It is 1865 and the country is going through many changes. The Civil War is over. The Emancipation Proclamation has given freedom to millions of slaves. Conflicts continue between the Native Americans and settlers. In the midst of all this change, the Union Pacific is pushing westward to complete the first transcontinental railroad.
Hell on Wheels is a television series from AMC. The series focuses on life in the transient town that followed behind the railroad construction. Cullen Bohannon, former Confederate soldier, has come to Hell on Wheels on the trail of the Union soldier who murdered his wife. Elam Ferguson is a former mulatto slave looking to create a new life. Lily Bell came west with her husband to survey the land, but is now a widow trying to make it on her own. Thomas Durant is the man responsible for getting the railroad built, but he’s also in it for the money.
The series is very entertaining. It is a western with lots of action, a little romance, and bits of humor. There is violence and language, but considering the time period, it is not unexpected.