Hell on Wheels season 3 explained

Season Number:3
Bgcolour:
  1. C29C75
Showrunner:John Wirth
Num Episodes:10
Network:AMC
Episode List:List of Hell on Wheels episodes

The third season of the AMC television series Hell on Wheels aired from August 10 through October 5, 2013, and consists of 10 episodes. The season follows Cullen Bohannon as he abandons seeking revenge for the deaths of his family in order to continue to drive the westward expansion of Union Pacific Railroad, while battling Thomas "Doc" Durant for control.

Cast

Main cast

The third season features ten series regulars. Kasha Kropinski and Dohn Norwood are promoted from recurring status, and Jennifer Ferrin is added to the main cast.

Recurring cast

Production

On October 29, 2012, AMC renewed Hell On Wheels for a third season, consisting of 10 episodes. The third season premiered August 10, 2013.[2]

Creators Tony and Joe Gayton had stepped down as showrunners, but remained with the series as consulting producers.[3] John Shiban had also stepped down as executive producer, putting the third season renewal on hold until a replacement was found.[4] AMC officially green-lit the third season on December 12, 2012, and announced that John Wirth would serve as the new executive producer.[5]

Wirth stated the third season would "be a western about work — the building of the railroad, the binding of the nation after the Civil War, and the rehabilitation of the men who lived and fought their way through those exploits." He added, "This season we're placing Cullen Bohannon at the center of the show, and taking him away from the revenge motive which propelled him into the series."[6]

Exterior filming

Filming of the third season was suspended on June 20, part way through the sixth episode, as the location was part of the mandatory evacuation area due to the flooding in southern Alberta.[7] Originally producers had announced a two-day shut down, when only the road to the location was under water.[8] Later on June 21, producers announced that the production hiatus that was scheduled to begin on June 27 would take effect immediately.[7] Anson Mount shared pictures of the flooding of the nearby river and the exterior sets via Twitter on June 20 and 21.[7] [9] [10] In an August 2013 interview, Mount called the situation "precarious," adding, "We had (production assistants) posted along the river with measuring sticks. We were continuing to work through the day until the local government told us we had to leave." Calgary producer Chad Oakes called it "a true defining moment" of his career: "The credit goes to people who gave up their hiatus, worked around the clock, seven days a week, over the long weekend and having their families and kids understanding that this was so critical ... We could not fail. The repercussions of losing not only the season but the whole series was definitely sitting in our laps."[11]

Music

For the sixth episode of the season, "One Less Mule", series producer and star Anson Mount asked musician Charlie Daniels to create a song to which his Cullen Bohannon and Louise Ellison dance. Daniels wrote and recorded "a little fiddle tune" with acoustic instruments. He said he "imagined somebody in a beer joint in a railroad town back in the 1800s." He called the tune "Hell on Strings."[12]

Episodes

See main article: List of Hell on Wheels episodes.

Reception

Early reviews for the season were generally positive, scoring a 74 out of 100, based on four reviews from Metacritic.[13] Linda Stasi of the New York Post gave the premiere high praise, criticizing only the inclusion of Ellison's reporter character: "What this well-written series does not need is a character whose only job seems to be moving the story along with expository dialogue in the guise of interviews."[14] The New York Timess Mike Hale focused on the relationship between Cullen and Elam: "A prickly alliance founded on mutual respect and constantly threatened by both history and present, unpleasant circumstance, it's more subtle and moving than your average TV bromance and brings out the best in Common and Mr. Mount."[15]

Its two-part season premiere saw an increase in viewers from the second season's premiere and double the network's Saturday prime time average.[16]

Notes and References

  1. News: Casting news: Jennifer Ferrin joins Hell on Wheels for Season 3, Calgary native Alan Van Sprang plays King Henry II for CW pilot, Reign .
  2. Web site: 'Hell on Wheels' Renewed by AMC for Season 3. https://web.archive.org/web/20121101011006/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/10/29/hell-on-wheels-renewed-by-amc-for-season-3/155152/. dead. November 1, 2012. TV by the Numbers. Bibel. Sara. October 29, 2012. October 30, 2012.
  3. Web site: 'Hell On Wheels' Season 3 picked up without two key players. Zap2It. MacKenzie. Carina Adly. October 29, 2012. October 30, 2012.
  4. Web site: 'Hell On Wheels' Showrunner John Shiban Departs, Series' Renewal On Hold. Deadline. Andreeva. Nellie. November 1, 2012 . November 2, 2012.
  5. Web site: 'Hell on Wheels' Season 3 officially a go with new showrunner . Zap2it . Porter . Rick . December 12, 2012 . December 13, 2012.
  6. Web site: 'Hell on Wheels' Season 3 Premieres Sat., Aug.3 . AMC . AMCtv.com . April 15, 2013 . April 15, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130418235746/http://blogs.amctv.com/hell-on-wheels/2013/04/season-3-premiere-date-announced.php . April 18, 2013 .
  7. Web site: UPDATE: 'Hell On Wheels' Goes On Hiatus As Floods Hit Calgary Set . Nellie . Andreeva . PMC . Deadline Hollywood . June 21, 2013 . June 23, 2013.
  8. Web site: Alberta flooding halts production of AMC western 'Hell on Wheels' . Brent . Furdyk . . June 21, 2013 . June 23, 2013 . June 23, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130623185204/http://blogs.shawconnect.ca/tv/alberta-flooding-halts-production-of-amc-western-hell-on-wheels/ . dead .
  9. Web site: 'Hell on Wheels' set shut down due to Alberta flooding . John R. . Kennedy . Global News . June 21, 2013 . June 23, 2013.
  10. Mount . Anson . Anson Mount . ansonmount . 348202095993835520 . June 21, 2013 . Our set. . June 23, 2013.
  11. Web site: Creation from Destruction: Alberta-shot Hell on Wheels rebuilds characters and themes for Season 3 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130814113248/http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/Creation+from+Destruction+Alberta+shot+Hell+Wheels/8770254/story.html . dead . August 14, 2013 . Volmers . Eric . . August 11, 2013 . August 12, 2013 .
  12. Web site: Q&A – Charlie Daniels (Musician) . Cline . Elizabeth . September 6, 2013 . . September 8, 2013 . September 11, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130911214914/http://blogs.amctv.com/hell-on-wheels/2013/09/qa-charlie-daniels-musician/ . dead .
  13. Web site: Hell on Wheels: Season 3 . . August 12, 2013.
  14. Web site: Looking good: 'Hell' hunk Anson sets 'Wheels' in motion . Stasi, Linda . August 2, 2013 . . August 12, 2013.
  15. Web site: Trying to Be Relevant in the AMC Shadows . Hale, Mike . August 2, 2013 . . August 12, 2013.
  16. Web site: Bibel . Sara . 'Breaking Bad' Premiere Delivers 5.9 Million Viewers, 3.6 Million Adults 18-49, 'Low Winter Sun' Premiere Garners 2.5 Million Viewers . https://web.archive.org/web/20130814221530/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/08/12/breaking-bad-premiere-delivers-5-2-million-viewers-3-6-million-adults-18-49/196919/ . dead . August 14, 2013 . TV by the Numbers . August 12, 2013 . August 14, 2013.

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