Hell On Wheels Meets The West Wing In Apple TV’s 7-Part Historical Drama

Published Sep 2, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. The thrilling historical fiction of Hell on Wheels meets the savvy politics of The West Wing in Apple TV's overlooked seven-episode historical drama. While they're both great, Hell on Wheels and The West Wing are very different. Hell on Wheels is one of the best Western shows ever made, while there's really nothing else quite like The West Wing's deep dive into American politics, except for Aaron Sorkin's other great movies and shows. Combining the best aspects of The West Wing and Hell on Wheels shouldn't work, given how different they are. The shows appeal to very different audiences; Hell on Wheels has plenty of action, subterfuge, and a very dark tone, while The West Wing is much lighter and more hopeful, more drama and dialog-heavy, and much more modern. Apple TV's Manhunt, however, proved that there's a lot of overlap between the shows. Manhunt is a dramatization of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (Hamish Linklater) by John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle) and the ensuing manhunt for the president's killer, led by Lincoln's Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies). Though it largely flew under the radar when it first premiered, Manhunt got great reviews and is led by some stellar performances. Best of all, it combines the appeal of both Hell on Wheels and The West Wing perfectly. Manhunt Has All The Fast-Paced Political Savvy Of The West Wing While Manhunt is primarily about Edwin Stanton's search for John Wilkes Booth, it also has more than enough politicking and insights into the U.S. government's inner workings to feel just like The West Wing. Stanton has to navigate the rapidly changing government under Andrew Johnson, and there are so many layers to Manhunt that let the show dive into the politics of post-Civil War America. As Stanton is hunting for Booth in Manhunt, he's also trying to hold the fabric of the U.S. together. There are tensions with the recently defeated Confederate states, Stanton at one point believes there was a Confederate conspiracy to kill Lincoln, and the new President Johnson's allegiances to the South aren't helping. At the same time, Stanton has to figure out what his powers as Secretary of War are in post-war America and navigate an increasingly hostile and tense political landscape. The West Wing became the classic it is because it dramatized the inner workings of government, and Manhunt does that just as well. It gives viewers insight into one of the most tumultuous periods of American history ever and lets them see how the most important decisions in the nation's history were made. Manhunt also tackles some hot-button topics, like reparations and land grants, with the same grace The West Wing used with its own commentary. Manhunt Also Recreates The Historical Fiction Of Hell On Wheels The most notable thing about Manhunt is its genre and setting as a historical drama during the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, which also makes it quite similar to Hell on Wheels. While it's not a Western and doesn't lean very far into the action genre, Manhunter does dabble both. Some of the show's scenes, particularly when it's following John Wilkes Booth, are filled with tension, action, and a brilliant cat-and-mouse game that feels just as exciting as Hell on Wheels. Manhunt's main similarity to Hell on Wheels is more general than having action and Western elements. Manhunt and Hell on Wheels are two of the very few shows that dramatize post-Civil War American history. That time period had a very distinct and often overlooked feel to it, so the shows also share a similar vibe. They both tackle everything from the lingering tension between the Union and the Confederacy to Westward Expansion and the role of people recently emancipated from slavery. Both shows also have very similar protagonists. Manhunt's Edwin Stanton, like Hell on Wheels' Cullen Bohannon, is a very important man with a tortured past. Both of them are in the throes of grief during their stories, and both of them are utterly consumed by the idea of revenge. They're also beset on all sides by threats and enemies, yet neither of them are ever dissuaded from doing what must be done. In short, if you like a strong protagonist and a historical drama that tackles American history in the 1860s like Hell on Wheels, you're going to love Manhunt. Release Date 2024 - 2024-00-00 Showrunner Monica Beletsky Directors John Dahl, Carl Franklin Writers Monica Beletsky Creator(s) Monica Beletsky