# Hell On Wheels starts tonight **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069 "2011-11-06T17:13:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/1 "2011-11-06T17:13:00Z")
Anybody else plan on giving this new AMC show a shot? I haven’t seen any trailers, so have no idea if it’s worthwhile or not. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/2 "2011-11-06T18:05:08Z")
Despite the title that sounds like some car chase series, this is actually a Western. Somewhere I read an interesting review that claims this show picks up where Deadwood left off - a pretty good premise. [Here](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hell-wheels-creators-explore-freedom-257966) is a Hollywood Reporter article/interview with the writers of the show. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/3 "2011-11-06T18:23:47Z")
Oh, and here is the [Hollywood Reporter review](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/hell-wheels-tv-review-256904) of the show. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/4 "2011-11-06T18:44:45Z")
I have it in my TiVo. I’m looking forward to it. Are they saying that it literally picks up where Deadwood left off; same characters etc.? Because I’m not familiar with Deadwood. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/5 "2011-11-06T18:54:53Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I have it in my TiVo. I’m looking forward to it. > > Are they saying that it literally picks up where Deadwood left off; same characters etc.? Because I’m not familiar with Deadwood. No - and in the Hollywood Reporter they were less friendly with the Deadwood comparison, saying it was _nothing_ like that great series. Just an FYI, you really should find the Deadwood series somewhere and take a look - it is perhaps the best Western series ever broadcast on TV. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/6 "2011-11-06T18:59:43Z")
The commercials make it look like Deadwood for idiots. ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/7 "2011-11-06T19:04:37Z")
all the reviews I’ve seen sound horribly negative, but I’m going to give the first episode or two a chance. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/8 "2011-11-06T19:10:59Z")
I think that Deadwood was one of the best shows in tv history. When I saw heard about this (earlier this morning), I was hoping that it would compare. Now it looks like it won’t but I’ll give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/9 "2011-11-06T22:34:58Z")
> [@fubbleskag](#): > > all the reviews I’ve seen sound horribly negative, but I’m going to give the first episode or two a chance. I try to avoid reviews of new TV shows, if possible, so as not to be prejudiced. In retrospect, they’re usually depressingly accurate. Here’s hoping. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/10 "2011-11-07T03:18:19Z")
Nice to see Colm Meaney again. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/11 "2011-11-07T03:26:05Z")
Ted Levine, too. Didn’t recognize him with the beard. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/12 "2011-11-07T03:28:12Z")
Haven’t watched it yet but I saw AV Club gave it a B+, so I’ll give it a shot either later tonight or tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/13 "2011-11-07T04:06:33Z")
They’re going to have to do better than the pilot to hold my interest, I’m afraid. They really screwed the pooch on the Indian attack with the camera angles. When the woman was shot with an arrow, you could actually see it already attached to her hand when she brought it up. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/14 "2011-11-07T06:24:26Z")
I liked it a lot. It’s clearly no Deadwood but it could be a good one. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/15 "2011-11-07T13:47:52Z")
The plot is kind of cliche, it’s pretty much the plot to The Outlaw Josey Wales. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/16 "2011-11-07T14:16:13Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Ted Levine, too. Didn’t recognize him with the beard. I kept expecting him to ask “Your wife… was she a great big fat girl?” and “Sure… you can use my telegraph”. It’s not the worst new show I’ve seen in a while but it has to get better to keep interest. Also, the main character is either lying (which is entirely possible) or there’s some shoddy research: there are no tobacco farmers in Meridian, Mississippi, and the likelihood of any farmer having freed his slaves before the Civil War are negligible; even if he really had become convinced of the evils of slavery he’d have to be debt free (which was seldom) and have to petition and get approval from teh state legislature (which was not pro forma). I’m thinking it’s a Mel Gibson _The Patriot_ type thing (Gibson played a plantation owner who only used free black labor)- a PC move from producers who don’t think the audience could relate to a former slave owner so they clean him up a bit. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/17 "2011-11-07T14:28:32Z")
Kind of a disappointment. Definitely seems like a somewhat cleaned up _Deadwood_. I’ll watch a few more eps to give it a chance, but if it doesn’t get any better… that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/18 "2011-11-07T15:59:00Z")
And what was Bohannon doing in that booth? Also, tongue-kissing your consumptive hubby out on ye olde wagon trail seems a ridiculous plot device. But so does zombies, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/19 "2011-11-07T16:11:49Z")
> [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](#): > > And what was Bohannon doing in that booth? Also, tongue-kissing your consumptive hubby out on ye olde wagon trail seems a ridiculous plot device. But so does zombies, I guess. Yeah, that struck me right off. How could he have known that this guy would happen to walk by the church and suddenly get an urge to go in? Very shaky scripting. And the guy who is playing teh evillllll railroad contractor needs to stop chewing the scenery so vigorously. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069/20 "2011-11-07T16:23:17Z")
Can we also have a moratorium on the former confederate who is now a gunslinger, but he feels bad about slavery so it’s okay protagonist? If they want to have a brooding, conflicted veteran character, how about a southerner who fought for the Union, but still can’t go home even though his side won, because they view him as a traitor. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-starts-tonight/602069.md?page=2)