Hell on Wheels season 3

Lore & Background

The third season features ten series regulars. Kasha Kropinski and Dohn Norwood are promoted from recurring status, and Jennifer Ferrin is added to the main cast. Anson Mount stars as Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier who puts vengeance and his past behind him to serve as head of the Union Pacific Railroad. Colm Meaney plays Thomas 'Doc' Durant, who fights his way back from prison and political ruin to regain power over the railroad. Common portrays Elam Ferguson, an emancipated slave now chief of railroad police, engaged to Eva. Christopher Heyerdahl returns as Thor Gundersen, also known as 'the Swede,' being nursed back to health by a family of Mormons after barely surviving a fall from a bridge. Jennifer Ferrin plays Louise Ellison, a journalist hired by the New York Sun to cover the 'story of the century.' Robin McLeavy is Eva Toole, a former Indian captive turned whore now engaged to Elam. Phil Burke plays Mickey McGinnes, new owner of the whorehouse in Cheyenne. Ben Esler plays Sean McGinnes, who finds work as Cullen's railroad accountant but is recruited by Durant as a spy. Kasha Kropinski plays Ruth, who after her father's death becomes a preacher in Cheyenne. Dohn Norwood plays Psalms, a former slave and criminal whose prison sentence has been purchased by the railroad.

Reader's Guide

The third season of Hell on Wheels marked a creative shift under new executive producer John Wirth, who stated the season would 'be a western about work — the building of the railroad, the binding of the nation after the Civil War, and the rehabilitation of the men who lived and fought their way through those exploits.' Wirth placed Cullen Bohannon at the center, moving away from the revenge motive that had propelled him into the series. Filming was suspended partway through the sixth episode due to flooding in southern Alberta, forcing an early production hiatus. The season's two-part premiere saw an increase in viewers from the second season's premiere and double the network's Saturday prime time average. Early reviews were generally positive, scoring 74 out of 100 on Metacritic based on four reviews. The New York Post praised the writing but criticized the inclusion of the reporter character Louise Ellison. The New York Times highlighted the relationship between Cullen and Elam as 'more subtle and moving than your average TV bromance.'

Did You Know?

• The third season was renewed on October 29, 2012, but green-lit only on December 12, 2012, after John Wirth was named executive producer.
• Filming was suspended on June 20, 2013, due to mandatory evacuation from flooding in southern Alberta.
• For the episode 'One Less Mule,' Anson Mount asked Charlie Daniels to create a song; Daniels wrote and recorded 'Hell on Strings.'
• Creators Tony and Joe Gayton stepped down as showrunners but remained as consulting producers.

A New Showrunner Steers the Railroad

Season three of Hell on Wheels arrived under a fundamentally different creative leadership than the two seasons that preceded it. The series had been created and produced by the Gayton brothers, Joe and Tony, with development handled by Endemol USA under senior vice-president of scripted programming Jeremy Gold, and production carried out by Entertainment One and Nomadic Pictures. However, in 2012, AMC made the announcement that the Gayton brothers were stepping away from the day-to-day production of the show. This marked a significant creative pivot for the series, which had been airing on the cable channel in both the United States and Canada since its November 2011 premiere. On December 12, 2012, the network confirmed that writer John Wirth would assume the role of showrunner specifically for the third season. This transition placed the narrative direction of the transcontinental railroad story into new hands, setting the stage for a season that would bring both new faces to the cast and the departure of several characters from the earlier seasons.

Cast Turnover and Fresh Faces at the Railhead

Season three brought a notable reshuffling of the ensemble as the Hell on Wheels community continued to evolve. Ben Esler's ambitious Irishman Seán McGinnes concluded his run after this season, while several new characters stepped into the main cast for the first time. Kasha Kropinski joined as Ruth Cole, the estranged daughter of Reverend Nathaniel Cole and heir to his church, a role she had previously touched in guest and recurring capacities. Jennifer Ferrin arrived as Louise Ellison, a sharp and flirtatious journalist sent by the New York Tribune to cover what she called the story of the century. Dohn Norwood took on Psalms Jackson, a former slave and criminal whose prison sentence had been purchased by the railroad, a character who had appeared in recurring roles in earlier seasons. The season also introduced Aaron Hatch, a Mormon father played by James Shanklin, along with Paddy Quinn, an Irish walking boss for the Union Pacific, Dutch Dufray, a laborer, and Major Augustus Bendix. Siobhan Williams made a guest appearance as Naomi, a role that would expand in later seasons.

The Rolling Encampment and Bohannon's Transformation

Set between the 1865 opening of the first season and the 1869 conclusion of the fifth, season three continues to follow the Union Pacific Railroad as it pushes westward across the Great Plains. The show's central setting remains the mobile encampment known as Hell on Wheels, a rolling community of laborers, mercenaries, prostitutes, surveyors, and other workers who live, work, and sometimes die in the shadow of the advancing railhead. Cullen Bohannon, the former Confederate cavalry colonel played by Anson Mount, has moved beyond his original quest for vengeance against the Union soldiers who killed his wife Mary and young son. By this point in the narrative, he has fully embraced his identity as a railroad man, serving as foreman on the transcontinental project. Thomas Durant, the ruthless businessman and investor portrayed by Colm Meaney, continues to drive the operation with an unrelenting appetite for profit, while Elam Ferguson, the recently freed slave played by Common, remains Bohannon's security detail and general assistant, still searching for his place in a world that has only just opened to him.

Moral Complexity in a Nation Under Construction

Season three deepens the thematic tensions that have defined Hell on Wheels since its inception. At its core, the series explores how a diverse and often fractious community is forged in the crucible of building the first transcontinental railroad. Bohannon's arc from vengeful Confederate soldier to dedicated foreman and eventual chief engineer represents a broader meditation on redemption and purpose in a post-war America. Elam Ferguson's ongoing struggle to find his place as a freed man working alongside white laborers, mercenaries, and prostitutes keeps the show's examination of race and belonging at the forefront. Meanwhile, Durant's refusal to compromise his business ambitions, enforced through his head of security Thor Gundersen, creates constant friction with the human cost of the project. Characters like Eva Toole, who supports herself in the Hell on Wheels brothel while quietly aiding those in need, and the lingering presence of figures like Reverend Cole, who sought to prevent further violence between white settlers and Native peoples, underscore the moral complexity of a nation building its future on the backs of its most vulnerable workers.

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