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Hell on Wheels (TV series)

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Hell on Wheels
Genre
Created by
Developed byEndemol USA
Starring
Theme music composerGustavo Santaolalla
ComposerKevin Kiner
Country of originTemplate:TVUS
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes1 (7 scheduled)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Paul Kurta
  • Chad Oakes
  • Mike Frislev
  • (associate producers)
  • Jordan Feiner
  • Keri Young
Production locationAlberta, Canada
CinematographyElliot Davis
EditorSkip McDonald
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAMC
ReleaseNovember 6, 2011

Hell on Wheels is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Joe and Tony Gayton. Set in 1865, the series stars Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier who is determined to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who murdered his wife.

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.

Series overview

Set in the 1860s at the end of the United States Civil War, the series follows Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier, who is determined to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who murdered his wife. His quest for vengeance sends him westward to Nebraska's "Hell on Wheels," the lawless town that moves with the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad. However, things get complicated when a Cheyenne tribe attacks the construction of the railroad, determined to destroy the project because it is being built through their lands.

Cast

Main

  • Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier who is determined to avenge the death of his wife.
  • Common as Elam Ferguson, a recently freed slave who is trying to find his place in the world.
  • Dominique McElligott as Lily Bell, a recent widow; her husband was a surveyor working on the transcontinental rail project.
  • Colm Meaney as Thomas "Doc" Durant, a businessman and investor in the transcontintental railroad, where he hopes to make his fortune.
  • Ben Esler as Sean McGinnes, a young man looking to make his fortune in the west.
  • Phil Burke as Mickey McGinnes, Sean's brother, who, like his brother, is looking to make money in the west.
  • Eddie Spears as Joseph Black Moon, a Native American who must choose between the new world and the traditions of his ancestors.

Recurring

Episodes

Season one (2011)

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. viewers
(million)
1"Pilot"David Von AnckenTony Gayton & Joe GaytonNovember 6, 2011 (2011-11-06)4.36[6]
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 officals who wronged him during the Civil War.
2"Immoral Mathematics"[7]David Von AnckenTony Gayton & Joe GaytonNovember 13, 2011 (2011-11-13)[7]TBA
3"A New Birth of Freedom"[7]UnknownUnknownNovember 20, 2011 (2011-11-20)[7]TBA
4"Jamais Je Ne T'oublierai"[7]UnknownUnknownNovember 27, 2011 (2011-11-27)[7]TBA
5"Bread and Circuses"[7]UnknownUnknownDecember 4, 2011 (2011-12-04)[7]TBA
6"Pride, Pomp and Circumstance"[7]UnknownUnknownDecember 11, 2011 (2011-12-11)[7]TBA
7"Revelations"[7]UnknownUnknownDecember 18, 2011 (2011-12-18)[7]TBA

Production

Development history

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.[8] The series was developed by Endemol USA's scripted television division, headed by senior vice president of original programming Jeremy Gold.[8][9] 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.[9][10] 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.[9] On July 6, 2010, Endemol USA announced that they had entered into a parntership with Entertainment One, who would serve as the production studio on the project.[9] 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.[9] 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.[9] The Canadian production company Nomadic Pictures were brought onto the project to serve as co-producers alongside Entertainment One.[11] The pilot was delivered to AMC executives in November 2010.[12] 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.[12]

On December 15, 2010, AMC green-lighted the series with an order of 10 episodes.[13][14][15] 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.[15][16] 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.[15][16] 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][17] 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][18] Colm Meaney was next to be cast as Thomas "Doc" Durant, " greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times."[1][19] 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.[2][3]

Filming

Filming of the pilot took place between August 2010 and September 2010 on location in Calgary as well as in central and southern Alberta.[11]

Filming of the remaining nine episodes took place between May 2011 and was completed September 2011, with filming taking place on location in Calgary and the surrounding areas of Alberta, Canada.[20] The first few weeks of production were plagued by bad weather. Series producer Chad Oakes told the Calgary Herald, "The first few weeks here in Alberta . . . we had epic rainstorms, flooding and hail".[20] Anson Mount also told the newspaper, "The elements will throw at you what they throw at you. And you have a choice: you can work around that or you dance with it. This crew and the creative team has done an amazing job of choosing to dance with it".[20]

International distribution

Country Channel Premiere date
 United Kingdom TCM 2012 [21]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Seidman, Robert (July 28, 2011). "AMC Announces Premiere Date for 'Hell on Wheels'". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Nomadic Pictures - 'Hell On Wheels'". Nomadic Pictures. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Hell on Wheels - AMC's First Look At 'Hell on Wheels'". AMC. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  4. ^ "TV.com - Ted Levine, Anson Mount". TV.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. Daniel Johnson (Ted Levine) and Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) on Hell on Wheels from the Pilot episode.
  5. ^ "AMC Press Resource Centre - Artwork - Hell on Wheels - Episodes - 101". AMC Press Resource Centre. Retrieved August 19, 2011. (On horseback) Daniel Johnson (Ted Levine) and Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) - Photo Credit: Chris Large/AMC[dead link]
  6. ^ Seldman, Robert (November 8, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead,' 'Hell On Wheels' Lead AMC + 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Homeland,' 'Dexter' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Shows A-Z - Hell On Wheels (AMC)" (TV resource). the Futon Critic. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  8. ^ a b Schneider, Michael (December 16, 2008). "Endemol USA unveils major TV plans". Variety. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Andreeva, Nellie (July 6, 2010). "E1 To Produce & David Von Ancken To Direct AMC Pilot 'Hell On Wheels'". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 18, 2010). "Endemol AMC Orders Western Pilot From Endemol USA". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Wilton, Lisa (July 6, 2010). "New TV series to be filmed in Calgary". Calgary Sun. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (November 12, 2010). "The Cancellation Of AMC's 'Rubicon' Opens The Door For 'Hell On Wheels'". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 15, 2010). "It's Official: AMC Picks Up Period Drama Pilot 'Hell On Wheels' To Series". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  14. ^ Mittovich, Matt (December 15, 2010). "Hell, Yeah: AMC Orders Post-Civil War Drama". TVLine. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c "AMC Greenlights "Hell on Wheels" To Full Series Order". AMC. December 15, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  16. ^ a b "AMC Annouces Production On New Series 'Hell on Wheels'". AMC. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 27, 2010). "Common Cast In AMC Pilot 'Hell On Wheels'". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 27, 2010). "AMC Pilot 'Hell On Wheels' Finds Its Leads". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 3, 2010). "Colm Meaney To Star In 'Hell On Wheels'". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  20. ^ a b c Volmers, Eric (June 13, 2011). "Western shot in Alberta full of true grit". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 19, 2011.[dead link]
  21. ^ "Hell on Wheels finds British home on TCM". Worldscreen.com (subscription required). 2011-11-03. Retrieved 2011-11-03.
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