TV Jots

AMC Debuts New Epic Drama

Basic-cable network AMC boldly bills its latest original series, the grungy Old West-set drama Hell on Wheels, as an “epic” event. Viewers will get to judge the accuracy of that ambitious description when the show premieres tonight, November 6, at 10pm ET. I, for one, see some merit in the assessment, based on the intriguing TV ads I’ve encountered.

The first season of Hell on Wheels contains ten episodes starring a very gruff-looking Anson Mount (Conviction) as Confederate military man Cullen Bohannon, rapper and actor Common (Wanted) as former slave Elam Ferguson, veteran Irish actor Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as slick businessman Thomas “Doc” Durant, and Irish import Dominique McElligott (The Philanthropist) as recently widowed independent woman Lily Bell.

The cast members portray characters from the post-Civil War era in American history, when times were hard but filled with the promise of new opportunities for those determined to seek and find them. However, soldier Cullen supplies a less grand and more basic underlying plot theme as he focuses on his desire to punish whoever bears responsibility for his wife’s death during the recent war. Heavy stuff.

Sneak a lengthy peek at the first episode of Hell on Wheels in the video below. If I had to call it right now, I would say AMC has another big hit about to join the network’s already impressive lineup. At least I certainly hope so.