AMC’s slate of scripted programming, like any other network, has been hit and miss. It’s easy to idealize a network that produces gems like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, but let’s also remember that this is the network that gave us The Killing.
AMC’s newest effort aims to secure fans of a specific genre. Much like The Walking Dead or Mad Men, Hell on Wheels is a genre series (in this case, a Western) that aims to embody its aesthetic to the tee. The production values are great as always, but in terms of story, Hell on Wheels seems like rote Western storytelling without much to say.
The story takes place during the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad following the end of the Civil War. The protagonist is Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount, who is most known for his role opposite Britney Spears in Crossroads), a veteran Confederate Soldier who finds work as a walking boss along the railroad construction site. Bohannon is slowly revealed to be on the path to revenge, trying to find the men that killed his wife.
The writers seem timid to explore the morality issues inherent in Bohannon’s character. In a heavily expository scene, Bohannon explains that he owned slaves but gave them their freedom a year before the war even started. Perhaps the producers are concerned that we couldn’t sympathize with a slave-owning protagonist, but skirting the racial issues that were such a huge part of the country at that time feels like a cheap way to get viewers to root for Cullen. Mount does a fine job as the classically stiff cowboy type, though it remains to be seen whether he has the range to explore all of Cullen’s dark past.
Along the way during the pilot, Cullen meets several noteworthy characters. The generally reliable Colm Meaney gives a pretty hammy performance as Doc Durant, a big wig trying to get investors to support the railroad construction. Meaney’s performance is over the top to the point of being off-putting. So even when his character speaks about the interesting idea of knowing his legacy will not be a bright one but still going ahead with his ambition, it’s hard to take him seriously. Also prominent in the pilot is the freed slave Elam (Common), who works on the railroad under Cullen’s supervision. Common is probably one of the better rappers-turned-actors of recent memory, as he does a great job here. Mount and Common’s chemistry is the most interesting part of the pilot, and their relationship will most likely be a highlight.
What I’m interested to see in the coming weeks on Hell on Wheels is how the showrunners handle the racial issues of the time (both the prejudice towards black people and Native Americans). There is a lengthy Native American attack sequence that establishes the hostility between the natives and the railroad workers—but I will be interested to see if the show chooses to humanize the natives at all or if it chooses to focus its efforts solely on the railroad. I’m less interested in Cullen’s revenge story, which seems like a more soap opera type plot to keep people watching.
Hell on Wheels is certainly not a bad show. It effectively establishes itself as a good genre show. One major problem will likely be how much it is compared to Deadwood, a series which I have sadly not watched, but is widely considered among the best TV series of all time. Hell on Wheels isn’t terrible, but it certainly doesn’t help when you’re going to inevitably be compared to one of the elite shows of our time. Hell on Wheels airs on Sundays at 11 on AMC.
