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Carniv�le
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For other uses, see Carnival (disambiguation).
Carniv�le
Carnivale title.jpg
Genre Dark fantasy
Drama
Mystery
Created by Daniel Knauf
Starring Michael J. Anderson
Adrienne Barbeau
Patrick Bauchau
Clancy Brown
Debra Christofferson
Tim DeKay
Clea DuVall
Cynthia Ettinger
John Fleck
Carla Gallo
Toby Huss
Amy Madigan
Diane Salinger
Nick Stahl
Karyne Steben
Sarah Steben
Brian Turk
Ralph Waite
Theme music composer Wendy Melvoin
Lisa Coleman
Composer(s) Jeff Beal
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 24 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Howard Klein
Daniel Knauf
Ronald D. Moore
Production location(s) California
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 45�60 minutes
Production company(s) 3 Arts Entertainment
Release
Original network HBO
Original release September 7, 2003 � March 27, 2005
Carniv�le /k??rn?'v�l/[1] is an American television series set in the United States
during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. In tracing the lives of two disparate
groups of people, its story depicts the battle between good and evil and the
struggle between free will and destiny; the storyline mixes Christian theology with
gnosticism and Masonic lore, particularly that of the Knights Templar. It was
filmed in Santa Clarita, California, and other Southern California locations.

Carniv�le was produced by HBO and ran for two seasons between September 14, 2003
and March 27, 2005. It was created by Daniel Knauf, who also served as executive
producer with Ronald D. Moore and Howard Klein. Jeff Beal composed the incidental
music. Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown starred as Ben Hawkins and Brother Justin Crowe,
respectively.

Early reviews praised the style of Carniv�le but questioned the approach and
execution of the story. Its first episode set a new audience record for an HBO
original series,[2] but was unable to retain its ratings in its second season. It
was canceled after 24 episodes, cutting its intended six-season run short by four
seasons. It won five Emmys out of fifteen nominations in 2004, and received
numerous other nominations and awards between 2004 and 2006.[3]

Contents
1 Episodes
2 Production
2.1 Conception
2.2 Format
2.3 Historical production design
2.4 Filming locations
2.5 Opening title sequence
2.6 Music
3 Cast
3.1 Casting
4 Mythology
5 Cancellation and future
6 Marketing and merchandise
6.1 Pre-broadcast marketing
6.2 Games
6.3 DVDs
7 Reception
7.1 Ratings
7.2 Critical reviews
7.3 Fandom
7.4 Awards
7.5 International reception and broadcasters
8 Lawsuit
9 References
10 External links
Episodes
Main article: List of Carniv�le episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired Average viewership
(in millions)
First aired Last aired
1 12 September 14, 2003 November 30, 2003 3.54[4]
2 12 January 9, 2005 March 27, 2005 1.70[5]
The two seasons of Carniv�le take place in the Depression-era Dust Bowl between
1934 and 1935, and consist of two main plotlines that slowly converge. The first
involves a young man with strange healing powers named Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl),
who joins a traveling carnival when it passes near his home in Milfay, Oklahoma.
Soon thereafter, Ben begins having surrealistic dreams and visions, which set him
on the trail of a man named Henry Scudder, a drifter who crossed paths with the
carnival many years before, and who apparently possessed unusual abilities similar
to Ben's own.

The second plotline revolves around a Father Coughlin-esque Methodist preacher,


Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown), who lives with his sister Iris in California.
He shares Ben's prophetic dreams and slowly discovers the extent of his own
unearthly powers, which include bending human beings to his will and making their
sins and greatest evils manifest as terrifying visions. Certain that he is doing
God's work, Brother Justin fully devotes himself to his religious duties, not
realizing that his ultimate nemesis Ben Hawkins and the carnival are inexorably
drawing closer.

