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Season 1 – Carnivàle

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Carnivàle Sep 2003 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 0 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
It's the mid-1930s, and we're in the middle of the Dust Bowl, a time when sandstorms and disease were running rampant across the Great Plains. After his mother's death, teenage fugitive Ben Hawkins is picked up by a mysterious traveling carnival run by an unseen force known only as "Management." Surrounded by magic, Ben reconnects with his long-dormant supernatural powers. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, an evangelical preacher is plagued with apocalyptic visions. What the two of them don't know is that they're set to become players in the great (and heretofore hidden) battle between Darkness and Light.
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Carnivàle — Season 1

Audience Reviews

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James O @Jamesokane36 Jan 27 The show was compared to The Legend of Zelda and Wizarding World. See more matt g @RT72775579 Aug 12 Show's great and all but to the person who wrote this description for rotten tomatoes. Before is a lot easier to type than heretofore, you don't sound smart you sound like a shopping list of both time and traveling descriptors. That or someone who slammed there hands down on a keyboard and said yeah that sounds like Brennan Lee Mulligan people are going to live this. See more John B @jbing Jul 1 Hard to understand why critics did not notice this really great show. Like Game of thrones and the American horror story, it builds a world you can live in, which makes the supernatural real. It really is the sum of many great parts. Just no weaknesses. What grabbed me the most was what I visually saw. I eventually couldn't accept that it was just actors and props, because it was completely real. See more Kafe R @Kafe101 Jun 28 Clancy Browns finest hour. The imagination of the writers was epic See more james o @RT63376403 Jun 7 the series takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda and Wizarding World. See more Philip G @pjgolden 02/20/2025 Horrific acting in spots (the guy who played Sampson, in particular, seems like he is in a 5th grade play), but creative and fun to look at. I though 4 stars. My wife thought 2. So, 3.5 is a compromise. See more Read all reviews
Carnivàle — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Nick Stahl

Ben Hawkins

Clancy Brown

Brother Justin Crowe

Clea Duvall

Sofie

Amy Madigan

Iris Crowe

Michael J. Anderson

Samson

Debra Christofferson

Lila

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 14, 2003 Milfay A traveling carnival takes a teenage boy; an evangelical preacher receives a sign that leaves him awakened to the possibility of mysterious powers. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 21, 2003 After the Ball Is Over A practical joke leads Ben to a piece of the puzzle that is his past; Brother Justin and his sister, Iris, try to turn a brothel into a house of worship; Sofie tends to her comatose mother. Details Episode 3 Aired Sep 28, 2003 Tipton The town of Tipton refuses to let the carnival set up; Brother Justin's promise to the migrants upsets his regular congregation; Ben and Sofie search for clues about his history. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 5, 2003 Black Blizzard Lodz tests Ben's powers; Sofie socializes with a handsome cafe owner; Samson visits an old flame; Brother Justin struggles with an ultimatum. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 12, 2003 Babylon The carnival arrives in Babylon; Samson treats the troupe to a night on the town; Ben falls down a mine shaft, where he encounters a familiar face. Details Episode 6 Aired Oct 19, 2003 Pick a Number The carnies get caught up in "Carnival Justice"; Ben's dark adventure ends; Brother Justin wanders in the wilderness, where he meets a group of hobos. Details Episode 7 Aired Oct 26, 2003 The River Iris gets unexpected support from a radio reporter; Rita Sue and Stumpy argue over their family's future; Ben and Ruthie hunt for snakes; Samson goes to work on the bally. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 2, 2003 Lonnigan, Texas Samson sends Ben on a road trip to enlist a new attraction; Sofie debates defying her mother; Brother Justin receives treatments for religious excitation. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 9, 2003 Insomnia Ben stays awake to keep from dreaming; Samson tries to drum up new business; Sofie worries that her mother is losing touch with reality; Iris reaches out to Brother Justin over the radio airwaves. Details Episode 10 Aired Nov 16, 2003 Hot and Bothered Brother Justin returns to Mintern; Libby catches on to her mother's deception; Stumpy enlists a new dancer; Lodz and Lila wait for Ben to succumb to sleep. Details Episode 11 Aired Nov 23, 2003 Day of the Dead Lodz hatches a devious plan to reach Ben; Rita Sue upstages Catalina; Sofie does not like what she learns from reading Stumpy's cards; Iris proves she will do anything to advance her brother's career. Details Episode 12 Aired Nov 30, 2003 The Day That Was the Day Ben turns to Lodz for advice; Stumpy and Rita Sue strike a deal to save their marriage; Sofie settles a score with Libby and Jones; Balthus and Brother Justin contemplate the former's greatest evil. Details
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Carnivàle — Season 1

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Season Info

Director
John Patterson, Alison Maclean, Peter Medak, Jack Bender, Scott Winant, Tim Hunter, Rodrigo Garcia, Jeremy Podeswa
Executive Producer
Ronald D. Moore, Daniel Knauf, Howard Klein
Screenwriter
Daniel Knauf, Henry Bromell, Ronald D. Moore, William Schmidt, Toni Graphia, Dawn Prestwich, Nicole Yorkin
Network
HBO
Rating
TV-MA (L)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 14, 2003