Cannes: Latest Theft Affects China Film Group VP 
UPDATE: Yahoo Board OKs $1.1B Deal To Acquire Tumblr … 
‘Epic’ Toon Begins $14.5M Overseas Rollout 
Cannes: Sony Classics Wins Stateside Rights To Asghar … 
‘Fast & Furious 6′ Breaks Records In … 
Specialty Box Office: ‘Frances Ha’ Triumphs As … 
‘Saturday Night Live’ Season Finale Posts … 
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ $164.5M Global: Lower … 
Cannes: Backup Media, Memento Bring Heat To Fest Helmer Jim … 
Cannes: Sundance Selects Acquires Dardenne Brothers’ … 
Cannes: Wrekin Hill Acquires U.S. On Gabriele … 
Bill Hader’s ‘SNL’ Stefon Farewell: Video 
Cannes: The Weinstein Co. Books ‘Suite … 
BBC Confirms ‘Doctor Who’ Season 8 
Finally, Cannes Dealing! Radius-TWC Nabs Director’s … 
Hammond On Cannes: Wet Fest’s Official Competition … 
‘Vampire Academy’ Adds ‘Modern … 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Shark Tank’ Finale Up, … 
Cannes: Worldview Options Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn … 
UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
‘Mike & Molly’ Creator Mark Roberts To … 
The corpse of freshly canceled AMC drama Rubicon was still warm yesterday when attention shifted to the network’s period pilot Hell on Wheels. And for good reason – Rubicon‘s demise should improve the pilot’s chances for a series pickup. The cancellation came at the perfect time for the Entertainment One/Endemol USA-produced Hell on Wheels. The pilot was just recently delivered to AMC, and word is that the network brass liked it. There is also that AMC perfect pilot-to-ratio streak, with all of its pilots so far going to series. But, especially following the blockbuster success of the network’s new drama The Walking Dead, AMC, which has another new series, The Killing, on tap for next year, must be feeling the pinch for shelf space and promotional and marketing resources to support its rapidly growing series portfolio. With Rubicon vacating a slot on the schedule, it is easier for the network to slide a new series in it. Decision on Hell on Wheels is expected shortly, with its chances looking better by the minute. Hell on Wheels is set in the 1860s and and centers on former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannan (Anson Mount), whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad’s westward construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
Loading ...
Ironic name for that series. Because after killing Rubicon, I’d like to see AMC itself go to hell on wheels.
Rubicon had the acting chops, the tense writing and twists and turns akin to the best of the British dramas. Unfortunately, here in the US, audiences feel the need to be spoon-fed every detail and don’t have the capacity to allow the time necessary for good drama to unfold. Give it to me now, now, now.
This was such a great show and I will watch less of AMC because it is gone.
As an american, I agree that Rubicon had acting chops. However, I feel that maybe US audiences don’t have the attention span to allow the time necessary for good drama to unfold.
No, I don’t have the capacity, or care to let a drama like Rubicon unfold. Oh my god, he wouldnt have parked in 13!!!! What a plot point I waited a whole f*#&*ing hour for. And then two more hours for the next plot point, and when a normal show would have been rounding out act two, I decided I didn’t want to invest four more hours of my life just to find out what which direction Rubicon was slowly moving in. Horrible show.
…and the 1860′s American West was shot on location in Calgary, Alberta,Canada
Everyone can’t afford to shoot in Monument Valley.
TV shows/movies are always shot where it’s best needed.
It was a great show to work on, loved coming to work everyday on the pilot it was a great experience!
I really wanted to like Rubicon – strong pilot, gave it a permanent spot on my DVR – but then it got so slow, strained, and boring, they lost me. Great writing, I know there was good content there, maybe it woulda worked on the BBC, but I’m someone who wanted to like it, and gave it a chance, and they didn’t hold my interest.
Random insight – I had the pleasure of meeting Anson Mount a few different times maybe a decade ago. Nice guy. And Hell on Wheels sounds unique – thank you AMC for putting non-recycled non-procedural new shows on the air. Hope it hits.
Ack! Rubicon was, hands down, the best drama on tv. There’s no way I’m going to start following another AMC series after being burned on such a great show.
Rubicon’s finale wrapped up the central conspiracy very effectively and completely.
Season 2 would have had to start over from scratch with an all-new conspiracy, because obviously Spangler just offed himself and that was the end of the Atlas McDowell power-cabal.
It’s a natural ending point for the show. Just view it as a 13-part mini-series and be happy with the established body of work. It’s similar to Rome: a great show that ended at the right time.
“Hell on Wheels” and “The Killing” both sound very good, so I’m excited to see those fill the time-slot.
Hell On Wheels sounds great. I have full confidence in AMC to make the right decisions about new series being picked up. Rubicon was good, but not on the same level as Breaking Bad or Mad Men. AMC has set the bar pretty damn high for themselves.
When are we going to see those Breaking Bad webisodes? I can’t wait until the end of July to get my fix!
BOO!! Heard good things about Hell on Wheels, but let’s petition to save Rubicon! It was getting good!
That’s the point! It was GETTING good? They gave it 13 episodes and it was GETTING good? We all wanted that show to succeed because it’s AMC. But if any show is GETTING good after 13 episodes, it doesn’t belong on my tivo and whoever is watching it has too much time on their hands.
