Hell on Wheels stars Anson Mount as former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon, who is struggling to escape his demons from the recently fought Civil War. Colm Meaney stars as Thomas "Doc" Durant, a greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times, and musician/actor Common is Elam Ferguson, an emancipated slave working to achieve true freedom in a world entrenched in prejudice. Hell on Wheels received a 2012 Emmy nomination for outstanding original main title theme music.
Centered on the lawless town known as Hell on Wheels that travels with and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, the series examines the railroad's institutionalized greed and corruption, the immigrant experience and the plight of the newly emancipated African-Americans during reconstruction. Hell on Wheels' second season wrapped in October with an average of 2.4 million viewers and 3.2 million viewers with Live plus 7. Season three of the series has been greenlit for ten, one-hour episodes and is scheduled to premiere in third quarter 2013 with John Wirth (Falling Skies, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) serving as executive producer and showrunner.
