Hell on Wheels

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.

Hell on Wheels is an American western drama set in post Civil War America, where a former Confederate soldier pursues the Union men who killed his wife and drifts into a raucous tent city that travels along with the crews building the first transcontinental railroad. The town is a lawless, shifting community of laborers, saloon women, gamblers and opportunists, and its ambitious railroad boss schemes keep workers and residents in constant flux. Across its run the story layers revenge, labor disputes, corporate ambition and frontier survival, with episodes built from brawls, saloon confrontations and rail-line fights. The tone is gritty, violent and morally tangled, blending melancholy with bursts of brutal action. Its grime-soaked historical texture and ruthless atmosphere will appeal to viewers who enjoy Deadwood and Justified, as well as anyone drawn to the dusty grit of a frontier western and the slow, costly making of a nation.

Audiences broadly rate Hell on Wheels as an acclaimed, gritty frontier drama with strong performances and a vivid portrait of the railroad boomtown.

• Deadwoodshared post-Civil War frontier setting, rough lawless boomtown tone, and revenge-driven protagonist
• Justifiedshared Western tones and frontier expansion themes with a grounded, violent historical texture
• The Knickshared period drama form built around a historical engineering milestone and frontier labor

Created by

Tony Gayton, Joe Gayton

Release Date

2011-11-06

Episode runtime

43 min

Rating

8.3 / 10 (491)

What is Hell on Wheels about?

A Confederate veteran hunting the Union men who killed his wife drifts west into a raucous railroad camp where he must survive and build a new life.

What is Hell on Wheels like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hell on Wheels as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Hell on Wheels violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in Hell on Wheels as brutal.

What did critics think of Hell on Wheels?

Audiences broadly rate Hell on Wheels as an acclaimed, gritty frontier drama with strong performances and a vivid portrait of the railroad boomtown.

Which shows are like Hell on Wheels?

Shows with a similar feel include Deadwood, Justified, and The Knick.

How long is Hell on Wheels?

Hell on Wheels: 5 seasons, 57 episodes.

Is Hell on Wheels still running?

No, Hell on Wheels has ended.

Where can I watch Hell on Wheels?

In United States, Hell on Wheels streams on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount Plus Apple TV channel, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, The Roku Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Spectrum On Demand, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel, Philo, Plex, Plex Player, Plex Channel, Xumo Play, Amazon MX Player.