I have been watching this show since it first aired a few years ago and I have loved every minute of it. I recently got sick and spent my time out of work watching the first two seasons of the show again. I was really concerned when season 3 was moved to a Saturday night slot because this seemed to indicate that AMC had given up on the show. I can’t think of any other series that airs on that day of the week. If the Friday night slot is a death sentence for most shows then Saturday seemed to suggest it was already eight feet deep. When the show finally aired I didn’t think this was the case. There seemed to be far too much money put into production of the show for it to be on its way out. I think my wife said it best when she explained to me that AMC probably knew what they were doing when they moved the show to Saturday and knew how to reach their target audience. AMC is one of the best networks for TV dramas and I am inclined to think that whatever the reason was for the move it was a decision made for a purpose.
Season 3 has now come and gone but there has been no word on season 4. I am getting frustrated by this because after watching the first two seasons again and seeing the third I now think this might be one of the best shows on TV. Breaking Bad is over; it was at the top of the ladder as far as TV dramas go and while it is open for plenty of argument about who fills that void now I think Hell on Wheels has to at least be in the conversation. This show is incredible and has consistently gotten better. The season 2 finale was one of the greatest episodes I have seen of anything. It’s right up there with the season 2 finale of The Walking Dead when a horde of zombies attacked Herschel’s farm.
The Swede is a fantastic bad guy, and I think the scene in which he prances through the town relishing in the chaos he has created is one of the most incredible scenes I have ever seen. Anson Mount is more into his character playing Cullen Bohannon than possibly anybody else on TV. There are a lot of great actors in TV shows on several different networks but Mount is Cullen Bohannon and he is such a badass. I am a big fan of Common as an actor but I don’t feel like he has ever really fit into this show that well. I like his character and I like him but I just don’t think he looks the part well enough. His head is too cleanly shaven all of the time when I think his character in reality wouldn’t get it so right. Of course that’s going too far nit picking over little details but when a show is this damn good it’s hard to find flaws. Colm Meaney is a great actor and he is incredible on this show. As Durant he has never failed to surprise or impress me with his portrayal. There are several other great characters on this show and as they showed up at the end of season 2 they aren’t afraid to kill any of them off.
There is one flaw I think this show has and it’s annoying but easy to overlook at the same time. They have really put Cullen Bohannon too close to death too many times just for him to narrowly escape right before dying. In season 3 I had about had it when he and Elam are about to be burned alive by Native Americans but got cut down at the last moment. Aside from that, and the fact that I think Elam could have been cast better, I think the show is flawless. I’m not talking about the historical accuracy because I’m not interested in that when it comes to TV shows. As far as entertainment and how it measures up to others I think it is one of the best shows on TV. It has incredible writing, great production, and an awesome cast. I don’t know what AMC is doing by dragging their feet to renew the show for a fourth season but I sincerely hope it is not because they are considering pulling the plug.
NBC seemed really close to pulling the plug on Community last year before bringing it back when fans really spoke up for the show. I think that needs to happen here. Fans need to voice their support for this show to get it back. I love a lot of television shows. Amber and I watch many on a regular basis. I don’t think I am going out on a limb by saying this one might be the best (and yes I am considering The Walking Dead when I say this). If you haven’t seen this show you can see the first two seasons streaming on Netflix and I strongly suggest you check it out. I’m not at all a western fan but I am a fan of what is awesome and this show fits the bill. Please bring it back AMC, too many things were left unsaid and I think we all need to see that railroad reach the west coast. We need to know if Elam killed that bear or if they killed each other (Eva knowing his spirit passed is not good enough). We need to see what the Swede is going to do in the Mormon settlement. We need to know how Cullen is going to return with a new wife and how this will affect his relationship with Ruth. We need to know if that kid will ever get vengeance on the Swede for killing his family. There is too much left open for this show to end so if you are reading this then sound off support for this shows return. It would be such a waste for it to be cancelled. If AMC kept The Killing going for another season I don’t know how they can cancel this and look themselves in the mirror every day.
The Movie Snobs 