TV News: ‘Hell on Wheels’ Premieres With Promising Ratings

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

CHICAGO – If a group of advertising agents, a chemistry teacher turned meth dealer, and a bunch of survivors fighting zombies weren’t enough success for AMC, they may be able to add railroad worker/cowboys to the list. The new drama series, “Hell on Wheels,” premiered last night to very decent ratings for the basic cable network.

The series, which follows a group of workers and ex-soldiers who are building the first transcontinental railroad, kicked off with 4.4 million viewers, of which 2.4 million adults were in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic, during last night’s pilot. The numbers also showed that 2.3 million viewers tuned in from the 25-54 demo. The total viewers puts “Hell on Wheels” right behind “The Walking Dead” as the second highest original series premiere in AMC history. The series is written by Joe and Tony Gayton.

AMC President Charlie Collier praised the new show in a press release this morning: “I congratulate the entire cast and crew of ‘Hell on Wheels’ for pulling off a project of this scope. Bringing the grandeur of the old west and the building of the railroad to life is no small feat and the Gaytons, with their team, have delivered a beautiful world of which we are all so proud,” Collier said. “We look forward to sharing the lives of these characters in the weeks and months to come.”

We will have to wait and see if the success of “Hell on Wheels will continue in the weeks to come. There will most likely be a drop off from the pilot episode, and the show did get a lot of support and hype from AMC’s top drama “The Walking Dead,” which premiered its newest episode right before the pilot. Either way, the numbers don’t lie. “Hell on Wheels” could be the next AMC hit.

By TIM MARTENS Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com tim@hollywoodchicago.com