Carnivàle Poster

Carnivàle (2003–2005)

TV Series  -  TV_MA 60 min  -  Drama | Fantasy | Mystery
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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 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)
Linda Hunt ...
Management (10 episodes, 2003-2005)
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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

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, Anderson plays the head of a traveling carnival. See more »

Goofs

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

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.
See more »

Connections

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