Production
Conception

Show creator Daniel Knauf


Daniel Knauf conceived the initial script for the show between 1990 and 1992 when
he was unsatisfied with his job as a Californian health insurance broker and hoped
to become a screenwriter. He had always been interested in carnivals and noted that
this subject had rarely been dramatized on film. Knauf's experiences of growing up
with a disabled father who was not commonly accepted as a normal human strongly
informed the story and its treatment of freaks.[6][7][8]

Knauf named the intended feature film script Carniv�le, using an unusual spelling
for a more outlandish look. Knauf had plotted the story's broad strokes as well as
several plot details from early on and knew the story destination until the final
scene. However, the resulting 180-page long script was twice the length of a
typical feature film script, and Knauf still felt that it was too short to do his
story justice. He therefore shelved the screenplay as a learning experience. In the
meantime, Hollywood studios rejected all but one of Knauf's other scripts, often
for being "too weird."[6][8]

In the mid-1990s, Knauf met a few Writers Guild TV writers who encouraged him to
revise Carniv�le as a TV series. Knauf turned the script's first act into a pilot
episode, but, having no contacts in the television business, he was forced to
shelve the project again and return to his regular job. A few years later, after
realizing that his insurance career was not working out, he decided to give his
screenwriting efforts a last chance by offering the Carniv�le pilot on his website.
The script was subsequently forwarded to Howard Klein by Scott Winant, a mutual
friend of the two men. After several meetings and conversations, Klein felt
confident that Carniv�le would make a good episodic television series that could
last for many years. Klein brought it to the attention of Chris Albrecht and
Carolyn Strauss of HBO, who were immediately receptive.[6][9][10][11] The network
deemed Knauf too inexperienced in the television business to give him full control
over the budget, and appointed Ronald D. Moore as showrunner. (Knauf replaced Moore
after one season when Moore left for the reimagined Battlestar Galactica.)[12]

The pilot episode, which was filmed over a period of 21 days, served as the basis
for additional tweaking of intended story lines. Long creative discussions took
place among the writers and the network, leading to the postponement of the filming
of the second episode for fourteen months.[13] One major change was the addition of
extra material for Brother Justin's side of the story. Brother Justin was
originally conceived as a well-established preacher, and as a recurring character
rather than a regular one. However, after perusing the preliminary version of the
pilot, Knauf and the producers realized that there was no room for Justin to grow
in a television series. Hence, it was decided to make Brother Justin an ordinary
Methodist minister in a small town, setting him back in his career by about one or
two years. Expanding Brother Justin's role opened new possibilities, and his sister
Iris was created as a supporting character. Little was changed on Ben Hawkins' side
except for the addition of the cootch (striptease) family; a Carniv�le consultant
had elated the producers by calling attention to his research about families
managing cootch shows in the 1930s.[14][15]

Format
The Carniv�le story was originally intended to be a trilogy of "books", consisting
of two seasons each.[12] This plan did not come to fruition, as HBO canceled the
show after the first two seasons.[16] Each season consists of twelve episodes.

Airing on HBO benefited Carniv�le in several ways. Because HBO does not rely on
commercial breaks, Carniv�le had the artistic freedom to vary in episode length.
Although the episodes averaged a runtime of 54 minutes, the episodes "Insomnia" and
"Old Cherry Blossom Road" were 46 minutes and 59 minutes, respectively. HBO
budgeted approximately US$4 million for each episode, considerably more than most
television series receive.[17][18]

Historical production design


Carniv�le's 1930s' Dust Bowl setting required significant research and historical
consultants to be convincing, which was made possible with HBO's strong financial
backing. As a result, reviews praised the look and production design of the show as
"impeccable,"[19] "spectacular"[20] and as "an absolute visual stunner."[21] In
2004, Carniv�le won four Emmys for art direction, cinematography, costumes, and
hairstyling.[22]

To give a sense of the dry and dusty environment of the Dust Bowl, smoke and dirt
were constantly blown through tubes onto the set. The actors' clothes were ragged
and drenched in dirt, and Carniv�le had approximately 5,000 people costumed in the
show's first season alone. The creative team listened to 1930s' music and radio and
read old Hollywood magazines to get the period's sound, language, and slang right.
The art department had an extensive research library of old catalogs, among them an
original 1934 Sears Catalog, which were purchased at flea markets and antique
stores. The East European background of some characters and Asian themes in Brother
Justin's story were incorporated into the show. Aside from the show's supernatural
elements, a historical consultant deemed Carniv�le's historic accuracy to be
excellent regarding the characters' lives and clothes, their food and
accommodations, their cars and all the material culture.[7][23][24]

