from Drew Deitch
| Published
There are only a few shows that come into your life that feel truly special. It’s like someone has finally tapped into a bigger idea that you’ve always wanted to see come to fruition in the long run. Carnival them it was this show for me. It only aired for two seasons HBO in 2003 this historical horror fantasy epic managed to bring something to the television landscape that has never yet been replicated at its best.
Every prophet in his home
To describe the main story of Carnival them won’t do justice to the larger cast of characters, but the basic premise follows two men, Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) and Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown) and their awakening to a number of supernatural abilities and events. Set during the Great Depression in the midst of the Dust Bowl, the series uses these two characters to explore an ancient battle between two magical forces and the sense of impending apocalypse that colors this dilapidated America.
Ben becomes part of a traveling carnival, and this is where the ensemble nature of the show often comes into play. Carnival them allows for a rich and varied tapestry of characters and stories that are often not directly connected to the larger supernatural story in the game. This is often seen as one of the main criticisms viewers have of the show, but the humanity and heart of the show’s cast of misfits is what gives it much of its power.
However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Brother Justin is one of the best roles Clancy Brown has played in his entire career. His story dives into the depths of corruption, sin and evil as he realizes his purpose for the power he wields. This is an amazing character that should be considered one of the true unsung great villains of television. Brother Justin is worth the price of admission Carnival them alone.
The lingering horror of Carnival
But I specifically called Carnival them horror series and that’s where I want to focus. There are a number of dreams/visions and downright weird supernatural moments in the series. I don’t want to spoil them all for anyone who may be discovering the series for the first time, but I will say that the picture above is a moment that has stuck with me since I first watched the series. It’s one of the most haunting conclusions to a story I’ve ever seen played out in a mainstream TV series, and it still gives me the chills today.
The big bummer is that the series was canceled after the end of its second season on a huge and game-changing issue that will never be resolved. Unfortunately, it feels that way Lost it took a lot of money Carnival them since this series debuted in 2004. and did a better job of capturing a larger audience for a mysterious and seemingly magical epic TV show.
There will never be a real conclusion at this point Carnival them. Too much time has passed to film something that could feature most of the original cast. It’s always possible that a series reboot or something could happen, but there’s very little chance that it will capture the specific power that the original series still inspires. Instead, the best thing to do is stream the show to Max and celebrate what we have. It is certainly much better than Losta show that I watched in its entirety and only left me wanting more Carnival them.
