TV Shows!

A huge favorite TV series of mine is one that ran only two seasons (2003-2005) on HBO titled "Carnivàle".

Wikipedia describes "Carnivàle" as a depiction of the battle between good and evil and the struggle between free will and destiny.  It is a supernatural thriller that always kept me on the edge of my proverbial seat.

The story takes place in 1930s America, and plot line revolves around two different sets of characters: one is comprised of characters in a traveling circus, and the other basically involved an ostensibly pious brother and sister (ah, but are either of the siblings as they may seem to appear??).  For a good part of the series, these two sets of characters live and operate completely and altogether separately from each other.  It's almost like watching two completely different shows.

Part of the deep intrigue is in simply trying to figure out how these two seemingly disparate groups of people are related...or...if they're even related at all.  That guessing game is a big part of the show's appeal to me.

Anyway, without giving away too much of the story line, one of the major characters is Ben Hawkins, a young carnival worker who just "happens" to possess the ability to resurrect the dead; the "catch" is that when he brings back a life or heals an ailment of any kind, an equal sacrifice must be given instantly, and it's usually someone/something very near the physical location where the miracle is performed.

If this sort of storyline strikes you as at all interesting-sounding, you must watch "Carnivàle".  

Also, since the series originally appeared on HBO, you should be prepared for adult situations, nudity and really "messed-up" plot lines.

It is so intriguing and suspenseful, and it is so well done that it feels like one long, freaky, wild roller coaster ride from episode 1 to episode 24 (the last episode made).