Filming locations
Carniv�le's interiors were filmed at Santa Clarita Studios in Santa Clarita,
California, while the show's many exterior scenes were filmed on Southern
California locations. The scenes of fictional California town of Mintern, where the
stories about Brother Justin and Iris in Season 1 were based, were shot at
Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills. The carnival set itself was moved around the
greater Southern California area, to movie ranches and to Lancaster, which were to
replicate the states of Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. The permanent filming
location of the carnival in Season 2 was Big Sky Ranch, which was also used for
Brother Justin's new home in fictional New Canaan.[25]

Opening title sequence


Further information: Mythology of Carniv�le � Tarot divination
Carniv�le's opening title sequence was created by A52, a visual effects and design
company based in Los Angeles, and featured music composed by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa
Coleman.[26] The opening title sequence won an Emmy for "Outstanding Main Title
Design" in 2004.[22]

One frame of Carniv�le's opening title sequence


The production team of A52 had intended to "create a title sequence that grounded
viewers in the mid-1930s, but that also allowed people to feel a larger presence of
good and evil over all of time."[26] A52 then pitched their idea to Carniv�le
executives in early 2003, who felt that the company's proposal was the most
creative for the series' concept. The actual production included scanned
transparencies of famous pieces of artwork, each scanned transparency being up to
300 MB in size. The resulting images were photoshopped and digitally rendered. A
last step involved stock footage clips being compiled and digitally incorporated
into the sequence.[26]

The opening title sequence itself begins with a deck of Tarot cards falling into
the sand, while the camera moves in and enters one card into a separate world
presenting layers of artwork and footage from iconic moments of the American
Depression era; the camera then moves back out of a different card and repeats the
procedure several times. The sequence ends with the camera shifting from the
"Judgement" Tarot card to the "Moon" and the "Sun", identifying the Devil and God
respectively, until the wind blows away all cards and the underlying sand to reveal
the Carniv�le title artwork.[26]

Music
Carniv�le features instrumental music composed by Jeff Beal, as well as many
popular or obscure songs from the 1920s and 1930s, the time when Carniv�le's story
takes place. The main title was written by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, and was
released with selected themes by Jeff Beal on a Carniv�le television soundtrack by
the record label Var�se Sarabande on December 7, 2004. Beal released tracks of
Season 2 on his personal website.[27] A complete list of music credits is available
on the official HBO website.[28]

Jeff Beal's score is primarily acoustic sounding electronics, but mixes themes of
bluegrass as well as atmospheric rhythmic sounds. Bigger groups of strings support
smaller ensembles of guitars, pianos, violins, cellos, and trumpets. The music
sometimes uses ethnic instruments such as banjos, harmonicas, ukuleles, and duduks.
[29]

Because HBO does not break individual episodes with commercials, Carniv�le's music
is paced similar to a movie, with character-specific leitmotifs from as early as
the first episode. Characters are musically identified by solo instruments chosen
for the character's ethnic background or nature. Some characters whose connections
are only disclosed later in the series have intentionally similar themes.[30]

Different music is consciously used to represent the two different worlds of the
story. Brother Justin's world features music of constructed orchestral sound with
religious music and instruments. On the other hand, the score of the carnival side
is more deconstructed and mystical, especially when the carnival travels through
the Dust Bowl and remote towns. For carnival scenes taking place in the cootch
(striptease) show or in cities, however, contemporary pop music, blues, folk, and
ethnic music is played.[29][31] One of the most defining songs of Carniv�le is the
1920s song "Love Me or Leave Me" sung by Ruth Etting, which is used in several
episodes to tie characters in the two worlds thematically.[30]

Cast
Main article: Characters of Carniv�le

From left to right � front row: Lodz, Lila, Libby, Caladonia and Alexandria,
Apollonia, Sofie, Ben Hawkins, Jonesy, Iris, Brother Justin � back row: Dora Mae,
Rita Sue, Stumpy, Ruthie, Gecko, Samson
The plot of Carniv�le takes place in the 1930s Dust Bowl and revolves around the
slowly converging storylines of a traveling carnival and a Californian preacher.
Out of the 17 actors receiving star billing in the first season, 15 were part of
the carnival storyline. The second season amounted to 13 main cast members,
supplemented by several actors in recurring roles. Although such large casts make
shows more expensive to produce, the writers are benefited with more flexibility in
story decisions.[32] The backgrounds of most characters were fully developed before
the filming of Carniv�le began but were not part of the show's visible structure.
The audience therefore only learned more about the characters as a natural aspect
in the story.[6]

