• Network: AMC
  • Series Premiere Date: Nov 6, 2011
  • Season #: 1 , 2 , 3
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 127 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 10 out of 127

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  1. Nov 11, 2011
    Simply dreadful. They obviously had a large budget to work with, but despite the scenery, there's stilted dialogue, wooden acting, and the main character, whose only form of expression is his ridiculous-looking "icy stare". It's clear they were trying to cash in on Deadwood, but they missed out on the genius writing, the multifaceted characters, and the rich story. What a shame.
  2. Mar 7, 2012
    Poorly acted and poorly written. Hell on Wheels is the definition of the word bore. Here we have a man in the post-Confederate US who exists solely to be a "badass". Filled with cheesy dialogue and all-around failed attempts at being serious. Maybe I've just been spoiled by Deadwood, but I just can't take this show seriously at all.
  3. Dec 11, 2011
    Visually this show is intriguing but nothing really stuck with me and made me want more so I'm afraid I'm only giving this show a little more time mostly because the dialogue is pretty bad and when your up to shows like Mad men, breaking bad, and the walking dead then you better bring your A game writers.
  4. Apr 28, 2012
    Started out good then got worse and worse. Too slow to tell the story. You keep waiting for something to happen and waiting and waiting after episode 4 I was done.
  5. Oct 10, 2013
    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: 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.
  6. Jan 22, 2013
    Just started on this, somehow missed it in the mountain of shows available. What can I say ? Compared to AMC's Breaking Bad and HBO's Deadwood, this is just godaweful. It looks okay - a tad cheap around the edges, but ok, but the dialog, acting and storyline are very bland. Just like The Walking Dead before it, this seemed like a nice idea for a show, but evidently nobody who knows how to write a script or direct was available. If you haven't yet, don't waste your time. Expand
  7. Nov 18, 2013
    Ambitious, beautiful and well cast with an interesting premise filled with promise. That's it for the praise though. Pacing, dialogue, acting and character development leave much to be desired. So close to being great that it skipped straight over being mediocre and went right to crap.

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 28
  2. Negative: 1 out of 28
  1. 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. Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Nov 7, 2011
    This drive for revenge is what makes the pilot spark, smoke and go chug-a-chug-chug. [14 Nov 2011, p.45]
  3. Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    Nov 7, 2011
    That's a lot of stories to tell, and the sweeping Hell on Wheels does a good job of chopping them into bite-size pieces.