Shows only last if they keep the faith of the studios that are bankrolling them. That’s why it’s kind of confusing why Carnivale didn’t last for more than two out of its intended six seasons. It had the story line and the verve that it needed to keep going it would appear, and it featured the classic battle between good and evil. But maybe it needed something more than it was giving at the moment, a more well-defined edge that it could get at the hands of someone else who could make the many different pieces of this highly interesting show fit together in a way that would be more appealing and pull in even more viewers than before. It might be time for a reboot of Carnivale to see if it can live up to its full potential this time. If nothing else it would be better to reboot something that many people don’t remember as well as it wouldn’t run the risk of upsetting a massive fan base.
Carnival shows tend to be very well done or very poorly received. There’s not a lot of in-between when it comes to these programs and to be honest it’s not something that directors get to mess around with as much these days. Decades ago it might have been okay to show whatever one wanted and it could be forgiven and possibly forgotten. But with the tools and methods that are used now directors and film makers have to be a lot more faithful in their representation of certain walks of life lest they end up offending an entire culture.
For instance American Horror Story was a bit over the top when they came out with Freak Show, but at the very least they seem to have done their research and made a very interesting run at a subject that tends to divide people when it comes to the discussion of whether it’s in good taste or not. Carnivale made no apologies for what it was and didn’t need to since it was in many ways a glimpse into a fictitious past that was created in a very real setting. Times were hard in the era between the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, and the show managed to convey this quite well. People were different back then, harder, leaner, and less inclined to stick together.
For carnival folk however there was never much of an option but to stick together. They were all they had, especially those that didn’t look or act like what people considered normal human beings. They tended to stick together simply out of necessity at times and out of a sense of solidarity at other moments. The kind of hard life they had to endure tended to form bonds that didn’t break all that easy and held such core groups together like nothing else ever could.
There’s a lot more to explore with Carnivale, and too many moving pieces to ignore. A reboot should be in the cards at least, if not an entire remake.
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