Season 1's first storyline is led by Nick Stahl portraying the protagonist Ben
Hawkins, a young Okie farmer who joins a traveling carnival. Michael J. Anderson
played Samson, the diminutive manager of the carnival. Tim DeKay portrayed Clayton
"Jonesy" Jones, the crippled chief roustabout. Patrick Bauchau acted as the
carnival's blind mentalist Lodz, while Debra Christofferson played his lover, Lila
the Bearded Lady. Diane Salinger portrayed the catatonic fortune teller Apollonia,
and Clea DuVall acted as her tarot-card-reading daughter, Sofie. Adrienne Barbeau
portrayed the snake charmer Ruthie, with Brian Turk as her son Gabriel, a
strongman. John Fleck played Gecko the Lizard Man, and Karyne and Sarah Steben
appeared as the conjoined twins Alexandria and Caladonia. The cootch show Dreifuss
family was played by Toby Huss and Cynthia Ettinger as Felix "Stumpy" and Rita Sue,
and Carla Gallo as their daughter Libby. Amanda Aday portrayed their other
daughter, Dora Mae Dreifuss, in a recurring role. John Savage played the mysterious
Henry Scudder in several episodes, while Linda Hunt lent her voice to the
mysterious Management. The second storyline is led by Clancy Brown portraying the
primary antagonist, the Methodist minister Brother Justin Crowe. Amy Madigan played
his sister Iris. Robert Knepper supported them as the successful radio host Tommy
Dolan later in the first season, while Ralph Waite had a recurring role as Reverend
Norman Balthus, Brother Justin's mentor. K Callan performed in a recurring role as
Eleanor McGill, a parishioner who became devoted to Brother Justin after seeing his
power firsthand.[33]

Several cast changes took place in Season 2, some of them planned from the
beginning.[34] John Fleck, Karyne Steben and her sister Sarah had made their last
appearance in the first season's finale, while Patrick Bauchau's and Diane
Salinger's status was reduced to guest-starring. Ralph Waite joined the regular
cast. Several new characters were introduced in recurring roles, most notably John
Carroll Lynch as the escaped convict Varlyn Stroud and Bree Walker as Sabina the
Scorpion Lady.[35]

Casting
The casting approach for Carniv�le was to cast the best available actors and to
show the characters' realness as opposed to depending on freak illusions too much.
Carniv�le's casting directors John Papsodera and Wendy O'Brien already had
experience in casting freaks from previous projects. The producers generally
preferred actors who were not strongly identified with other projects, but were
willing to make exceptions such as for Adrienne Barbeau as Ruthie.[36]

The script for the pilot episode was the basis for the casting procedure, with
little indication where the show went afterwards. This resulted in some preliminary
casting disagreements between the creators and producers, especially for leading
characters such as Ben, Brother Justin and Sofie. The character of Ben was always
intended to be the leading man and hero of the series, yet he was also desired to
display a youthful, innocent and anti-hero quality; Nick Stahl had the strongest
consensus among the producers. The character of Sofie was originally written as
more of an exotic gypsy girl, but Clea DuVall, a movie actor like Stahl, got the
part after four auditions. Tim DeKay was cast as Jonesy because the producers felt
he best portrayed a "very American" looking baseball player of that period. One of
the few actors who never had any real competition was Michael J. Anderson as
Samson, whom Daniel Knauf had wanted as early as the initial meeting.[10][36]

Mythology
Main article: Mythology of Carniv�le
Although almost every Carniv�le episode has a distinctive story with a new carnival
setting, all episodes are part of an overarching good-versus-evil story that only
culminates and resolves very late in Season 2. The pilot episode begins with a
prologue talking of "a creature of light and a creature of darkness" (also known as
Avatars) being born "to each generation" preparing for a final battle.[20]
Carniv�le does not reveal its characters as Avatars beyond insinuation, and makes
the nature of suggested Avatars a central question. Reviewers believed Ben to be a
Creature of Light and Brother Justin a Creature of Darkness.[37][38]

