3. The Cast Of Underrated Performers
One of the key components that made Carnivale stand out from other shows broadcast at the time was its slow measured pace. Despite featuring epic overarching themes, the majority of episodes leisurely took their time working through the narrative, prioritizing characterization over spectacle. To pull this off, Knauf and his team chose a talented group of mostly unknown actors to portray the various characters featured in the two converging story lines. Ben Hawkins and Brother Justin Crowe were the two key figures who viewers identified with throughout the two seasons, but there were a host of other memorable characters who deserved more screen time, including the Carnivales dwarf co-manager Samson (Michael J. Anderson), middle-aged stripper Rita Sue (Cynthia Ettinger) and the blind mentalist Lodz (Patrick Bauchau). Some of the cast from Carnivale have since found success in more film and television roles, such as Clea DuVall and Tim DeKay, who appeared in Argo and the TV show White Collar respectively. However, others such as Amy Madigan (who played Iris) have only worked in smaller roles since Carnivale's demise. It's unfortunate that so many talented and underrated performers from the show have struggled to find significant work since. Knauf himself admits that some of the characters he originally wrote were never given the opportunity to take their turn in the spotlight, as many had their roles reduced or even cut in the second season. Renewing the series on Netflix would allow the writers to bring back characters like the conjoined twins and Gecko the Lizard Man, exploring their back stories and unique idiosyncrasies in more detail. Such a move would allow Knauf to finally do these characters justice, providing further work for some of the most underrated actors HBO have cast in the past decade.