In late October, AMC renewed Hell on Wheels for a third season. Days later, showrunner John Shiban announced that he was leaving so AMC said that the renewal was contingent on finding a suitable replacement.

Now, more than a month later, they’ve found their man in John Wirth, a veteran of shows like V and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Season three of Hell on Wheels will have 10 episodes and will start airing next fall.

AMC RENEWS “HELL ON WHEELS” FOR A THIRD SEASON

JOHN WIRTH SIGNS ON AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND SHOWRUNNER

New York, NY – December 12, 2012 – AMC announced today the renewal of “Hell on Wheels” for a third season with John Wirth (“V” “Fallen Skies” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) serving as executive producer and showrunner. Season three of the series has been greenlit for ten, one-hour episodes and is scheduled to premiere in third quarter 2013.

Centered on the lawless town known as “Hell on Wheels,” that travels with and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, the series examines the railroad’s institutionalized greed and corruption, the immigrant experience and the plight of the newly emancipated African-Americans during reconstruction. “Hell on Wheels” second season wrapped in October with an average of 2.4 million viewers and 3.2 million viewers with Live plus 7.

“As we gear up for season three of ‘Hell on Wheels’ we are pleased to have such an accomplished show runner as John Wirth join our team,” said Susie Fitzgerald, AMC’s SVP of scripted development and current programming. “With the help of our partners at Entertainment One, Endemol and Nomadic, we look forward to a new season of the poetic and pulpy adventures of Cullen Bohannan and the other characters as they build the railroad across the US.”

“We’re delighted to continue our relationship with AMC, Endemol and Nomadic Pictures,” said Michael Rosenberg, Executive VP, US Scripted Television, Entertainment One Television. “John Wirth is an incredible talent who will drive our roaring series and build on the strength and success of the ‘Hell on Wheels’ brand.”

“We look forward to unveiling the next riveting chapter in the complex lives of the denizens of ‘Hell on Wheels,'” said Jeremy Gold, Head of Creative Affairs, Endemol Studios and executive producer, “Hell on Wheels.” “We are delighted that John Wirth will be joining us on this remarkable journey. John is a proven showrunner with a terrific voice and a deep passion for our show,” Gold concluded.

“Hell on Wheels” stars Anson Mount as former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan, who is struggling to escape his demons from the recently fought Civil War. Colm Meaney stars as Thomas “doc” Durant, a greedy entrepreneur taking full advantage of the changing times, and musician/actor Common is Elam Ferguson, an emancipated slave working to achieve true freedom in a work entrenched in prejudice. “Hell on Wheels” received a 2012 Emmy nomination for outstanding original main title theme music.

“Hell on Wheels” was developed by Endemol USA and is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Nomadic Pictures. Endemol Studios’ Head of Creative Affairs Jeremy Gold serves as executive producer. eOne’s Television CEO John Morayniss and EVP US scripted television Michael Rosenberg oversee production in partnership with co-producers Mike Frislev and Chad Oakes from Nomadic Pictures. Mark Richard is executive producer. “Hell on Wheels” was created by Joe and Tony Gayton, who continue to serve as consultants on the series.

AMC’s EVP of original programming, production and digital content Joel Stillerman, Susie Fitzgerald and Jason Fisher, svp of production oversee “Hell on Wheels.”

Through an international distribution partnership, Endemol USA holds television distribution rights for the series across Europe and eOne handles rights in all remaining territories as well as worldwide rights for DVD/Blu-ray, VOD and Digital distribution.

Shot on location in Alberta, Canada, the series is produced with assistance of the Government of Alberta, Alberta Film Development Program.

ABOUT AMC

AMC reigns as the only cable network in history to ever win the Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row. Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC’s original stories include “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead” and “Hell on Wheels.” AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with its slate of unscripted original series, as well as curated movie franchises like AMC’s Can’t Get Enough and AMC’s Crazy About. AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story Matters HereSM.

ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT ONE

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa and South Korea. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 24,000 film and television titles, 2,700 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks. http://www.entertainmentonegroup.com/

ABOUT ENDEMOL USA

Endemol USA is a leading producer of television programming specializing in unscripted and scripted genres for network and cable television. The company produces the hit shows “Wipeout,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Deal Or No Deal” and “Big Brother.” Endemol USA is a division of the Endemol Group, a leading international content developer, producer and distributor of television and online programming. The company, headquartered in the Netherlands and the UK, has subsidiaries and joint ventures in 26 countries, including the major European markets, the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Endemol is owned by a consortium consisting of Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Mediaset Group and Cyrte Group. For more information, please visit http://www.endemolusa.tv. Endemol is a privately held company.

ABOUT NOMADIC PICTURES

Nomadic Pictures is a Calgary based production company developing, financing and producing features, MOW’s and TV series. In 16 years, Nomadic has produced over 45 projects and remains one of the most active production companies in Canada. In 2004, Nomadic won three Daytime Emmy’s(R) for “The Incredible Mrs. Richie” starring James Caan, Kevin Zegers and Gena Rowlands. In 2005 Nomadic co-produced AMC’s first scripted Original mini-series, “Broken Trail” (Robert Duvall, Thomas Haden Church), which went on to win four Primetime Emmy(R) awards.

What do you think? Are you surprised that season three will actually happen? Did you think it was ever actually in jeopardy? Do you think the series will be as good with a new showrunner?