Other than through the characters, the show's good-and-evil theme manifests in the
series' contemporary religion, the Christian military order Knights Templar, tarot
divination, and in historical events like the Dust Bowl and humankind's first
nuclear test. The writers had established a groundwork for story arcs, character
biographies and genealogical character links before filming of the seasons began,
[39] but many of the intended clues remained unnoticed by viewers. While Ronald D.
Moore was confident that Carniv�le was one of the most complicated shows on
television,[7] Daniel Knauf reassured critics that Carniv�le was intended to be a
demanding show with a lot of subtext[40] and admitted that "you may not understand
everything that goes on but it does make a certain sense".[7] Knauf provided hints
about the show's mythological structure to online fandom both during and after the
two-season run of Carniv�le, and left fans a production summary of Carniv�le's
first season two years after cancellation.[39]

Matt Roush of TV Guide called Carniv�le "the perfect show for those who thought
Twin Peaks was too accessible".[41] The Australian said Carniv�le "seems to have
been conceived in essentially literary terms" which "can sometimes work on the page
but is deadly on the large screen, let alone a small one. It's almost like a
biblical injunction against pretension on television."[42] A reviewer admitted his
temptation to dismiss the first season of Carniv�le as "too artsy and esoteric"
because his lack of involvement prevented him from understanding "what the heck was
going on, [which] can be a problem for a dramatic television series."[43] TV Zone
however considered Carniv�le "a series like no other and [...] the fact that it is
so open to interpretation surprisingly proves to be one of its greatest
strengths."[44] Carniv�le was lauded for bringing "the hopelessness of the Great
Depression to life"[45] and for being among the first TV shows to show "unmitigated
pain and disappointment",[45] but reviewers were not confident that viewers would
find the "slowly unfolding sadness"[45] appealing over long or would have the
patience or endurance to find out the meaning of the show.[19][45]

Cancellation and future


At the time, HBO made their commitments for only one year at a time, a third season
would have meant opening up a new two-season book in Daniel Knauf's six-year plan,
including the introduction of new storylines for current and new characters, and
further clarification and elaboration on the show's mythology. HBO announced that
the show had been cancelled on May 11, 2005.[46] HBO's president Chris Albrecht
said the network would have considered otherwise if the producers had been willing
to lower the price of an episode to US$2 million; but the running costs for the
sizable cast, the all-on-location shooting and the number of episodes per season
were too enormous for them.[47]

The cancellation resulted in several story plot lines being unfinished, and
outraged loyal viewers organized petitions and mailing drives to get the show
renewed. This generated more than 50,000 emails to the network in a single weekend.
[47] Show creator Daniel Knauf was unconvinced of the success of such measures, but
explained that proposed alternatives like selling Carniv�le to a competing network
or spinning off the story were not possible because of HBO owning Carniv�le's plot
and characters. At the same time, Knauf was hopeful that, given a strong enough fan
base, HBO might reconsider the show's future and allow the continuation of the show
in another medium; but because of the amount of unused story material he still had,
Knauf did not favor finishing the Carniv�le story with a three-hour movie.[48]

Knauf did not release a detailed run-down of intended future plots to fans,
explaining that his stories are a collaboration of writers, directors and actors
alike.[49] He and the producers did, however, answer a few basic details about the
immediate fate of major characters who were left in near-fatal situations in the
final episode of Season 2. Knauf additionally provided in-depth information
regarding the underlying fictional laws of nature that the writers had not been
able to fully explore in the first two seasons. June 2007 however marked the first
time that a comprehensive work of detailed character backgrounds was made public.
Following a fundraising auction, Knauf offered fans a so-called "Pitch Document," a
summary of Carniv�le's first season. This document was originally written in 2002
and 2003 to give the writers and the studio an idea about the series' intended
plot, and answered many of the show's mysteries.[39]

Marketing and merchandise


Pre-broadcast marketing
HBO reportedly invested in Carniv�le's promotion as much as for any of its
primetime series launches. The series' unconventional and complex narrative made
the network deviate from its traditional marketing strategies. Teaser trailers were
inserted on CD-ROMs into Entertainment Weekly issues to draw attention to the
show's visual quality. 30-second TV spots were aired in national syndication, cable
and local avails for four weeks before the show's premiere instead of the usual
seven days. The historical context of Carniv�le was deliberately emphasized in the
show's print art, which depicted the 17-member cast surrounding a carnival truck.
This image was accompanied by a tagline of the show's good versus evil theme: "Into
each generation is born a creature of light and a creature of darkness." These
measures were hoped to be backed up by positive critical reviews. To give ratings
an initial boost, HBO placed the premiere of Carniv�le directly after the series
finale of the successful Sex and the City. The series continued to receive
extensive online advertisement for almost its entire run.[50]

