4. The Incredible Art Direction
HBOCarnivale's pilot episode drew 5.3 million viewers, becoming the best ever debut for an HBO original series at the time. While the numbers inevitably tailored off somewhat, ratings remained stable throughout the first season and the general response was positive. Although some critics had issues with the pace of the writing, many praised the acting, cinematography and art direction as hugely impressive, particularly considering that the entire show was ran on a TV budget. The Emmy Awards agreed too and nominated Carnivale in seven categories for its first season alone, five of which it won in creative art categories such as Outstanding Costumes for a Series and Outstanding Art Title design. In the following year, Carnivale was nominated for a further eight awards, but failed to win any. From the outset, Carnivale was recognized for its unique cinematography and art design which looked like nothing else seen on TV. Setting Carnivale in the Dust Bowl of 1930's USA was a masterstroke that ensured the show would stand apart from its peers and the production values hold up just as well today as they did ten years ago. Renewing Carnivale on Netflix would bring a huge amount of media attention to the show, which could kick start its revival and potentially bag the team a few Emmy Award nominations for art direction and more besides. Arrested Development and House of Cards were the first Netflix produced programs to be recognized by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and it looks likely that more nominations will follow later this year in the next ceremony. A Carnivale revival would have a strong chance of competing and even winning industry awards if it is revived soon by Netflix.