Discovery orders second season of Highway Thru Hell

From a media release:

Discovery Commits to “The Coq” – Second Season of Hit Series HIGHWAY THRU HELL Confirmed

Discovery will ride again with Jamie Davis and his Heavy Rescue crew, as the channel commits to a second season of the original Canadian series, HIGHWAY THRU HELL. The mega-hit series, produced for Discovery by Vancouver’s Great Pacific TV, followed the highway heroes on Davis’ Heavy Rescue crew as they were called to help truckers in trouble and keep B.C.’s vital transport highway, the Coquilhalla, open during the treacherous 2011-2012 winter season. To the delight of fans, the Season 2 announcement was made last night during the live chat on Twitter as the season was capped with a round-table companion special, HIGHWAY THRU HELL: AFTER THE CRASH. Season 2 will be filmed on “the Coq” during the 2012-2013 winter season and will continue to follow and capture the gripping experiences of Davis’ team.

The announcement will come as no surprise to the dedicated fans of the series. This season, viewers have climbed into the cabs alongside Jamie Davis and his heavy rescue crew in British Columbia’s Cascade Mountains. Riding along, they have experienced the steep hills, lethal drop-offs, killer rockslides, and brutal weather that characterizes the mountain passes east of Vancouver, known as the Highway Thru Hell. These are some of the most economically important, most travelled – and most inhospitable – trucking routes in North America. Plagued by winter storms, truckers spin out and smash up, and during the worst, the big wrecks can come as often as every 12 hours. In a place where closure is not an option, the call goes out for heavy rescue, and the big trucks must roll. And with another winter season just around the corner, there is no shortage of new stories – both harrowing and heroic – on the Coquilhalla Highway.

A monster hit with critics and viewers alike – HIGHWAY THRU HELL performed extremely well during its inaugural season. The September 4 premiere episode drew 661,000 viewers 2+, making it the highest-rated series premiere in Discovery’s history. Even during the competitive fall TV season, the series maintained momentum and averaged more than 611,000 viewers 2+ every Tuesday night throughout the eight-week run. Still clamouring for more stories from the Coq, preliminary audience numbers for last night’s HIGHWAY THRU HELL: AFTER THE CRASH special reveals that it was the #1 specialty program for Adults 25-54 in its 10 p.m. timeslot.

HIGHWAY THRU HELL was a hit on social media early on, generating conversation throughout the season on both Twitter and Facebook. On Twitter, @DiscoveryCanada and @HwyThruHell chatted with fans about the series, contributing to the more than 1,700 tweets using the hashtag #HwyThruHell. On-air snipes directing users to join the conversation during this week’s AFTER THE CRASH special generated more than 950 Twitter posts about the series, plus close to 300 “likes” and comments on Discovery’s Facebook page in a single evening. This type of activity is unprecedented for a Discovery Canada series, and signals growth in the network’s co-viewing audience.

It’s not too late for viewers to get caught up on HIGHWAY THRU HELL. Discovery announced today plans for a 10-hour marathon, airing Tues., Dec. 25 beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. The marathon includes the full eight-part series, the AFTER THE CRASH special, plus a bonus never-seen-before new episode (at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).

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15 thoughts on “Discovery orders second season of Highway Thru Hell”

  1. What a great show on a majestic piece of road surrounded by massive peaks. With family living in the BC interior I have been using the Coquilhalla since her early days. I even have an uncle who has cycled from Kamloops to Vancouver on the Coquilhalla. This show is an amazing look at what it takes to keep this vital link open. Thanks Jamie Davis and crew for all that you do!

  2. Cheers to Jamie Davis and crew for the new season of Highway Through Hell! Thanks Discovery Channel!

  3. Thanks to Jamie and crew. Being a local trucker I appreciate all you guys do to keep the smasher (hells highway) open. Great job and safe driving and cant wait to see season two. This show hopefully helps people slow down and respect the road and to expect the unexpected….

  4. Christmas Night marathon of sorts, rewatching one of our favorite new shows. I grew up in Kamloops, so I’ve driven the Coq many times, but never realized all it took to keep it open. Just can’t wait for Season 2!

  5. Congrats on season 2!! Sure it will keep us all on the edge of our seats again! Hats off to Jamie and his crew who risk lives everyday ! Be safe !

  6. from an east coast maritime truck driver,this show definately should give everyone more respect for the rockpile. great job jamie and crew.

  7. Ugghh… what has happened to the Discovery Channel… this show is more like An Hour Thru Hell… Cammon!

  8. I don’t understand! I have been viewing Highway to Hell on the Weather Channel and people here are saying Discovery Channel. Does it air on multiple channels? I haven’t been able to view an episode for a number of weeks due to Weather Channel Live constantly airing the winter storm updates, week after bloody week! Another channel picking it up would be nice.

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