Games
Personalized and interactive online games inspired by tarot divination were created
for Carniv�le's internet presence.[50] The official HBO website collaborated with
RealNetworks to offer FATE: The Carniv�le Game, a downloadable game made available
for trial and for purchase.[51][52]

DVDs
Carniv�le: The Complete First Season was released as a widescreen six-disc Region 1
DVD box set on December 7, 2004,[33] one month before the premiere of the second
season. It was distributed by HBO Home Video and contained three audio commentaries
and a behind-the-scenes featurette. The outer slipcover of the Region 1 set was
made of a thick cardboard to mimic a bound book. The same set was released with
less elaborate packaging in Region 2 on March 7, 2005,[53] and in Region 4 on May
11, 2005.[54]

Carniv�le: The Complete Second Season was released as a widescreen six-disc Region
1 DVD box set on July 18, 2006,[35] in Region 2 on August 7, 2006,[55] and in
Region 4 on October 4, 2006.[56] Each of these releases was distributed by HBO Home
Video and contained three audio commentaries, on-stage interviews of the cast and
producers, a featurette about the mythology of the series, and four short "Creating
the Scene" segments about the concept, inspiration and execution process.[35]

Reception
Ratings
Carniv�le aired on HBO on a Sunday 9:00 pm timeslot during its two-season run
between 2003 and 2005. "Milfay", Carniv�le's pilot episode, drew 5.3 million
viewers for its premiere on September 14, 2003. This marked the best ever debut for
an HBO original series at the time, caused in part by the established HBO series
Sex and the City being Carniv�le's lead-in. This record was broken on March 21,
2004 by HBO series Deadwood, which debuted with 5.8 million viewers as the lead-out
of The Sopranos.[2][57]

Viewership dropped to 3.49 million for Carniv�le's second episode but remained
stable for the remainder of the season. The final episode of season one finished
with 3.5 million viewers on November 30, 2003. Season one averaged 3.54 million
viewers and a household rating of 2.41.[4]
Viewership for the second season premiere on January 9, 2005 was down by two-thirds
to 1.81 million.[58] The ratings never recovered to their first-season highs,
although the season two finale experienced an upswing with 2.40 million viewers on
March 27, 2005. Season 2 averaged 1.7 million viewers, not enough to avert an
imminent cancellation.[59]

Critical reviews
See also: Mythology of Carniv�le � Reception, interpretation and legacy
Many early reviews gave Carniv�le good marks but also said its unique characters
and story might prevent it from becoming a huge mainstream audience success.[60]
Daily Variety TV editor Joseph Adalian predicted that "it will get mostly positive
reviews but some people will be put off by the general weirdness of the show."[60]
Phil Gallo of Variety described Carniv�le as "an absolute visual stunner with
compelling freak show characters�but the series unfortunately takes a leisurely
approach toward getting to a point,"[21] and Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg
Times suggested that "it's as if executives at the premium cable network want to
see how far they can slow a narrative before viewers start tossing their remotes
through the screen".[61] James Poniewozik of Time called the first three episodes
"frustrating" as well as "spellbinding."[20] Amanda Murray of BBC said "With so
little revealed, it's almost impossible to pass judgment on the show�it's hard to
tell if this is just good, or going to be great."[62]

Later reviews were able to judge the series based on full seasons. While the
acting, set design, costuming, art direction and cinematography continued to be
praised,[33] some reviewers disfavored the writing, especially of Season 1, saying
"the plot momentum is often virtually non-existent"[63] or as "sometimes gripping
but mostly boring."[64] Other reviewers pointed out that Carniv�le may "demand more
from its audience than many are willing to invest. [...] Without paying close
attention, it's tempting to assume that the show is unnecessarily cryptic and
misleading."[33] Carniv�le's story was surveyed as long and complex, "and if you
don't start from the beginning, you'll be completely lost."[65] IGN DVD's Matt
Casamassina, however, praised the show in two reviews, writing that the "gorgeously
surreal" first season "dazzles with unpredictable plot twists and scares",[66] and
that the "extraordinary" second season was "better fantasy � better entertainment,
period � than any show that dares to call itself a competitor."[67]

