"Carnivàle" (2003) TV series 2003-2005

Creator:

Daniel Knauf

Seasons:

1 | 2

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Into each generation is born a creature of light and a creature of darkness.

Plot:

1934, America. The Dustbowl. A fugitive named Ben Hawkins finds refuge within a traveling carnival comprised...

Plot Keywords:

Preacher | Carnival | California | Tarot Card | God

Awards:

Won 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 9 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Michael J. Anderson	...	Samson (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Adrienne Barbeau	...	Ruthie / ... (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Clancy Brown	...	Brother Justin Crowe (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Debra Christofferson	...	Lila (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Tim DeKay	...	Clayton 'Jonesy' Jones / ... (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Clea DuVall	...	Sofie (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Cynthia Ettinger	...	Rita Sue Dreifuss (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Carla Gallo	...	Libby Dreifuss (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Toby Huss	...	Felix 'Stumpy' Dreifuss (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Amy Madigan	...	Iris Crowe (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Nick Stahl	...	Ben Hawkins (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Brian Turk	...	Gabriel (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Craig DeSilva	...	Promo Announcer (24 episodes, 2003-2005)
Diane Salinger	...	Apollonia (17 episodes, 2003-2005)
Patrick Bauchau	...	Professor Lodz / ... (16 episodes, 2003-2005)
Ralph Waite	...	Reverend Norman Balthus (16 episodes, 2003-2005)
John Savage	...	Henry 'Hack' Scudder (15 episodes, 2003-2005)
Scott MacDonald	...	Burley (14 episodes, 2003-2005)
Michael Stellman	...	Fire Eater (13 episodes, 2003-2005)
John Fleck	...	Gecko (12 episodes, 2003)
Karyne Steben	...	Alexandria (12 episodes, 2003)
John Carroll Lynch	...	Varlyn Stroud (12 episodes, 2005)
Sarah Steben	...	Caladonia (12 episodes, 2003)
Robert Knepper	...	Tommy Dolan (12 episodes, 2003-2005)
Blake Shields	...	Osgood (12 episodes, 2003-2005)
Larry Vigus	...	Carny (12 episodes, 2003)
Nicholas Garren	...	Roustie (11 episodes, 2005)

Also Known As:

La feria ambulante (USA: Spanish title)

Runtime:

60 min (24 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

French | Russian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | New Zealand:R13 | USA:TV-MA | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

California State University Channel Islands - One University Drive, Camarillo, California, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

Michael J. Anderson was a guest star on "Humbug," a 1995 episode of "The X-Files" in which he played a hotel owner who was offended when Mulder mistook him for a carnival worker (the episode was about a town inhabited by a large number of retired or wintering carnies). In "Carnivàle" (2003), Anderson plays the head of a traveling carnival.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Iris Crowe kneels by Rev. Norman Balthus' bed in season 2, you can see the elastic of the fitted bottom sheet. Fitted bed sheets were not invented until 1959.

Quotes:

[Opening lines of the series]
Samson: Before the beginning, after the great war between Heaven and Hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called man. And to each generation was born a creature of light and a creature of darkness. And great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil. There was magic then, nobility, and unimaginable cruelty. And so it was until the day that a false sun exploded over Trinity, and man forever traded away wonder for reason.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Making 'Carnivàle': The Show Behind the Show (2003) (TV)

HBO does it again...

Leave it to the same cable network who gave us "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under," to find the nexus where the likes of John Steinbeck, Stephen King, Clive Barker and Ray Bradbury could co-exist and produce such a product of dark, disturbing and eerie wonder as this.

If Daniel Knauf is not David Lynch masquerading as someone else, then they are indeed cinematic soul mates.

How else could you explain the daunting premise of setting such a classic struggle of good vs. evil, in the bleak, Depression-ravaged setting of the Oklahoma dust bowl, circa 1930's?

It's a good sign that wherever the overall story arc is going, it was engaging enough to attract some top notch talent, from both mainstream features and more edgy, independent fare. TERMINATOR 3's Nick Stahl and HIGHLANDER and BUCKAROO BANZAI cult fave Clancy Brown face off as a poor dirt farmer and a charismatic preacher, respectively, both of whom seem to possess extraordinary supernatural gifts that neither understands, nor has the power to completely control. One is a "creature of light," while the other is a "creature of darkness," as intoned in the opening monologue by carny boss Michael J. Anderson, (of "Twin Peaks" fame, cementing the Lynchian vibe). The fact that the identity of each is never clearly or inanely foreshadowed or telegraphed to the audience, is one of "Carnivale's" many compelling hooks.

Add to the mix the usual collection of sideshow oddities, portrayed more than ably by some interesting actors: internationally renowned actor Patrick Bachau as Professor Lodz, the "blind" clairvoyant; Clea DuVall (IDENTITY and THE FACULTY) as Sophie, the tarot card reader with a telepathic yet comatose mother; Tim DeKay (BIG EDEN) as the boss' right hand man and Sophie's "love interest." And yes, there's a set of cojoined twins, a bearded lady, a tattooed "monkey man" with a tail (if that's what he is.) Even genre staple Adrienne Barbeau gets into the act as the mother of the strongman, (and if the previews are any indication, her part in all of this gets MUCH bigger later on.)

We even get the shamefully underused and underrated John Savage, in some mysterious and creepy flashbacks that seem to combine visions that would have not been out of place in any of Ken Russell's films, (particularly TOMMY or ALTERED STATES.)

This is the kind of television that TV rarely does anymore, dark, gritty, disturbingly inventive. No wonder the networks are slowly dying, since cable is quickly becoming a safe haven for filmmakers who dare to take the kinds of risks that make their audiences think "outside the box."

I only hope that "Carnivale" will continue to sustain and build upon the premise and the promise it presents in the first episode.