The pitch: In the dust-bowl 20s, a messianic figure takes up with a travelling carnival as he awaits a showdown with an anti-Christ. It's a shame that Carnivale never made it to a third season. A big budget production for HBO, it simply didn't have the ratings to justify the cost - but it was a fantastic concept, with a fantastic cast backing it. The premise: Good and evil have avatars on Earth, a messiah and Anti-christ figure who are destined to clash; neither knows what he (or she) is, at least at first, and in the 1920s, the avatar for good winds up riding along with a travelling carnival. It's not the the most succinct high concept pitch, but the appeal is clear: a good vs. evil battle set (at least partially) in a carnival. The show had a fantastic cast including Twin Peaks alum Michael J. Anderson, Nick Stahl, Clea Duvall, and Clancy Brown. It moved, however, at a snail's pace, which had fans rather upset. If you could handle the pacing, however, it was an extremely rewarding show and well worth the watch.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