A significant portion of reviews drew parallels between Carniv�le and David Lynch's
1990s mystery TV series Twin Peaks,[60][62][64] a show in which Carniv�le actor
Michael J. Anderson had previously appeared. Knauf did not deny a stylistic link
and made comparisons to John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath.[8][34] When
Lost began to receive major critical attention, Carniv�le and its type of
mythological storytelling were compared to Lost's story approach in several
instances.[68][69][70]

Critical opinion remained divided about Carniv�le in the years after the show's
cancellation. Alessandra Stanley of the Australian newspaper The Age remembers
Carniv�le as a "smart, ambitious series that move[s] unusual characters around an
unfamiliar setting imaginatively and even with grace, but that never quite quit the
surly bonds of serial drama."[71] Variety's Brian Lowry remembers the show as
"largely a macabre fantasy" that eventually suffered from "its own bleakness and
eccentricities".[72] The A.V. Club dwelled on Carniv�le's cliffhanger ending in a
piece on unanswered TV questions and called the show "a fantastically rich series
with a frustratingly dense mythology".[73]

Fandom

Actor Michael J. Anderson (Samson) at CarnyCon 2006.


Like other cult television shows, Carniv�le gained a respectable following of
dedicated viewers.[65] Carniv�le fans referred to themselves as "Carnies" or
"Rousties" (roustabouts), terms adopted from the show.[74] Carniv�le's complexity
and subliminal mythology spawned dedicated fansites, although most discussion took
place on independent internet forums. Show creator Daniel Knauf actively
participated in online fandom and offered story- and mythology-related clues. He
also gave insight into reasons for Carniv�le's cancellation on a messageboard
before speaking to the press.[18]

One year after Carniv�le's cancellation, a major Carniv�le convention called


CarnyCon 2006 Live! was organized by fans. It took place in Woodland Hills,
California on August 21�23, 2006. Many of the show's cast and crew attended the
event and participated in discussion panels, which were recorded and made available
on DVD afterwards.[74][75]

Awards
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Carniv�le
Despite its short two-season run, Carniv�le received numerous awards and
nominations.[3] The show's inaugural season received nominations for seven Emmy
Awards in 2004, winning five including "Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-
camera Series" and "Outstanding Costumes For A Series" for the pilot episode
"Milfay", "Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series" for the episode
"Pick A Number", "Outstanding Hairstyling For A Series" for the episode "After the
Ball Is Over", and "Outstanding Main Title Design". In 2005, the second season
received eight further Emmy nominations without a win.[22]

Other awards include but are not limited to:

Win � Artios Award: "Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Pilot", 2004[76]
Win � VES Award: "Outstanding Special Effects in Service to Visual Effects in a
Televised Program, Music Video or Commercial", 2004[77]
Win � Costume Designers Guild Award: "Excellence in Costume Design for Television �
Period/Fantasy", 2005[78]
Nominated � two Golden Reel Awards, 2003[79]
Nominated � two Saturn Awards, 2004[80]
Nominated � two VES Awards, 2004[77]
Nominated � Costume Designers Guild Award, 2005[78]
International reception and broadcasters
HBO president Chris Albrecht said Carniv�le was "not a big show for foreign
[distribution],"[17] but did not go into more detail. Reviews however indicate that
the show's cryptic mythology and inaccessibility to the casual viewer were major
factors. Nevertheless, Carniv�le was sold to several foreign networks and was
distributed to HBO channels abroad. The DVD releases of Carniv�le extended the
availability of the show further.

Lawsuit
On June 9, 2005, a lawsuit was filed in United States district court by Los Angeles
writer Jeff Bergquist. He claimed that the creators of Carniv�le did not originate
the idea for the show, but rather stole it from his unpublished novel Beulah, a
quirky drama set amid a traveling carnival during the Depression that Bergquist had
been working on since the 1980s. Bergquist sought both recognition and punitive
damages by arguing that HBO and Carniv�le creator Daniel Knauf violated his
copyright on Beulah, but HBO and Knauf denied any claims as having "absolutely no
merit."[81]

References
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