Carnivàle (2003-2005)Fantasy/Drama; USA
24 episodes
In the realm of television shows that have been done dirty by their networks, Carnivàle is probably the hardest pill to swallow of them all. With all the potential this series had, the fact that HBO let it go after only 2 seasons is a crime against humanity. As such, only 2 of the planned 6-season story arc made it to film, which is a real shame because it could have been so epic!
Even so, the 2 seasons that do exist are some of the best television ever - period. Chances are you've never seen anything else like it. It's eerie, dark, sleazy, magical and engrossing. It's set in America's dustbowl in the 1930s - the last great age of magic, as they say in the show - when the old world is dying and the new world is taking root. The story centers around a traveling carnival filled with freaks, geeks, hicks, bearded ladies, psychics and floozies dancing the cootch, but also contains a parallel storyline focused on an evangelical preacher with a strange gift and questionable intentions. Over time, the two seemingly separate stories begin to merge together and the result is amazing. The pacing is slow, but each consecutive episode builds and builds, so the story and the mythology unfold over time. By the end of the first season, you will be completely immersed in the world and you'll start cursing the fact that there's only 12 more episodes left and that's it for the rest of eternity. I can't believe they made 6 seasons of the fuckin' Sopranos, but couldn't even give this show a proper run. Not that I'm hating on The Sopranos - it's just that Carnivàle is on a whole other level. Watch and you'll see.
Fuckin' Italians.
Give this some time if you're into: forgotten magic, weird Gnostic, Christian and Masonic myths, alternate histories, dark vs. light stories, fantasy, just plain old bomb storytelling.
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