Hell on Wheels

:

Season 1
  • Network: AMC
  • Series Premiere Date: Nov 6, 2011
Season #: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
63

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 28
  3. Negative: 1 out of 28
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Critic Reviews

  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Aug 14, 2012
    60
    Hell on Wheels didn't turn into a great drama, but it settled into a distinctive groove, growing more relaxed and confident by the week.
  2. Zap2it (Inside the Box)
    Reviewed by: David Eckstein
    Nov 7, 2011
    60
    At the end of the day, Hell on Wheels is beautifully-filmed project that offers exceptional attention to detail on everything but the main character.
  3. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    Nov 4, 2011
    60
    I found parts of this series I could get invested in. You might find even more. Just don't go in expecting more than heck on wheels.
  5. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    Nov 4, 2011
    60
    Still, for all the unlikely things the Gaytons make happen in order to get their characters into place, and the dogged refusal of a couple of those characters to become interesting at all, the show gathers steam as it goes on.
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    Nov 3, 2011
    60
    In a way it's as paradoxical as its subject: a big, lusty but surprisingly timid look at the bold pioneers and profiteers who ravaged nature to build a nation.
  7. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Nov 3, 2011
    60
    Not content to exploit their subject's inherent themes, the series' fraternal creators, Joe and Tony Gayton, have adhered them promiscuously, pasting neon Post-it indications of symbolic import in a way that obscures moments of straightforward drama.
  8. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Nov 3, 2011
    58
    Hell's greatest sin? It's often laugh-out-loud funny.
  9. Hitfix
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Nov 3, 2011
    58
    It's not quite good (other than The Swede), but it's also not especially bad (though it has occasional terrible moments.
  10. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    Nov 4, 2011
    50
    Like Durant's ideal route, the five episodes I've seen of Hell on Wheels tend to meander a bit.
  11. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Nov 4, 2011
    50
    The Gaytons have created declamatory cartoons. What they needed was a lot more John Ford and a lot less Cotton Mather.
  12. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Nov 4, 2011
    50
    While the diverse mix of characters could work to the program's advantage over the long haul, jumping to and fro among them creates a diluted, herky-jerky ride in the early going.
  13. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Nov 3, 2011
    50
    There's a nagging suspicion that Hell on Wheels, created by Tony and Joe Gayton, doesn't quite know what it wants to be, which may explain why after four hours it seems like a collection of ideas that haven't quite gelled.
  14. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    Nov 3, 2011
    50
    It's a sprawling story, and within that sprawl there are evocative scenes, sweeping vistas, and moments that grab you.
  15. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Nov 7, 2011
    40
    Hell on Wheels is not a bad show, but it's also not engrossing.
  16. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Nov 4, 2011
    40
    AMC's sprawling but heavy-handed attempt to revive and redefine the Western (a newly hot TV-development trend) is solemn business indeed, with precious little wit or originality.

Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Best TV Season of 2011
22
#22 Most Discussed TV Season of 2011
6
#6 Most Shared TV Season of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 193 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 169 out of 193
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 193
  3. Negative: 13 out of 193
  1. tchavy99
    Nov 6, 2011
    9
    A true masterful old fashioned western. Hell on Wheels packs it in with all the bells and whistles found in only the best of it's genre. IA true masterful old fashioned western. Hell on Wheels packs it in with all the bells and whistles found in only the best of it's genre. I couldnt take my eyes off of the screen. Visually unlike any western Ive seen on cable television and a story told paced naturally with brewing temperament, AMC's done it again with this fine tale of payback and payoffs.… Full Review »
  2. lord_cuervo
    Nov 8, 2011
    10
    The best premiere of the year. AMC se ha vuelto a lucir esta vez, respira un aire a Deadwood, espero que la iguale. la auguro un buen futuro aThe best premiere of the year. AMC se ha vuelto a lucir esta vez, respira un aire a Deadwood, espero que la iguale. la auguro un buen futuro a la serie, espero que la AMC la trate bien… Full Review »
  3. JohnOCillean
    Oct 10, 2013
    0
    I have enjoyed this show despite some historical inaccuracies. Seasons 1&2 are great, but season 3 has ruined it for me. Let me explain: MyI have enjoyed this show despite some historical inaccuracies. Seasons 1&2 are great, but season 3 has ruined it for me. Let me explain: My ancestors were Mormon. One such ancestor join the Mormon faith Missouri and a short time there after was a Captain in the Mormon Militia. After Governor Boggs signed the "Mormon Extermination Order", a law that made it legal to kill Mormons up to 1976 in the state of Missouri, my ancestor left Missouri and settled in Nauvoo, IL. He was a farmer by trade, but once again he served as a Captain of the Nauvoo Legion. He was even charged with the protection of Joseph Smith Jr. Prior to being cast out of Nauvoo, my ancestor was ordained a High Priest in the Nauvoo Temple and was sealed to his wife for time and all eternity (an ordinance that can only happen in the temple according to the Mormon faith). My ancestor then left for the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. There he was once again a Captain and he establish logging business. He owned a canyon that still bares his name (even though it is misspelled). The reason that I gave this score is due to not just the complete historical inaccuracy of the Mormons, but the defamation of their story. The Mormons were commissioned to build much of the rail road, in-fact the two rail ways finished in Salt Lake City. But there are some points that I must make clear: (1) Bishops never had that kind of authority, the authority to kill people (2) One cannot become a Mormon without being Baptized into the church (3) Being sealed for time and all eternity cannot happen in a city square or by a Bishop. It has to happen in a Temple by a Temple Sealer. (4) Mormons were anti-slavery and never kidnapped people.

    Ask yourself this: If this show had gotten the Jewish Faith, Catholic Faith, Protestant Faith, or Native American Faith this wrong; would the rest of these scores be this high? I think not. I watched the entire season to see if things would turnaround, they did not. Season 3 is nothing short of hate speech, but then I guess many people dislike and misunderstand the Mormon community. Maybe some of you will agree with me, but my bet is that most of you just won't care.

    Shame on those that made this show, they just didn't care to get it right or they were actively attacking the Mormon religion.    … Full Review »
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