Carniv le is an American dramatic television series produced by HBO. Created by Daniel Knauf, it stars Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown.

Carniv le is a period drama set in the United States during the Great Depression of the 1930s. It has an overarching story about the battle between good and evil as well as the struggle between free will and destiny.

At the beginning of the first episode, the carnival's manager (a dwarf named Samson) says:

“Before the beginning, after the great war between heaven and hell, God created the earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called man.... And to each generation was born a creature of light and a creature of darkness...and great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil.…There was magic then, nobility, and unimaginable cruelty.... So it was, until the day that a false sun exploded over Trinity and man forever traded away wonder for reason.”

This quotation offers a glimpse into the show's subject matter and framework.

The show consists of two plot lines that are slowly converging. The first involves a young man named Ben Hawkins, the "creature of light," who joins a travelling carnival when it passes near his Dust Bowl home. The carnival consists mainly of a freak show and a strip show (known as the “cooch show”), but it also has a few rides such as a tilt-a-whirl and Ferris wheel.

The second plot line revolves around a Methodist minister named Brother Justin Crowe, the "creature of darkness," who is slowly realizing the extent of his powers along with the guidance of his sister Iris in their fictional town of Mintern, California.

As the story progresses, the carnival travels west toward California and a confrontation seems inevitable. The westward movement parallels the movement of the "Okies" from Oklahoma to California during the Dust Bowl years.

Hawkins and Crowe seem to be linked by mysterious events in the past (specifically during World War I, possibly involving their fathers), and they have been appearing in each other's dreams.

The show mixes much Christian theology and Gnostic lore together with concepts of classical Greek mythology and Masonic lore, particularly that of the Knights Templar.

Cast

• Nick Stahl as Ben Hawkins
• Clancy Brown as Brother Justin Crowe
• Amy Madigan as Iris Crowe, Justin's older sister
• Ralph Waite as Rev. Norman Balthus, Justin's mentor
• Linda Hunt as "Management", the true controller of the carnival (his voice is heard and his hands have been seen, but his face has not been revealed)
• John Carroll Lynch as Varlyn Stroud, a convict
• Michael J. Anderson as Edgar "Samson" Leonhardt, the head of the carnival
• Bree Walker as Sabina, the Scorpion Queen (ectrodactyly)of the rival Daly Brothers Carnival, and ex-wife of Samson
• Tim DeKay as Clayton "Jonesy" Jones, leader of the "rousties"
• Clea Duvall as Sofie Agnesh Bojakshiya, fortune teller and daughter of Apollonia
• Patrick Bauchau as Professor (Ernst) Lodz (Deceased), psychic ex-head of the carnival
• Debra Christofferson as Lila Villanueva, the bearded lady
• Diane Salinger as Apollonia Bojakshiya (Deceased), a catatonic fortune teller who can communicate telepathically with her daughter
• Adrienne Barbeau as Ruthie, the snake charmer
• Brian Turk as Gabriel, strong man and Ruthie's son
• Toby Huss as Stumpy Dreifuss, manager of the "cooch show"
• Cynthia Ettinger as Rita Sue, Stumpy's wife and main cooch show stripper
• Carla Gallo as Libby Dreifuss, daughter of Rita Sue and Stumpy and cooch show dancer
• Amanda Aday as Dora Mae Dreifuss (Deceased), former youngest daughter of Rita Sue and Stumpy and cooch show dancer
• Robert Knepper as Tommy Dolan, successful radio actor who launched Brother Justin's "Church of the Air"
• John Fleck as Gecko, lizard man
• Karyn Steben as Alexandria, conjoined twin of Caledonia
• Sarah Steban as Caledonia, conjoined twin of Alexandria

Episode Guide

Season One

Season Two

External link

• Official web site (http://www.hbo.com/carnivale/)