or


[01/17/12 - 12:47 PM]
"Hell on Wheels" Reigns as AMC's Second Highest Rated Original Series
AMC spins the numbers for Sunday, January 15.

[via press release from AMC]

"HELL ON WHEELS" REIGNS AS AMC'S SECOND HIGHEST RATED ORIGINAL SERIES

SEASON FINALE DELIVERS 3.8 MILLION VIEWERS

SEASON ONE AVERAGES 3 MILLION VIEWERS

1.3 MILLION ADULTS 18-49

1.4 MILLION ADULTS 25-54

New York, NY - January 17, 2012 - AMC's season finale of "Hell on Wheels," which premiered on Sunday, January 15th at 10 pm EST, delivered a 2.2 HH rating and attracted 2.8 million viewers. The premiere and encore combined delivered 3.8 million viewers (10 pm EST premiere and 11 pm EST encore). Season one averaged 3 million viewers and attracted 1.3 million adults 18-49 and 1.4 million adults 25-54. "Hell on Wheels" finishes as the second highest rated series on AMC following the success of "The Walking Dead." AMC greenlit a second season of "Hell on Wheels" in December.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Live+SD 11/6/11-1/15/12.

"The writers, producers, cast and crew of 'Hell on Wheels' have created a multi-layered and complex period drama. It delivers on its Western origins, but adds another level of storytelling that is really about how this nation came to be what it is today. We congratulate our partners and the incredible creative team on ending a terrific season with such momentum. Work on the railroad continues with season two returning to AMC in the fall," said Charlie Collier, AMC's president.

"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. It 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.

"Hell on Wheels" stars Anson Mount (City by the Sea, Cook County) as Cullen Bohannon, a former soldier hell bent on avenging his wife's death; Colm Meaney (Get Him to the Greek) as Thomas "Doc" Durant, a greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times; musician/actor Common (Just Wright, Date Night) as Elam Ferguson, an emancipated slave working to achieve true freedom in a world entrenched in prejudice; Dominique McElligott ("The Philanthropist") as Lily Bell, a newly widowed woman trying to survive in a man's world; Tom Noonan ("Heat") as Reverend Cole; Ben Esler ("The Pacific") as Sean McGinnes and Philip Burke ("Law & Order," "Mercy") as Mickey McGinnes, two young brothers looking to find their fortune in the new West; and Eddie Spears ("Into the West") as Joseph Black Moon, a Native American man torn between his culture and the changing world around him.

Shot on location in Alberta, Canada, the series is produced with assistance of the Government of Alberta, Alberta Film Development Program.

"Hell on Wheels" is created and written by Joe and Tony Gayton (Faster/Uncommon Valor/Salton Sea/Bulletproof), who also serve as executive producers. John Shiban ("The X-Files," "Breaking Bad"), Jeremy Gold, Endemol's SVP of scripted programming and David Von Ancken, who also directed the pilot, serve as executive producers. The series is executive produced by Endemol USA with Entertainment One (eOne) serving as the studio. eOne's Television CEO John Morayniss and EVP of television series Michael Rosenberg oversee production in partnership with co-producers Mike Frislev and Chad Oakes at Nomadic Pictures.

AMC's Joel Stillerman, SVP of original programming, production and digital content, Susie Fitzgerald, AMC's SVP of scripted programming and Jason Fisher, SVP of production oversee development and production for "Hell on Wheels."

"Hell on Wheels" has already been described by InTouch as "Unforgiven meets Glory in this grimy post-Civil War Western series." The New York Daily News said, "AMC rolls out another winner with 'Hell on Wheels'... 4 Stars." The Washington Post calls it, "hands down the most intriguing show in the fall slate." USA Today says, "the show aims for "hellish" and it achieves it" and The Wall Street Journal says "railroads may not seem sexy, but this series brings a 'There Will Be Blood' aesthetic to episodic TV."

