HBO Rousts 'Carnivale' For Second Season
Zap2It (December 12, 2003)

Fans of "Carnivale" will have more time to figure out what the hell's going on in the series.

HBO has ordered a second season of the show, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Production on the next batch of 13 episodes is scheduled to begin in the spring for a premiere date late next year.

The moody, complex series follows the crew of a Depression-era traveling carnival that includes Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl), a young man with special gifts, and, in a parallel story, a preacher named Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown) who believes God speaks directly to him. Hawkins and Crowe seem to be tied to one another, but the series has yet to make clear how.

"Carnivale" averaged a little more than 3.5 million viewers in its first season, which coincided with the broadcast networks' fall launch. That's well below the ratings for HBO stalwarts "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City" and "Six Feet Under," but on a par with "The Wire," which will return for a third season next year.

Daniel Knauf ("Wolf Lake") created the series, which also stars Amy Madigan, Clea DuVall, Michael J. Anderson and Tim DeKay.