The epic historical horror series that I will never stop crying

By Drew Dietsch | Published 6 days ago

There are only a handful of shows that come into your life that feel truly special. Like someone has finally tapped into a grander idea that you always wanted to see executed in long form. carnival them It was that show for me. Airing just two seasons on HBO back in 2003, this historical fantasy-horror epic managed to bring something to the television landscape that has yet to be replicated in its prime.

Every prophet in his house

To describe the central story of carnival them It wouldn’t do justice to its broader range of characters, but the basic premise follows two men, Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) and Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown) and their awakening to a series of supernatural abilities and events. Set during the Great Depression in the midst of the Dust Bowl, the series uses these two characters to explore an ancient battle between two magical forces and the feelings of an impending apocalypse that color this ruined America.

Ben becomes part of a traveling carnival and this is where the group nature of the show often comes into play. carnival them allows for a rich and varied tapestry of characters and stories that often don’t directly relate to the larger supernatural story at play. This is often seen as one of the key criticisms viewers have of the show, but it’s the humanity and heart of the show’s group of misfits that gives it much of its power.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Brother Justin is one of the best roles Clancy Brown has played in his entire career. His story plunges into depths of depravity, sin, and evil as he realizes the purpose of the power he wields. He’s an amazing character who should be seen as one of television’s truly great unsung villains. Brother Justin is worth the price of admission. carnival them only.

The persistent horror of carnival

But I specifically called carnival them a horror series and that’s where I want to focus. There are a number of dreams/visions in the series and completely bizarre supernatural moments. I don’t want to spoil it all for anyone discovering the show for the first time, but I will say that the image above is a moment that has stuck with me since I first watched the series. It’s one of the most disturbing conclusions to a story I’ve ever seen executed in a mainstream television series and it still gives me chills today.

The big bummer is that the series was canceled after its second season ended on a huge, game-changing cliffhanger that will never be resolved. Unfortunately, it feels like Lost it took away a lot of steam carnival them as that series debuted in 2004 and did a better job of capturing a broader audience for an epic, mysterious, and seemingly magical TV show.

At this point, there will never be a true conclusion about carnival them. It’s been too long to film anything that would involve most of the original cast. It’s always possible that a reboot series or something like that could happen, but there’s very little chance that it will capture the specific power that the original series still evokes. Instead, the best thing you can do is stream the show on Max and celebrate what we have. It is certainly much better than Losta show that I watched in its entirety and that only made me miss it even more carnival them.