Carnivàle Revisited: Is This HBO’s Strangest Show? | HBO

CArnivàle premiered on HBO in 2003 and was canceled after only two seasons. In the immediate aftermath of the show, this decision was protested by the small but dedicated cult that had built up after the show (to the tune of 50,000 emails).

But in the years since, as the scope of television has expanded and the taste for obscure television has waned, Carnivàle now seems little more than a minor curio in HBO’s ever-expanding back catalog. So what is this antique?

Carnivàle follows the exploits of the titular carnival as they travel through the American dust bowl in the 1930s. At the beginning of the series, these nomads capture Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl), an ex-con with a mysterious past (and inexplicable powers). Intertwined in the show is the contradictory story of Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown), a preacher who finds himself on the receiving end of foreboding nightmarish visions that convince him that he is a messenger of God: a man with a divine purpose.

Throughout most of the series, these two stories never physically intersect, except within the confines of dreams shared by Hawkins and Crowe. Their contrasting tales make the mythic, existential battle between good and evil exist beneath Carnevale’s literal narrative. It’s reminiscent of the broad, full scope of Stephen King’s early novels – or perhaps more relevantly Carnivàle, the surreal tradition of Twin Peaks. The viewer knows that Hawkins and Crowe’s worlds will eventually collide, and when they do, the effects will be cosmic.

What makes the show special is the way this otherworldly tone is combined with what is, at its core, a very traditional piece of music. Screenwriter Ronald D. Moore helmed much of Carnivàle’s first season before leaving to create Battlestar Galactica, and his sensibilities — deeply attuned to the character, fascinated by human folly — inform a lot of this season’s slow burn. The show luxuriates in the texture of the carnival itself and the small-scale human drama of its troupe.

It’s also worth noting how amazing the production is. Many of the show’s regular directors — the likes of Jeremy Podeswa, Jack Bender and John Patterson — cut their teeth working on The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, and would later go on to helm notable television episodes on series like Lost and Game of Thrones; There’s also a late episode directed by Tár’s Todd Field. As a result, Carnivàle’s visual style is always hypnotic – and yes, Lynchian. There are strange conversations between various members of the carnival and “Management,” an invisible, all-seeing figure whom we only know through her tense voice residing in the shadows behind the curtain. Then there are the show’s many dream sequences, which move from the ethereal to the downright horrific, presenting us with images of war, blood pouring down on a tortured preacher, and a nuclear explosion.

Having discovered the series again this year, it has already found its place among my favorite TV shows. Carnivàle’s sideshow of bizarre characters; and the dense theological mysteries that lie at its centre; Its sublime cinematic style: all these elements come together to create a unique experience. A word of warning: canceling early will leave you aching for more.

• Carnivàle is available to stream on HBO Max in Australia and the US, and on Now in the UK. For more recommendations on what to stream in Australia, click here