AMC Orders 5th and Final Season of "Hell on Wheels"

[JamesG]

AMC Renews "Hell on Wheels" for a Fifth and Final Season
Nov 7, 2014
by Tim Surette


It's the end of the line for another of AMC's original dramas, but getting to that final stop will take a while. AMC has renewed its Western drama "Hell on Wheels" for a fifth and final season, with the last chapter getting split into two halves.

As it has done with some of its bigger dramas like "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men", AMC will divide the final season into two parts. The first seven episodes will air in the summer of 2015, and the final seven episodes will air in the summer of 2016.





The split season may do more than just extend the life of the show. It could extend the reputation of the network that built itself up on the backs of prestige dramas such as "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men".

With "Mad Men" signing off for good next year, "Breaking Bad" a distant — but not forgotten — memory, and "The Walking Dead" confined to the winter months, AMC needs all the summertime original scripted dramas it can get.

The network renewed "Halt and Catch Fire" and "Turn" for new seasons, but neither show performed as well as the network had hoped. By halving "Hell on Wheels", AMC at least has the appearance of keeping original programming coming steadily.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Hell-On-...d-1088953.aspx