AMC Goes To "Hell On Wheels"

AMC confirms that "Hell on Wheels", the Alberta-lensed post-Civil war series about the building of the first Transcontinental Railroad, will be renewed for a second season.

The period western is co-produced by Calgary-based Nomadic Pictures Hell, shooting on the 'Tsuu T’ina Nation' outside of Calgary using an Alberta-based crew.

The show’s November 2011 debut earned 4.4 million viewers, making it AMC's second highest-rated debut behind "The Walking Dead", attracting more than 2 million viewers each week.

Created/written by Joe and Tony Gayton and developed by Endemol, "Hell On Wheels" is set in post-Civil War America, following former Confederate soldier 'Cullen Bohannan' (Anson Mount), whose "...quest for vengeance" has led him westward to work on the construction of the first US cross-country railroad.

"...'Hell on Wheels' tells the epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on a Confederate soldier (Mount) 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.

"The series examines the railroad's institutionalized greed and corruption, the immigrant experience, and the plight of the newly emancipated African-Americans during reconstruction. Over time, 'Hell on Wheels' chronicles this potent turning point in our nation's history, and how uncivilized the business of civilization can be..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Hell On Wheels"...