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IMDbPro

Carnivàle

  • TV Series
  • 2003–20052003–2005
  • TV-MATV-MA
  • 55m
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
45K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,438
81
Carnivàle (2003)
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.
Play trailer3:32
1 Video
94 Photos
DramaFantasyMystery
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
45K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,438
81
    • Daniel Knauf
  • Stars
    • Michael J. Anderson
    • Adrienne Barbeau
    • Clancy Brown
    • Daniel Knauf
  • Stars
    • Michael J. Anderson
    • Adrienne Barbeau
    • Clancy Brown
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 156User reviews
    • 35Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 5 Primetime Emmys

    Episodes24

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos1

    DVD Trailer - Season 1
    Trailer 3:32
    Watch DVD Trailer - Season 1

    Photos94

    Michael J. Anderson in Carnivàle (2003)
    Adrienne Barbeau in Carnivàle (2003)
    Nick Stahl in Carnivàle (2003)
    Clea DuVall and Cynthia Ettinger in Carnivàle (2003)
    Carnivàle (2003)
    Cynthia Ettinger and Carla Gallo in Carnivàle (2003)
    Tim DeKay and Carla Gallo in Carnivàle (2003)
    Ralph Waite in Carnivàle (2003)
    Tim DeKay in Carnivàle (2003)
    Clancy Brown in Carnivàle (2003)
    Clancy Brown in Carnivàle (2003)
    Michael J. Anderson in Carnivàle (2003)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael J. Anderson
    Michael J. Anderson
    • Samson
    Adrienne Barbeau
    Adrienne Barbeau
    • Ruthie
    Clancy Brown
    Clancy Brown
    • Brother Justin Crowe
    Debra Christofferson
    Debra Christofferson
    • Lila
    Tim DeKay
    Tim DeKay
    • Clayton 'Jonesy' Jones
    Clea DuVall
    Clea DuVall
    • Sofie
    Cynthia Ettinger
    Cynthia Ettinger
    • Rita Sue Dreifuss
    Carla Gallo
    Carla Gallo
    • Libby Dreifuss
    Toby Huss
    Toby Huss
    • Felix 'Stumpy' Dreifuss
    Amy Madigan
    Amy Madigan
    • Iris Crowe
    Nick Stahl
    Nick Stahl
    • Ben Hawkins
    Brian Turk
    Brian Turk
    • Gabriel
    Diane Salinger
    Diane Salinger
    • Apollonia
    Patrick Bauchau
    Patrick Bauchau
    • Professor Ernst Lodz
    Ralph Waite
    Ralph Waite
    • Reverend Norman Balthus
    John Savage
    John Savage
    • Henry 'Hack' Scudder
    Scott MacDonald
    Scott MacDonald
    • Burley
    Robert Knepper
    Robert Knepper
    • Tommy Dolan
      • Daniel Knauf
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Carnivale
    Carnivale

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Michael J. Anderson, who plays the head of the carnival, was previously a guest star on The X-Files "Humbug"Humbug (1995) in which he played a hotel owner who was offended when Mulder mistook him for a worker at the nearby carnival.
    • Goofs
      Whenever "Russian" dialogue is heard, most of it is just gibberish.
    • 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.

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

    User reviews156

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Story and Character driven Masterpiece!
    Carnivale will take you on a journey beyond the normal human boundaries into a world where weirdness and metaphysical wonders will capture your imagination. Once hooked in from the beginning, it is a feast in every sense of the word as you will keep wondering how it will unfold, what course of events will follow. Definitely a story for thirsty adults who are bored with plot driven formulas, and long to enter a world of magic. The acting, visuals, and story delivers!

    The story focuses on Ben Hawkins, a young man who knows he has the power to heal set in the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. Ben is "lost" and picked up by a traveling Carnivale where seen by the unseen management who spots what Ben really is. Ben's healing power can bring you back from the dead, not just heal you from being crippled as seen in the very first episode, which completely hooked me and I only saw the last few minutes of the show.

    Ben must come to understand how to use his gift and exactly what seems to happen when the "avatar energy" comes through him. There is conflict inside Ben that creates the back drop for the rest of the story as he figures out who he is. The images inside Ben's mind are both artful and intriguing which keep you wanting to know more. In Carnivale the characters grow and develop, each weaving a wondrous part in the tapestry of good and evil.

    Some say Carnivale starts out slow, however the level of acting, and story telling delivers past the point fascination, and nothing else out there even comes close!!
    helpful•18
    1
    • snowboarder1957
    • May 4, 2006

    FAQ3

    • How does the magic work in Carnivale? What are Avatars?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 14, 2003 (United States)
      • United States
      • HBO
      • English
      • Russian
      • French
      • German
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • California State University Channel Islands - One University Drive, Camarillo, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • 3 Arts Entertainment
      • Home Box Office (HBO)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 55 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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