Carnivàle Poster

Carnivàle (TV Series 2003–2005)

TV_MA  60 min  -  Drama | Fantasy | Mystery
8.8
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Ratings: 8.8/10 from 14,492 users  
Reviews: 91 user | 28 critic

During the Great Depression, an Oklahoma farm boy and a charismatic minister learn that they are key players in a proxy war being fought between Heaven and Hell.

Creator:

Daniel Knauf
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Season:

2 | 1

Year:

2005 | 2003
Won 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 9 wins & 25 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Series cast summary:
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 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 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)
Robert Knepper ...
Tommy Dolan (13 episodes, 2003-2005)
Michael Stellman ...
Fire Eater (13 episodes, 2003-2005)
John Fleck ...
Gecko (12 episodes, 2003)
Karyne Steben Karyne Steben ...
Alexandria (12 episodes, 2003)
John Carroll Lynch ...
Varlyn Stroud (12 episodes, 2005)
Sarah Steben Sarah Steben ...
Caladonia (12 episodes, 2003)
Blake Shields ...
Osgood (12 episodes, 2003-2005)
Larry Vigus ...
Carny (12 episodes, 2003)
Nicholas Garren Nicholas Garren ...
Roustie (11 episodes, 2005)
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Storyline

1934, America. The Dustbowl. A fugitive named Ben Hawkins finds refuge within a traveling carnival comprised of a tarot card reader and her catatonic/telekinetic mother, a blind mentalist, a bearded lady, and conjoined twins, amongst others. The carnival is owned by the mysterious and unseen Management, who has designs on the young Hawkins, for the boy is concealing an untapped gift: he can heal the lame and raise the dead--at a price. Ben also finds himself disturbed by cryptic and prophetic dreams, which he shares with a Methodist preacher in California, Brother Justin Crowe. Brother Justin, convinced by his dreams he is following God's will, has begun to practice his own extraordinary talents, although the preacher's plans increasingly lead to disturbing and tragic consequences. In this "last great age of magic," Ben Hawkins and Justin Crowe are moving toward a great conflict between Good and Evil, although it not yet clear on which sides these men will stand. Written by matta2k  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Preacher | Carnival | God | California | Great Depression  | See more »

Taglines:

Their journey. Their battle. Our future. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

HBO | Add/edit official sites  »

Country:

USA

Language:

French | Russian | English | German

Also Known As:

La feria ambulante See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

(24 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

While ratings began agreeably, by the end of the first season they were down significantly. During the second season, the ratings slowly rose toward the end; however, the show became increasingly expensive to produce at the same time. Many fans suspected that, due to HBO's tradition of carrying shows through to an end, and Daniel Knauf's six-year-plan, the show would be renewed, but in May 2005, it was leaked that the series would not be returning for another season. HBO confirmed that the show had been canceled on 11 May 2005. The show's ending after its second season and leaving so many plot lines unfinished has outraged many viewers. Some of them organized petitions and mailing drives to HBO to get the shows renewed. According to HBO's president this generated 50,000 emails in one weekend to the network. See more »

Goofs

Factual errors: The "Russian" that Iris and Justin are speaking is actually gibberish. See more »

Quotes

Justin: Ye offspring of serpents, who warned you to flee the wrath to come?
See more »

Connections

Featured in Making 'Carnivàle': The Show Behind the Show (2003) See more »