'Hell On Wheels' Renewed For Fourth Season

Credit: AMC

Well, it turns out that being relegated to Saturday nights doesn't mean instant death for a scripted drama.

AMC has renewed Hell On Wheels for a fourth season, after the Western drama had been banished to Saturday nights in its third season. The renewal isn't even the only good news for the series, as AMC has increased the 10-episode count of the first three season to 13-episodes for season four. The show will return next summer with John Wirth, who took over the show after Season 2, back in the driver's seat as executive producer/showrunner.

The success of the series has proven to be a validation of the network's decision to pursue a third night of original programming this past summer: Hell On Wheels was moved to Saturday nights and given a 15-hour compatible lead-in of Western features and shows. The strategy worked, as Hell On Wheels delivered an impressive 3.3 million viewers in Live+3 for Season 3, an improvement on its Season 2 average on Sunday and doubling AMC’s Saturday night audience.

“John Wirth and his team on both sides of the camera delivered a remarkable third season and Hell On Wheels fans responded,” said AMC president Charlie Collier. “AMC has served passionate Western fans for three decades, so it is particularly gratifying to see these viewers capping off their Saturdays with an original Western on what has historically been a tough night of the week for television.”

This is great news, not only for lovers of Westerns but for network executives who are hoping to launch original scripted programming on Saturday nights. Sure, it might not work for everyone, but Hell On Wheels has proven that the strategy can work with the right planning.

Long live Westerns!

Via: Deadline