For much of the fall 2011 television season, Sunday nights have been an absolute delight (and, in fact, I've argued that it has earned a reputation as the king of TV nights) with such dazzling fare as Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, and AMC's The Walking Dead to take in.
Hell on Wheels, a period Western from Sunday-centric AMC, has just earned itself a second season amidst strong basic cable ratings (3.2 million total viewers on average). So from any number of standpoints, AMC's continued success is one of the most important TV news stories of the last five years.
But something has been gnawing at me as I watch Ansom Mount and Common and Colm Meaney and the rest of the cast snarl and drawl and sweat: does this show stand up to the admittedly very high bar that AMC has set for itself?
A quick history: this is the network that has produced a stunning array of successes – Mad Men, Breaking Bad, the aforementioned Walking Dead, and the sadly cancelled Rubicon among them. Mad Men and Breaking Bad are easy selections as Top 10 all time great television series already.
This year then saw two new series rolled out by the network on the hottest of hot streaks – The Killing and Hell on Wheels. Let's face it: The Killing took more heat for a series that showed initial promise (and received a second season renewal itself) than any that I can recall in recent memory. That said, I'm actually one of its few relative apologists and am kind of curious to see how it will respond to its (many) critics when Holder and Linden and the Larsens return.
Back to Hell on Wheels. It's got a lot going for it to be sure. The sets and costumes are great, and the production is, as always the case, with AMC top notch. And the cast and the performances are very solid. But whereas a period piece like Boardwalk Empire or a lavishly depicted fantasy like Game of Thrones ascends past all of its individual parts in the telling of riveting stories… Hell on Wheels thus far falls well short.
To date, Hell on Wheels has spent a lot of time and energy setting up a post-Civil War environment where there are hard working/drinking men of many backgrounds toiling "in the cut," weathered prostitutes and priests and hangers on wandering about, and with Native Americans looking on with fear and revulsion at the ways of the encroaching whites. And so on.
There have been a few moments here and there where my interest perked up – Bohannan and Elam's boxing match was exciting and well staged, and Durant's set-up of the Senator took a page out of Nucky Thompson's playbook – but for the most part there's not enough story there to put together exciting and compelling full episodes as yet.
Admittedly I'm being fairly harsh due to the pedigree of AMC. And because only seven episodes have made air thus far, there's a chance that Hell on Wheels will pick up speed in its first season end run.
I hope it does.
