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Netflix’s American Primeval fans must watch this ‘criminally underrated’ Western series next


The Western has climbed its way up the top 10 most-streamed chart.

American Primeval
American Primeval landed on Netflix in January

Netflix hit American Primeval left Western fans begging for more and a forgotten treasure could be the answer.

Movieweb has described Hell on Wheels, which originally aired back in 2011, as “criminally underrated” and it has recently become available to stream.

The series is set in 1865 and follows a former Confederate soldier who is on a revenge mission during the Union Pacific’s construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

Initially airing on AMC, the show ran for five seasons and was led by Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon.

At the time, it had a small cult following, but has since attracted more attention after landing on Freevee, making its way into the platform’s top 10.

Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon.
Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon

The series had a turbulent history in terms of reviews, with rates dipping during the third season.

However, the final season ended things on a high note as it boasted a perfect score of 100 per cent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Rob Lowman of Los Angeles Daily News praised Mount for his performance as the lead, calling him “the epitome of a Western star”.

“He supplies his character the expected stoicism but also a range of emotions and conflicts,” he added.

Hell on Wheels ran for five seasons
Hell on Wheels ran for five seasons

The series, which also features Colm Meaney and Dominique McElligott, chronicles the Union Pacific Railroad and and all those who lived, worked, and died in the mobile encampment, called “Hell on Wheels”, that followed the railhead west across the Great Plains.

In particular, the story focuses on Cullen, who initially joins the railroad to track down Union soldiers who murdered his wife and young son during the American Civil War.

Along the way, he becomes a foreman and eventually chief engineer on the railroad.

The series is available to watch on Freevee, a free streaming service from Amazon.

Viewers can download the Freevee app to a number of different devices, and it is available on most Smart TVs.

Hell on Wheels is available on Freevee

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