Author: Philiana Ng

Chris Large/AMC

‘Hell on Wheels’

AMC is bringing back Hell on Wheels for a fifth and final season.

The cable network has ordered 14 more episodes for the Saturday drama, splitting the final run into two half-seasons, a rollout strategy it has employed for prestige offerings (see: Mad Men, Breaking Bad). The first seven episodes will air next summer with the final seven premiering in summer 2016.

“With season five of Hell on Wheels, we are proud to bring our trans-continental journey to conclusion for the large, loyal audience that has traveled with Cullen Bohannon and his crew for so many years,” said AMC president Charlie Collier. “We look forward to appropriately honoring ‘Hell on Wheels’ in this final season. Enormous thanks to the terrific writers, cast and crew for all they have achieved and for all that lies ahead in the Wild West.”

Hell on Wheels is averaging 3.4 million viewers on Saturdays in live-plus-three ratings, with 965,000 in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49 demographic and 1.3 million among adults 25-to-54. The Western drama wraps up its fourth season Nov. 22.

AMC moved Hell on Wheels to Saturdays ahead of its third season, a decision that was initially seen as a death knell. However, the Anson Mount-led drama has proven resilient, maintaining an audience over the past two seasons and establishing a brand-new evening of original programming for AMC.

Colm Meaney, Phil Burke, Robin McLeavy, Dohn Norwood, Christopher Heyerdahl, MacKenzie Porter, Jake Weber, Jennifer Ferrin, Chelah Horsdal, Kasha Kropinski, Tayden Marks and Common also star in the fourth season. Endemol USA developed the series, which is produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Nomadic Pictures.

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‘Selfie’

ABC has had enough of Selfie.

The network is not ordering additional episodes of the rookie social media-centered half-hour comedy beyond its initial 13-episode order.

Selfie, which stars Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan and John Cho, is currently scheduled to air on Tuesday in its regular 8 p.m. time slot. It remains unclear whether the series from creator Emily Kapnek will remain on the schedule beyond that.

Selfie had a tall mountain to climb from the outset. Expected to open the evening for ABC this fall, the comedy failed to make waves in the ratings, debuting to a mediocre 5.3 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-to-49. Selfie shed viewers in subsequent weeks, with ABC doubling up on originals on election night following the quick cancellation of Manhattan Love Story.

More to come …

Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
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ABC

‘Forever’

ABC is betting on Forever.

The one-hour procedural has landed a full-season order, with the network picking up an additional nine episodes to bring its rookie haul to 22, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

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Forever centers on a New York City medical examiner Henry (Ioan Gruffudd) with a secret — he studies the dead for a reason — he is immortal. With the help of Detective Martinez (Alana De La Garza), the layers will be peeled back on Henry’s colorful and long life through the cases. Lorraine Toussaint, Donnie Keshawarz and Joel David Moore also star.

Chuck‘s Matt Miller created the series and serves as executive producer, along with Dan Lin, Jennifer Gwartz and Brad Anderson, who directed the pilot. Warner Bros. TV produces.

Forever has been a reliable performer for ABC on 10 p.m. Tuesdays, opening to 8.3 million viewers in same-day ratings on Sept. 22 before settling in at around 5 million to its two most recent episodes.

ABC kicked off the action on the young season Oct. 9, picking up Shonda Rhimes‘ highly-rated How to Get Away With Murder and Black-ish for full runs, followed by Fox ordering a full season for Batman prequel Gotham and The CW betting on The Flash and Jane the Virgin. CBS picked up the back-nine for its entire fall freshmen class — Madam Secretary, NCIS: New Orleans, Stalker and Scorpion — while NBC ordered additional episodes for Marry Me.

Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube