There have been many television shows I have obsessed about over the years. Fox aired an awesome show from 1987 to 1988 most people never saw called Werewolf. I was hooked the whole time. Then, on April 8, 1990, Twin Peaks first aired on ABC; I was lost in David Lynch’s head for years after that. 

It was almost a decade before I could say I got lost in TV again. Then, for two seasons between September 14, 2003 and March 27, 2005, I was glued to HBO on a show called Carnivale.

The show is set in America around the year 1934, a theme I used for my high school AP art portfolio. The Dustbowl and the great depression were at its height, and a traveling carnival was one of the few things people could look forward to.

The show was comprised of a tarot card reader and her catatonic/telekinetic mother, a blind mentalist, a bearded lady, conjoined twins, and an unseen boss called “Management”, amongst others.

The story follows a young fugitive named Ben Hawkins, played by Nick Stahl, and a Methodist minister named Brother Justin Crowe, played by Clancy Brown. The show traces their lives, depicting 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. If you’re not really into the macabre, the occult, or magic, this show is not really for you.

Aside from that, it is really hard to explain the plot without giving too much information, and I want you to enjoy the story. I will say, though, one interesting thing about the show was its elaborate and expensive sets. Every location for each episode was a different set. I think this, and the strange content, was what caused the show’s demise.

Well, good luck finding this show, because HBO doesn’t air it anymore. Maybe you can try to hunt it down on Netfix.