Back in December, we learned that AMC’s next original series would be “Hell on Wheels,” a story about the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the years following the Civil War. Before we get to the show’s first trailer (video below), I want to share this badass-sounding synopsis:
“Hell on Wheels” tells the epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on a Confederate soldier (Anson Mount) who sets out to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who have killed his wife. His journey takes him west to “Hell on Wheels,” a dangerous, raucous, lawless melting pot of a town that travels with and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, an engineering feat unprecedented for its time. The series examines the railroad’s institutionalized greed and corruption, the immigrant experience, and the plight of the newly emancipated African-Americans during reconstruction. Over time, “Hell on Wheels” chronicles this potent turning point in our nation’s history, and how uncivilized the business of civilization can be. [Poptower]
*SPROINNGGGG* Don’t mind me, that’s just my big ol’ history boner popping up. If “Hell on Wheels” is half as good as that synopsis, this show is going to do an excellent job satisfying my lust for Reconstruction-era stories. And WAY cheaper than calling phone-sex lines and having the operator role-play the Whiskey Ring scandal.
Aside from Anson Mount, you may also recognize rapper Common and Colm Meaney, who’s been memorable in everything from Layer Cake to “The Unit” to — yes, nerds, I remember — “Deep Space Nine.” “Hell on Wheels” will premiere later this year.
