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"Carnivàle"
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"Carnivàle" (2003) More at IMDbPro »TV series 2003-2005

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Overview

User Rating:
9.1/10   7,107 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Creator:
Daniel Knauf
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Contact:
View company contact information for Carnivàle on IMDbPro.
Seasons:
1 | 2 full episode list
Tagline:
Into each generation is born a creature of light and a creature of darkness. more
Plot:
1934, America. The Dustbowl. A fugitive named Ben Hawkins finds refuge within a traveling carnival comprised... more
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 9 wins & 25 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Linda Hunt joins "NCIS: Los Angeles"
 (From AfterEllen.com. 19 June 2009, 12:00 PM, PDT)

Prison Break Vet Joins Heroes
 (From TheMovingPicture. 3 June 2009, 9:50 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
HBO does it again... more

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 27 of 82)
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)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"La feria ambulante" (USA: Spanish title)
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Runtime:
60 min (24 episodes)
Country:
USA
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1 more
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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
According to the DVD audio commentary, the Russian soldier's (Michael Massee) name is Lucius Belyakov. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In Episode 20, Stumpy invites Jonesy to dinner as the talk next to the Colossus Wheel. Near the end of the conversation, Jonesy's hair parts to the other side. more
Quotes:
Justin: The clock is ticking, brothers and sisters, counting down to Armageddon. The worm reveals himself in many guises across this once great land; from the intellectual elite cruelly indoctrinating our children with the savage blasphemy of Darwin, to the craven Hollywood pagans... more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Making 'Carnivàle': The Show Behind the Show (2003) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
128 out of 135 people found the following comment useful:-
HBO does it again..., 18 September 2003
Author: Christopher T. Chase (cchase@onebox.com) from Arlington, VA.

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.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
just started! andross4202000
so wait... (major spoilers) Xcaughta
4 years have passed.. felipemanzur21
Brother Justin Goes crazy. (Spoilers) mamartin3
The mask maker..... littlenilloc
Last Episode Question **MAJOR FRIGGIN SPOILERS** thebendsguitarist
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