Those folks at AMC really seem to know what they are doing over there. Not only have they created the two best dramas on television – Mad Men and Breaking Bad – they have also tapped into the zombie horror crowd (the decent enough The Walking Dead) and the CSI/Cold Case/NCIS crowd with the much more intelligent The Killing. Now, they are continuing to push the boundaries, this time creating an epic western drama series.

While given the awful title of Hell on Wheels (anyone else thinking unknowing people might get this confused with Sons of Anarchy – still, Wikipedia describes Hell on Wheels as the “itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific railroad workers westward as they constructed the American transcontinental railroad in the 1860s,” so I guess it is historically appropriate), the trailer still excites the western fanatic that I am. Here’s the official plot, courtesy of Ace Showbiz:

[Hell on Wheels] features Anson Mount as a former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon who is seeking revenge on the Union troops who killed his family. His quest leads him to the Union Pacific Railroad’s westward construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad. Set against the backdrop of America post-Civil War, the Western drama documents the institutionalized greed and corruption, the immigrant experience, and the plight of the newly emancipated African-Americans during reconstruction. Over time, the show also chronicles this potent turning point in our nation’s history, and how uncivilized the business of civilization can be.

Only the pilot has been filmed so far an according to AMC’s blog, production will begin on May 16th for an air date of this upcoming fall. If nothing else, it should keep us occupied until the new season of Mad Men airs in 2012.

Leave your thoughts on AMC and their new series in the comments!