This tremendously ambitious and wonderfully bizarre HBO show created by Daniel Knauf was cancelled much too soon. Though it only lasted two seasons, Carnavàle crafted an eerie and peculiar universe amidst an eternal struggle between good and evil. The show's decidedly supernatural slant is heightened by its premise, which features a carnival traveling through the heartland of America during the Great Depression. Religious themes play a huge role in the conflicts that arise. Every town that the carnival stops in presents an opportunity to meet new characters, reveal secrets, and witness strange new phenomenon. So many strange and idiosyncratic characters populate this show, like Nick Stahl's mysterious Ben Hawkins, Clancy Brown's compelling Brother Justin Crowe, Patrick Bauchau's blind seer Professor Lodz, and Michael J. Anderson's irascible carnival leader Samson. Every character has a story to tell and they all contribute to the mystifying atmosphere of the world. The cinematography is dazzling, the writing is imaginative, and the acting is stellar all around. The suffocating dust bowl and the devastating Great Depression are omnipresent and they loom large in the background. The show is sinister, unsettling, weird, and unlike any show on television. Despite its fleeting stay on TV, Carnavàle made a big impression.
