lhunt-9 There is ample evidence that we are presently inhabiting a golden age of television production. I have just completed episode 12, season 2 of Carnivàle. Clearly, the series is only establishing itself at this point. The primary quality metrics I employ are (1) how much do I think about the program when I'm not watching it? (2) How high has it moved up on my list of free-time priorities? and (3) How much do I care about the characters and how events develop? On these three metrics, Carnivàle ranks as (1) a constant daily companion in my thoughts; (2) the most important thing I do in my free time; and (3) introducing me to characters I am only starting to know, want to stay with much longer, and get to know much, much better. May I add that something magical must have happened at this program's auditions? Every character/actor match was inspired. I know that the descriptor "unique" has frequently been applied to this series, and it is an appropriate choice. I can think of no other program that has (1) captured and developed the era of the dustbowl; (2) delved into the world of an itinerant, socially marginal subculture and brought it to life; (3) developed a unique (allegorical) mythology that says something authentic about our actual nature as humans; (4) left me thinking long afterwards about the themes explored by each episode; (5) so gloriously revelled in the magic and mystery of human differences and uniqueness; and, perhaps above all, (6) inspired me with regards to the importance and possibly lasting significance of the moral and spiritual struggles of daily life. If I were to fall into a small fortune tomorrow, I would consider using it to develop Carnivàle's seasons 3-6, as had originally been planned for this series. Bring it back? Carnivàle still lives. Somewhere out there, it is real, even now. I'd sure like to return it to the screen.

BlueRoseNya I've been watching Carnivàle at least once a year since I borrowed the DVD box from a friend in 2007. I'm a mood junkie, and to me art is something that makes you feel. So far only a few TV series have been able to take me to another world. Carnivàle does it every time. The atmosphere is fantastic: every picture is beautifully shot, every sound is perfect. I love the soundtrack. The writers did an excellent job and the language the characters use is authentic and really funny. The costumes, the locations, everything is just perfection. The acting, casting and directing are superb. Every single character is well developed and I can honestly say that I think they're all great, even the small supporting roles. The storyline is also excellent. It was written in its whole like a novel with 3 volumes. The TV series covers the first volume. There were supposed to be 6 seasons until HBO decided not to make the next chapters. Funnily enough, on the DVD special features is an interview from after the first season where Dan Knauf explains that it's a novel and he points out that it would be awful to start reading a novel and someone takes it out of your hands when you've only read half of it, and he jokes and says how lucky he is that HBO wants to tell his whole story. Tragic! However, at this point, if you surf a bit, it's possible to find information on how the story was supposed to unfold, so that gives some kind of closure after all these years.One more thing there is to say about Carnivàle, if you haven't seen it yet, it needs to be watched several times because it's so multi-layered. And it builds up slowly, but this really pays off for the depth of the story and characters later on, something that is very rare to see on a screen. And of course, it's unfinished but it's still very much worth it and a beautiful experience.

Red_Identity Well then... Season 1 managed to be moodier, have a more distinct atmosphere, was overall probably more unconventional than Season 2. I thought the first 5 episodes of Season 2 were somewhat lacking in the magic of Season 1, as well as making everything over-the-top and perhaps spelling stuff out to audiences a little too much. From "The Road to Damascus" and onwards though, the show hit a stride that not even Season 1 hit. Sure, the show wasn't as atmospheric as Season 1 any more, but it really plotted the story lines brilliantly. Whereas before the show had shown its slower-paced tendencies, it began to up the tension and pace in a way that didn't betray what the show was about. It was never full- out crazy, but everything really came together amazingly. I would usually mind all of the chasing shenanigans in the finale, but by that I didn't want Justin to die. I don't know, there's something so beautiful about endings that are left unresolved, even with shows that actually planed series finales. There's shows where you need to have everything resolved, but other times I feel like you don't need it. In a way, leaving stuff open-ended provides a better story up for imagination and speculation. The final shot really should've been Iris looking at the cornfields dying. Amazing. I also want to say that the Jonesey/Libby stuff ended up being perfect. Some amazing development there. GRADE A for Season TwoAnd I just read about what the characters' fates were supposed to be. So Sofie didn't want to kill Jonesy, and Season 3 would be about a power struggle between Iris and Sofie, with a kid in the household and the parents being unknown? Amazing.Season 1, I preferred the carnival stuff. Season 2 I preferred the Justin/Iris stuff. Both Brown and Madigan are the easy MVPs of the show, and their work in Season 2 was just outstanding. As for the show overall, it's flawed, incredibly so at times. Season 1 has a lot of spots where it drags, where it seems as if it's unsure of where to go, and the first few episodes of Season 2 are a bit too cartoonish and the more OTT tone gets some getting used to. Saying that however, I think this is an amazing show. The contrast between the styles of both seasons compliment each other incredibly well. Season 1 most closely resembles the sort of off-kilter vibe Twin Peaks gave off, while Season 2 moves away from that and really delivers on the story lines on all cylinders. While I cherish both, I think the second half of Season 2 is pretty masterful and I prefer the season overall. This really deserves a better reputation, and it deserves the kind of rabid cult following

KineticSeoul This is one of those series that has a fantastic start and goes downhill from there. But was still really looking forward to how everything unfolds and ends. Which as an audience will not get, since like many shows it just got cancelled. Which is something a lot of viewers dread, but it happens. Like I said, the first season had this cool psychodelic and mysterious vibe that drew me into the world. Even though I couldn't get the main direction of it all. It was a great season. It was like watching a fantasy story from one of Stephen King's books. And thus looked forward to the second season, which gets tedious, but still a alright watch. And the series ends in a cliffhanger after that. Don't watch this series if you don't want to be upset, even if the first season is great. I give this show a 6.8, because although the first season is awesome the second season is just alright and it got cancelled.6.8/10