carol Case | Won | |||
| Best Make-Up Artist | Gail Kennedy | Won | |||
| Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program | Antonio Chang, Jason Fotter, Eric Hayden, Josh Miyaji | Nominated | [63] | |
| Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program | Matt Von Brock, Jason Fotter, Tim Jacobsen, Bill Kent | Nominated | |||
| ACTRA Montreal Awards | Outstanding Male Performance | Christopher Heyerdahl | Won | [64] | |
| 2014 | Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards | Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling - Television and New Media Series | Chris Glimsdale, Penny Thompson | Nominated | [65] |
| Best Period and/or Character Makeup - Television and New Media Series | Sharon Toohey, Rose Gurevitch | Nominated | |||
| Rosie Awards | Best Dramatic Series | Chad Oakes & Michael Frislev | Won | [66] | |
| Best Performance by an Alberta Actor | Kevin Davey | Nominated | |||
| Best Editor (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Bridget Durnford | Won | |||
| Best Overall Sound (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Michael Playfair & Frank Laratta | Won | |||
| Best Production Designer/Art Director | John Blackie & Bill Ives | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Designer | Carol Case | Won | |||
| Best Make-Up Artist | Sharon Toohey | Won | |||
| Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Created Environment in a Commercial or Broadcast Program | Steve Meyer, Matt Von Brock, Mitch Gates, Antonio Chang | Nominated | [67] | |
| Western Heritage Award | Outstanding Fictional Drama | Episode: "One Less Mule" | Won | ||
| 2015 | Episode: "Return to Hell" | Won | [68] | ||
| Leo Awards | Best Casting in a Dramatic Series | Jackie Lind | Nominated | [69] | |
| Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Jonathan Scarfe | Won | |||
| Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series | Sara Canning | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Christopher Heyerdahl | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series | Chelah Horsdal | Nominated | |||
| Rosie Awards | Best Dramatic Series | Chad Oakes & Michael Frislev | Won | [70] | |
| Best Performance by an Alberta Actor | Jason Cermak | Nominated | |||
| Best Editor (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Bridget Durnford | Won | |||
| Best Overall Sound (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Michael Playfair & Frank Laratta | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Designer/Art Director | John Blackie & Bill Ives | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Designer | Carol Case | Nominated | |||
| Best Make-Up & Hair Artist(s) | Sharon Toohey & Chris Glimsdale | Won | |||
| 2016 | Western Heritage Award | Outstanding Fictional Drama | Episode: "Hungry Ghosts" | Won | |
| Leo Awards | Best Casting in a Dramatic Series | Jackie Lind | Nominated | [71] | |
| Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Byron Mann | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series | Chelah Horsdal | Nominated | |||
| Golden Maple Awards | Best actor in a TV series broadcast in the U.S. | Christopher Heyerdahl | Nominated | [72] | |
| Best actor in a TV series broadcast in the U.S. | Byron Mann | Nominated | |||
| Newcomer of the year in a TV series broadcast in the U.S. | Christopher Heyerdahl | Nominated | |||
| Rosie Awards | Best Dramatic Series | Chad Oakes & Michael Frislev | Won | [73] | |
| Best Editor (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Bridget Durnford | Won | |||
| Best Overall Sound (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Mike Markiw | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Designer/Art Director | John Blackie & Bill Ives | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Designer | Carol Case | Won | |||
| Best Make-Up & Hair Artist(s) | Sharon Toohey & Laura de Moissac | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Rosie Awards | Best Dramatic Series | Chad Oakes & Michael Frislev | Nominated | [74] |
| Best Editor (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Bridget Durnford | Nominated | |||
| Best Overall Sound (Drama Over 30 Minutes) | Frank Laratta & Mike Markiw | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Designer/Art Director | John Blackie & Bill Ives | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Designer | Carol Case | Won | |||
| Best Make-Up & Hair Artist(s) | Sharon Toohey & Laura de Moissac | Nominated | |||
| Leo Awards | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Christopher Heyerdahl | Nominated | [75] |
The series is shown in Australia onFX Australia[76] and in Ireland onRTÉ.[77]
All five seasons ofHell on Wheels have been released inDVD andBlu-ray formats.[78][79][80][81][82][83] The complete series was also released in DVD and Blu-ray formats on November 1, 2016, comprising 17 discs.[84] As of June 2019, it is available in the United States onNetflix's online streaming service but is scheduled to be removed at the end of 2020. As of December 2023, It is available in the United States for streaming on Tubi.[85] As of April 2025 it is available for streaming on Paramount Plus.
Hell on Wheels, a television series with the backdrop of the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s..., season 5, set in California and Laramie, Wyoming, premiered last Saturday.
