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IMDbPro

Carnivàle

  • TV Series
  • 2003–20052003–2005
  • TV-MATV-MA
  • 55m
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
45K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,519
29
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
1,519
29
    • 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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    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
    HBO does it again...
    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.
    helpful•204
    18
    • cchase
    • Sep 18, 2003

    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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