10 Amazing TV Shows You Won't Believe Only Had Two Seasons

2. Carnivale

Carnivale is another HBO show that got cancelled way before its time and another show that was seemingly just that little bit too out there to hold a decent audience. HBO is renowned for bold, original programming, and Carnivale was certainly one of the most original examples. The show had intended to air six seasons and, with it only reaching two, the only consolation for us is that at least we got to see the complete first part of what was meant to be a "trilogy" of books. And what a great first book it made. Carnivale is set in the US in the 1930s, at the time of the Depression (this setting alone already enough to differentiate it from practically everything else on television), and follows two separate plots which become slowly more entwined as the show progresses. One is about a young man with healing powers who joins a travelling circus full of fascinating characters with rich histories. The other follows a preacher who through dreams discovers that he has his own powers, which he uses for more sinister motives. Carnivale is all at once, dramatic, fantastical, horrific and uplifting. At the core it's the story of light versus dark, and the two seasons that were produced make for incredible, unique television.