‘Hell on Wheels’ season 4: Did ‘Doctor Who’ premiere hurt latest ratings

While we would not assume that “Doctor Who” and “Hell on Wheels” appeal to the same crowd, there are at least some out there (us included) who are avid viewers of both shows.

So did the premiere of Peter Capaldi hurt Anson Mount and company? The two shows did not air completely against each other, but there was enough bleed-over on BBC America that it could have made a difference. Luckily, it did not. “Hell on Wheels” still finished Saturday, per TVbythenumbers, with a 0.4 in the 18-49 demographic and just around 2.08 million viewers. That is almost exactly even from last week, which had about 90,000 more viewers. If the show only lost that much for some reason, there’s no reason to be upset.

We’ve said time and time again that these figures, especially on a Saturday and with good DVR numbers factored in, are easily enough to get the show a fifth season. While we do believe that the story of Cullen Bohannon is finite (the railroad cannot be constructed forever), there is still plenty left to tell right now. We’ll continue to report on them here and there throughout the rest of the season, but pending some big shifts there shouldn’t be too much for fans to worry about. Remember here that this is a network that renewed “Halt and Catch Fire,” which only cracked a million viewers once in its entire run (which was the premiere). If a show is good, they’ll give you a chance to tell your story; luckily, “Hell on Wheels” is very good.

If you missed our reaction video to this past episode of the series, take a look at it now over at this link. Also, you can sign up as always to secure further TV updates right now courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: AMC