# Hell on Wheels: worth watching? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 7, 2012, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358 "2012-06-07T07:29:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/1 "2012-06-07T07:29:46Z")
The TV series _Hell on Wheels_ was recently released on DVD. It looks like it might be interesting but I don’t recall any mentions of it, pro or con. In fact, I wasn’t aware this show existed until I saw the DVD. So anyone watch this series? And is it worth watching? No spoilers please. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/2 "2012-06-07T10:17:21Z")
I liked it. There’s a lot of smaller plots around the main plot. I’d probably get it on Netflix and not buy it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/3 "2012-06-07T10:43:42Z")
I watch about half of the first season. I got tired of storylines shoehorned into the six locations they had built. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/4 "2012-06-07T10:58:28Z")
I thought it was good but got bored with it pretty quickly and quit watching, I really couldn’t tell you what was wrong with it though. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/5 "2012-06-07T11:57:26Z")
I liked it, but it was not a “stop what you are doing because it is coming on” show for me. It was worth watching if you have some extra time though. My favorite episode was “timshel” I think because it opened with one of my favorite songs of the same name. I seem to remember the show having some really good openings. ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/6 "2012-06-07T12:03:11Z")
I thought it was an excellent series. Lots of interesting characters. I’m eagerly awaiting the 2nd season. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/7 "2012-06-07T13:01:33Z")
I really liked it although it lagged in the middle IIRC. Not a spoiler but I thought the episode where Cullen & Elam have a public fight was especially good so I’d say watch at least until then and decide for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/8 "2012-06-07T20:14:03Z")
I followed it all the way through. It wasn’t awesome, but it was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/9 "2012-06-07T22:58:12Z")
I liked it very much, but a lot of people these days don’t like westerns. Heretics. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/10 "2012-06-07T23:58:33Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > I liked it very much, but a lot of people these days don’t like westerns. Heretics. Ditto. My thoughts exactly. Eagerly awaiting two shows next season, both on AMC. (The Walking Dead) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hell-on-wheels-worth-watching/624358/11 "2012-06-08T02:31:13Z")
I watched the first two or three episodes and didn’t have enough interest to watch any more. Among other things there were lots of plotholes about his life in and before the Civil War as well as some political correctness. Very mild spoiler: Because good guys couldn’t own slaves, he was like Mel Gibson’s character in _The Patriot_: a southern farmer with some free black friends who liked to drop in and work on his farm. I understand it got much better after the first few episodes though. (I loved _Deadwood_; this was no _Deadwood_ but they were going for that vibe a bit, as much as you could get on basic cable.)