About AMC

AMC reigns as the only cable network in history to ever win the Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row, as well as the Golden Globe(R) Award for Best Television Series - Drama for three consecutive years. Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC's original stories include "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," "The Walking Dead," "The Killing" and "Hell on Wheels." AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with its slate of unscripted original series, as well as curated movie franchises like AMC's Can't Get Enough and AMC's Crazy About. Available in more than 97 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story Matters HereSM.





  [january 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· HELL ON WHEELS (AMC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[06/13/26 - 12:01 PM]
FOX Sports Soars Into Record Books with Most-Watched USMNT Telecast Ever
15,986,000 viewers watched the USMNT defeat Paraguay 4-1 across FOX, FOX One and Tubi.

[06/12/26 - 02:38 PM]
ABC Delivers Most-Watched NBA Finals Through Four Games Since 1998
Game 4 averaged 20.9 million viewers and peaked with 23.2 million viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET.

[06/12/26 - 01:11 PM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Is No. 1 Across Late-Night with Best Numbers Since Season Premiere Week
Rising week to week in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" matched a season best in the key Adult demo of premiere week, while drawing its largest overall audience since its season premiere week eight months ago.

[06/12/26 - 12:31 PM]
FOX Sports Scores Record Viewership with FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Match
6,309,000 viewers watched Mexico top South Africa 2-0 across FOX, FOX One and Tubi.

[06/12/26 - 08:15 AM]
"Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board and Posts Increases Both Week to Week and Year to Year in All Key Target Demos
"Nightline" posted week-to-week increases in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, delivering its strongest numbers in both key Adult demos in nearly 2 1/2 years.

[06/11/26 - 03:51 PM]
ESPN's Presentation of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final Game 4 Draws Largest Audience Since 2017
Game 4, which saw the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-3 in Las Vegas to even the series at 2-2, averaged 5.3 million viewers on ABC and drew the largest Game 4 audience since 2017.

[06/11/26 - 03:15 PM]
ABC Dominates Full Season Competitive Multiplatform Rankers
"High Potential" and "Dancing with the Stars" rank in the Top 5 among Total Viewers while the network excels among Adults 18-49 with four of the Top 5 shows.

[06/10/26 - 01:49 PM]
23.8M Viewers! ABC and ESPN Deliver Largest NBA Finals Game 3 Audience Since 1998
Through three games, the 2026 NBA Finals is ABC and ESPN's second most-watched ever, averaging 19.1M viewers.

[06/10/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of June 1
"Off Campus," "Spider-Noir," "The Boys," "Clarkson's Farm," and "Citadel" led all original series worldwide.

[06/10/26 - 09:08 AM]
NBC Sports Delivers 2nd-Largest Final Round Audience for U.S. Women's Open Since 2014
Coverage averaged 1.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.

[06/09/26 - 03:59 PM]
Belmont Stakes Audience Peaks at 4.7 Million Viewers Across FOX & FS1
The combined telecast on FOX and FS1 averaged 3,730,000 viewers.

[06/09/26 - 03:51 PM]
ESPN's Presentation of 2026 Stanley Cup Final Off to Best Start Through Three Games Since 2015
Game 3 averaged 5 million viewers on ABC helping lead the Stanley Cup to its best start in over a decade.

[06/09/26 - 03:34 PM]
FOX UFL Scores Strong Finish
1,066,000 viewers watched FOX UFL as the Louisville Kings defeated the St. Louis Battlehawks Sunday and advanced to the United Bowl.

[06/09/26 - 02:50 PM]
ABC's Most-Watched NBA Finals Game 2 Since 2018 with Average Audience of 16.43M Viewers
Viewership peaked with 19.42 million viewers at 11:15 p.m. ET.

[06/09/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of June 1 - "Office Romance" Sneaks to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Plus: "Michael Jackson: The Verdict" has grabbed viewers' attention, landing at No. 1 on the English TV list with 17.8 million views.