Cullen Bohannon wasn't a hero. Not really. When AMC launched the first of the Hell on Wheels seasons back in 2011, we were deep in the era of the TV anti-hero, but this felt grittier. Dirtier. It wasn't just about a guy looking for revenge for his murdered family; it was about the literal birth of a nation through the most corrupt, violent, and muddy means possible. The show lasted five seasons, spanning the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad, and honestly, it’s one of the few prestige dramas that actually got better as it found its footing in the later years.
Most people remember the pilot. It was cinematic. It had that Western "cool" factor. But if you stick with the show through its entire run, you realize the railroad itself—the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific—is the only character that survives unscathed. Everyone else? They get broken.
The Early Years: Blood, Mud, and Reconstruction
The first two Hell on Wheels seasons are essentially a revenge Western. Cullen Bohannon, played by Anson Mount with a beard that deserves its own Emmy, is hunting down the Union soldiers who killed his wife. It’s a classic trope. What makes it work, though, is the setting. "Hell on Wheels" was the mobile tent city that followed the track-layers. It was a traveling circus of sin—gambling, prostitution, and enough whiskey to drown a horse.
Colm Meaney’s Thomas "Doc" Durant is a masterpiece of corporate villainy. He isn't some mustache-twirling bad guy; he’s a man who genuinely believes that "history is written in blood and gold." He’s a thief, a visionary, and a pragmatist. Watching the power struggle between Bohannon’s brawn and Durant’s bureaucratic greed is where the show really lived in those early days.
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Then there’s Elam Ferguson. Common’s portrayal of a freedman trying to carve out a life in a world that still views him as property is heartbreaking. The dynamic between Elam and Cullen is messy. They aren't exactly friends, but they are bound by the track. It’s a complicated look at race in post-Civil War America that doesn't feel like a lecture. It feels like a survival story.
Shift in Momentum: The Mid-Series Grind
Season three is where things shifted. Showrunners changed. The revenge plot mostly wrapped up. The show had to decide if it was a Western or a historical drama. It chose both. This is when the Hell on Wheels seasons started focusing on the sheer logistics of building a railroad across a continent.
You’ve got the weather. You’ve got the terrain. You’ve got the indigenous tribes—specifically the Cheyenne—defending their land against an iron snake. The show doesn't always get the pacing right here. Some episodes feel like they’re treading water in the mud of Nebraska, but that’s almost the point. Building the railroad was a slog. It was a brutal, daily fight against nature.
The Mormon Influence and the Swede
One of the weirdest, most unsettling parts of the middle seasons is the evolution of "The Swede" (Thor Gundersen). Christopher Heyerdahl played this character with such a creepy, ethereal intensity that he became one of the most memorable villains in modern TV. His journey into the Mormon settlements and his psychological warfare against Bohannon added a layer of Gothic horror to the show. It was a bold choice. Some fans hated it because it took time away from the actual tracks, but it gave the show a spiritual, almost mythological weight.
The Final Push: Mountains and Madmen
By the time we hit the final Hell on Wheels seasons, the show split its focus. We finally got to see the Central Pacific side of the story. Enter the Sierra Nevada mountains. Enter the Chinese labor force.
This was a massive turning point. For years, Westerns ignored the fact that the railroad wasn't just built by Irish immigrants and Civil War vets. It was built by thousands of Chinese workers who were treated as disposable. The introduction of characters like Fong/Mei and the exploration of the grueling work in the tunnels through the mountains gave the final two seasons a fresh perspective.
Cullen Bohannon changes. He goes from a man driven by hate to a man driven by... what? Completion? Legacy? He joins the Central Pacific, working for Huntington, and the rivalry between the two rail lines becomes the driving force. The tension builds toward Promontory Point, Utah. We all know how it ends historically—the Golden Spike—but the show makes you care about the cost of that spike.
Why It Still Matters (and What People Get Wrong)
People often compare this show to Deadwood. That’s a mistake. Deadwood is Shakespeare in the mud; it’s about the evolution of language and law. Hell on Wheels seasons are about the evolution of industry. It’s a more blue-collar show. It’s about the sweat, the engineering, and the massive corporate fraud that built the American West.
There’s a persistent myth that the show is just "slow." It’s not slow; it’s methodical. If you binge it now, you notice the parallels between the 1860s and today—the way government contracts are handed out, the way labor is exploited, and the way the "winners" of history are usually the ones who stayed in the office while everyone else died in the dirt.
Real Historical Anchors
While Cullen is a fictionalized composite, many characters are very real:
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- Thomas Durant: Truly was as corrupt as portrayed, eventually caught up in the Crédit Mobilier scandal.
- Collis Huntington: The ruthless counterpart at the Central Pacific.
- The Golden Spike: The 1869 ceremony was exactly the chaotic, ego-driven mess the show depicts.
- Grenville Dodge: The Union Pacific’s chief engineer who actually had to deal with the logistics of "Hell on Wheels."
Practical Takeaways for Your Watchlist
If you're diving into these Hell on Wheels seasons for the first time or planning a rewatch, here is the best way to approach it.
First, don't expect a traditional hero's journey. Cullen Bohannon loses almost everything, repeatedly. The show is a tragedy disguised as an adventure. Second, pay attention to the production design. They actually built functional steam locomotives and miles of track for the set. That’s not CGI. You can feel the weight of the iron.
Lastly, watch for the quiet moments. The scenes where the workers are just sitting around the fire, or the interactions in the laundry tents. That’s where the "human" quality of the show lives. It’s a gritty, unwashed, and deeply cynical look at the American Dream.
How to Navigate the Series
- Commit to Season 1: It starts as a revenge story, but let that go. The show becomes much bigger by episode six.
- Watch the Background: The "Hell on Wheels" town changes every season. It gets more permanent, then more dilapidated. It’s a visual timeline of the railroad’s progress.
- Research the Crédit Mobilier Scandal: If you want to understand why Durant acts the way he does, look up the real-life financial disaster. It makes the "business" episodes much more fascinating.
- Finish the Race: The final season is split into two parts. The payoff at Promontory Point is worth the journey, providing a sense of closure that most shows fail to deliver.
The series concludes not with a bang, but with a weary sigh. It’s an honest ending for a show that never tried to pretend the West was won with anything other than greed and grit. Stop looking for a "good guy" and just watch the engines roll.