I haven’t been able to catch Rubicon yet, but hopefully can later on DVD or something.
Hell on Wheels sounds pretty interesting.
I am of two minds: agree w/the poster who says this season can be viewed as a solid limited series, having ended this particular storyline w/Atlas McDowell, but i’m very sad to see it go. I also believe there is plenty of room to continue, esp in the hands of the brilliant showrunner Henry Bromell, who keeps doing fantastic yet under-promoted and under-appreciated work–Brotherhood on Showtime. To whit: even IF Spengler offed himself (which we assume he would have to, due to him getting the cloverleaf ‘order’) that doesn’t mean Atlas McDowell’s agenda ends, nor would Will’s goal to bring their existence into the light..don’t forget, the last episode ends w/Spengler basically daring Will to give it his best shot. So I see lots of room for continuing the drama..but like DAMAGES on FX, I think this one was just to smart for the room.
:-/
Worst written show I have ever seen. Made no sense, story line overly complicated and characters were boring. This was yet another example of a show that should never have been made!
Clearly, those making these kinds of programatic decisions at the network level have no absolutely no grasp on what the television consuming audience will tolerate, for if they had, they would have never even made the pilot.
Good riddance!
Careful AMC. The writings on the wall.
It’s getting obvious that your best shows are getting long in the teeth and short on possibilities. I can’t imagine a decade of MadMen or ten consecutive Brain Cranston Emmies (But he is that good!)
You need to create shows that stick and the above slapped my face and slid down to the floor. Also dont create any conspiracies by conspiring against a conspiracy drama. That did not make any sense. If the public loses interest, you may wind up again showing tired movies from the nineties, the 2000s and the superextended versions of the Godfather Movies!
Can’t believe AMC would cancel this show and continue with that unidimensional piece of 13 year old boy comic book crap, The Walking Dead. Even Mad Men has become nothing but a group of coat hangers acting out soap opera plot lines.
Wow. Just heard about AMC dropping Rubicon. I guess AMC is dumbing down just like the major networks. Well, just like the major networks, we have no more reason to watch AMC. Sad…
sad news for me… rubicon was my fav show on tv
To whomever the clueless wonders may be:
This is the first time I have ever written a network about anything, period. The idea that your network could produce such a superior drama as Rubicon, and after a single season, drop it from your schedule in favor of such a mindless piece of drivel such as “The Walking Dead” (Zombies on the loose – now that’s an original idea…..from the 1950s) is, simply put, stupid. No doubt a certain degree of intelligence is needed to fully appreciate the multi-layered nuances of the program, but that’s why so many of us who still read novels appreciated it so much. Perhaps the fact that one had to pay continuous attention to the dialogue in its entirety so as not to “miss” anything drove the average viewer off in search of more relevant programming, say something on the order of “The Housewives of Topeka” or “America has a lot of very deluded people who think they have talent.” Sponsors love those sorts of shows – as they appeal to the lowest of the common denominators – and as Barnum proclaimed those many years ago: “No one has ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” It would appear the programming executives at AMC have heartily revisited old P.T.’s words – with a vengeance.
This was a highly intelligent, well acted, meticulously written program that made the viewer think. Perhaps many of you folks at AMC are too young to remember that originally that was what the “new” medium of television promised to do for the public. For a network that constantly advertises the line, “Story matters here,” one would hope it might also apply to the decision-making process of your boardroom. The dumping of Rubicon would seem to indicate that, once again, executives are more interested in “selling soap” than entertaining the public with thought-provoking material. Too bad that quality programming is never allowed to flourish without financial concerns.
As usual, we the public have few means to change the network’s mind. However, as a writing and political science teacher in a major secondary school in Chicago I can tell you that I have used the program as a teaching aid with my sixty IB creative writing students as well as my ninety Honors political science students. Do the math folks. That’s a total of 150 students, who have two parents apiece, which raises the total to 450 people, all of whom have literate friends. As an extra credit assignment I had my kids research the names and addresses of all the CEOs and CFOs of the sponsoring companies of your programs. Additionally, the students were told that they would receive extra bonus points for every letter they brought in from their parents, friends and relatives, which told the sponsors they would no longer be purchasing their products because of the reluctance and refusal of the AMC network to continue to produce quality shows which illustrated the use of critical thinking skills in real life situations. It’s a small start, I know; however, there are many schools in Chicago –secondary, community colleges, universities – and I have many, many friends who teach in them. Think internet, as in viral, and how all those CEOs and CFOs of your advertisers are going to react when those letters begin to roll in, and I assure you, they will do exactly that.
You have a tremendous show here; I urge you to rethink your decision regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Jake Entee
Chicago, Illinois
Sorry but you do not know good TV when you watch it! Rubicon was a great show in a sea of so much bad television.
I so agree with those who liked the Rubicon series. I was looking forward to more episodes. I miss it and hate the Walking Dead. I, too, will watch less of AMC. Is there any hope that this decision could be reversed?
Is this the symptoms of the dumbing down of America showing?
Script, characters, locations, integrity, intelligence and the list goes on to leave one aghast at the rejection of an obviously rich, stimulating project that makes way for some instant gratifacation formulized drivel with the guranteed t&a shots, a car
or boat chase and all of the ‘low road’ titillation that gose with the drivel being served up for the dumb & dumber crowd with more thought and resource going into the commercial.
Sad, Sorry choice.