Carnivàle is an American drama which aired on HBO in 2003. The pilot episode set a viewership record and the series was nominated for multiple Emmy awards.
With shows like ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘Sex and the City’ ending, HBO needed to find the next big thing quickly and the studio backed Carnivàle heavily.
The series was a confusing fantasy period drama which was unable to hold the viewer’s interest and was cancelled after its second season. Is it a hidden gem worth watching now? Read on for a complete review.
1. Article Summary
Daniel Knauf’s series revolved around the life of the members of a travelling carnival, set in 1930’s America. The show managed to re-create a bleak atmosphere of the Great Depression-era and the Dust Bowl with exceptional set design, makeup and score.
The show’s main plotline took too long to come to fruition. It was loaded with unnecessary and confounding details and side characters leading to a loss in viewership and its cancellation.
2. Is it Worth Watching?
Creator David Knauf described the series as “The Grapes of Wrath meets David Lynch”. It combined elements of the surreal and themes from Christianity and the Knights Templar to create a fantasy storyline revolving around two men with opposite morals.
HBO desperately searching for its next big thing budgeted around 4 million dollars per episode. While the show was visually brilliant, HBO was unable to salvage something from the confusing slow-burning storyline.
I. Plot
The first episode laid great emphasis on a war between good and evil that needed to be fought in each generation. The story revolves around two principal characters- Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) and Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown).
Nick is a fugitive who joins a travelling caravan after the death of his mother near his home in Oklahoma. He realises that he possesses the ability to heal sick people and even bring back animals from the dead. Soon, he begins having visions and dreams telling him to meet a drifter named Henry who possessed abilities similar to him.
In California, we meet the Methodist preacher Justin Crowe who is leading his congregation down a dark path. He also begins to have similar dreams and slowly realizes that he can control people’s will and haunt them with visions of their worst nightmares and fears.
As Ben and his carnival draw closer, the series sets up an ultimate showdown between the two men in which only one will triumph. The arc only culminates very late in the second season and by that time most viewers had given up and stopped watching the show.
II. Visuals & Music
Due to the strong financial backing from HBO, Carnivàle’s production design and makeup are extensively researched and historically accurate. To recreate the dry and dusty atmosphere of the Dust Bowl in America, smoke and dust were blown on the set through tubes.
The actors’ clothes were ragged and dirty and their faces always covered with dirt. People praised the show’s impeccable look and design, which won 4 Emmys in 2004 for cinematography, hairstyling, costume, and art direction.
Jeff Beal produced an acoustic score mixed with electronic atmospheric effects. Instruments such as banjos, ukuleles and cellos were also used. The title track was written by Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melovin under Beal.
3. Final Thoughts
Although the series had great promise, it couldn’t live up to the expectations due to weak writing and a confusing story line. There is a colourful collection of side characters in the travelling carnival. The series often shifts its attention to them instead of the main protagonists.
Ben and Justin’s story lines converge very slowly and the first season feels like so much of a drag that most of the regular viewers don’t bother watching the second season.
Knauf had stated that he wanted to create six seasons divided as three books, each two seasons long. Due to the massive drop in viewership and the huge financial cost of keeping the show running HBO pulled the plug after season two.
Due to the abrupt ending of the show, there were several characters whose fate was left hanging in the season finale. This leaves you feeling unsatisfied after devoting hours to the show. Although some fans started various petitions and mail-chains, they never succeeded in bringing the show back. Eventually, the makers released some details regarding some of the story arcs but, overall it’s not worth immersing yourself in this boring and incomplete series.
The vast majority of the original viewers and the studio executives weren’t wrong when they shunned this series. Even if you have the patience to enjoy the niche, the unfinished story will leave you regretting your decision to watch this show.
4. Grade
Story: B
Cinematography/Animation: A+
Acting: B+
Music: A-
Direction: B+
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