AMC's original Western drama Hell on Wheels will return for an expanded fourth season of 13 episodes on Saturday, August 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The new season of the series, which stars Anson Mount, Colm Meaney and Common, will air in two parts with the first 10 episodes running consecutively through Saturday, October 4, before taking a hiatus during the networks annual FearFest programming, and returning for the final three episodes beginning on Saturday, November 8.

Hell on Wheels shifted to the Saturday night slot last year to partner with the network's already successful Western programming on Saturdays, and delivered an average audience of 3.3 million viewers, live plus 3. Additionally, the series nearly doubled (+97%) the network's Saturday prime average and was +152% higher than the total day average. For Season 4, the network will once again package the series with favorite Western titles, including the films, The Horse Whisperer, Tombstone and Jeremiah Johnson, and the network premiere of the mini-series, Comanche Moon.

Joel Stillerman, AMC's executive vice president of original programming, production and digital, had this to say in a statement.

"We're thrilled to bring Hell on Wheels back for another season. Its success on Saturday night reflects the strength and broad appeal of the show, and we're incredibly excited to share the continuation of this story with the millions of loyal 'Hell On Wheels' fans."

Season 3 of Hell on Wheels ended with Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) married to a pregnant Naomi and living in the Mormon fort where the Swede (Christopher Heyerdahl) was impersonating church leader, Bishop Dutson; Thomas "Doc" Durant (Colm Meaney) back in control of the Union Pacific Railroad which had successfully expanded westward to Cheyenne; and Elam (Common, gravely injured by a bear while searching for the missing Cullen. As Season 4 unfolds, civilization makes its way west with the railroad, bringing with it men who attempt to do with their pens what rougher men did in seasons past with their guns. Conflict between government and big business, ranchers, homesteaders and the railroad will continue to define the drama as all of those interests compete with one another for control of Cheyenne, Wyoming, the "Magic City of the Plains," and the most important railroad hub in the country. The season will also introduce several new characters including John Campbell (Jake Weber, Medium, The Following).

Executive producer and showrunner John Wirth had this to say in a statement.

"We're excited about the stories we're telling in Season 4. The consequences of the stories we told last year will continue to reverberate throughout the season, and fans can expect to see some shocking events that will not only change the lives of our characters, but the landscape of the series as the railroad continues its relentless march westward."

Hell on Wheels is executive produced by showrunner John Wirth (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Falling Skies, The Cape), Mark Richard and Jeremy Gold, executive vice-president, Creative Affairs, Endemol Studios, who developed the series at Endemol USA. Paul Kurta serves as co-executive producer. The series is produced by leading independent studio, Entertainment One Television (eOne) and Nomadic Pictures. Entertainment One Television's CEO John Morayniss and EVP U.S. Scripted Television Michael Rosenberg oversee production in partnership with producers Michael Frislev and Chad Oakes from Nomadic Pictures. Hell on Wheels also stars Jennifer Ferrin as Louise Ellison, Robin McLeavy as Eva, Phil Burke as Mickey McGinnes, Kasha Kropinski as Ruth and Dohn Norwood as Psalms.

eOne is the worldwide distributor and licensed television rights in Europe to Endemol. As a leading international content distributor, eOne also handles worldwide rights for DVD/Blu-ray, VOD and digital distribution.