The neo-Western is now a staple of modern prestige television thanks to a deluge of high-quality shows like Yellowstone, Longmire, and Justified in the 2010s and 2020s. Shows that capture the siren song of the West, whether it’s the scenic vistas or the never-ending battle between outlaws and lawmen, have re-established a foothold in the modern consciousness. The streaming numbers for such shows, driven in large part by prolific creator Taylor Sheridan, are frequently among the highest with every new season.
One of the earliest among those that laid the foundation for the present-day infatuation with Westerns is a historical drama that leans into the real Old West aesthetic. AMC’s five-season drama Hell On Wheels chronicles the lives of the diverse array of people who worked on and followed the development of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. In place of the shadowy corporate intrigue and occasional gunfights or chases that reign supreme in many modern neo-Westerns, Hell On Wheels leaned into the history behind its premise to craft something exceptional.
‘Hell On Wheels’ Is a Gritty, Gripping Historical Drama
Anson Mount leads Hell On Wheels‘ star-studded cast, which also includes Dominique McElligott, Colm Meany, and Common in major roles, as Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier who initially winds up at the railroad due to his pursuit of the Union soldiers who murdered his family. The five seasons follow Bohannon as his role changes in the camp that follows the ever-lengthening railroad, which is named “Hell On Wheels” due to its dirty, dangerous, and vice-fueled nature.
The show is driven by its diverse cast, which showcases all the different nationalities and races that came together in the melting pot of the railroad. The perspectives of Irish immigrants, former slaves, Indigenous tribes, and Asian laborers are all given room to breathe throughout the show’s entire run, which makes it feel truly unique in the Western space. Mount’s vengeful Bohannon is a spiritual ancestor of the best classic Western anti-heroes of the 1950s and 1960s, while the show also develops several exceptional villains over its five seasons (Christopher Heyerdahl’s merciless head of security known as “The Swede” stands out).
‘Hell On Wheels’ Blends Real History with Engrossing Drama
The notion of a “Hell On Wheels” tent city is pulled straight out of history, as those dangerous nomadic towns were an important part of the extension of the Union Pacific portion of the railroad. Likewise, the mix of nationalities and races working both on the tracks and in the towns themselves is accurately reflected in the show. Some of the real historical figures associated with the railroad’s development are even characters on the show, most notably Colm Meany’s corrupt businessman Thomas Durant, who was an actual investor (and a ruthless one at that) in the Union Pacific at the time. While some of the timelines are manipulated and major plotlines are fictional, Hell On Wheels stays well within the lines of history in crafting a show that holds up today and feels genuinely unique.
