5. The Unique Tone
HBORyan Murphy's anthology series American Horror Story is one of TV's biggest success stories in recent years, attracting consistently high ratings while winning Primetime Emmy's and Golden Globe Awards along the way. The influence of Carnivale on the show is undeniable, especially when you consider that the next season of American Horror Story is actually a period piece subtitled Freak Show which will follow a set of performers working in America. The success of Ryan Murphy's project proves that audiences are ready for unusual shows that take chances and few are stranger than Carnivale. Despite some similarities between Knauf's work and American Horror Story, there has never been a show quite like Carnivale before, with its bizarre characters, abstract imagery and otherworldly atmosphere. Where else would you see a clay mask bleed, an old woman vomit coins or a comatose fortune teller set fire to her own caravan and trap her daughter inside along with her? Everything that is weird and strange is now back in vogue on TV, making this the perfect time to revive Carnivale on Netflix. Why should we let American Horror Story attempt a story like this when Carnivale did the same thing first and better back in the day?