Carnivàle - The Complete First Season (DVD)

As I ready myself to be shunned by my entire reading audience let me begin by telling you that I have never caught an episode from an HBO television series. Not one minute of Sopranos and not a once of skin from Sex and the City. As the mocking begins to quiet down I will begin to tell you about one of the most original and unique series I have ever seen, "Carnivàle".

While I give it this description it is also important to note that this is not a show for everyone, I am still not even sure if it is for me, but there is no doubting there is genius behind the story.

"Carnivàle" is a story set in 1934 telling tales of a traveling carnival as well as a lost then found minister out in California. The series plays out like a Stephen King novel as it mixes magic and drama while building its characters every step of the way.

Much like a King book, "Carnivàle" is insistent on building its characters and making sure the audience knows just who they are watching, allowing opportunities for you to love and hate each and every one of them. Never before has a group of carnies been so appealing and yet so appalling at the same time.

Through excellent casting and a wealth of acting talent "Carnivàle" achieves its purpose in telling a strung out story, but it is certain to lose the patience of viewers requiring a faster paced plotline, which is certain to pick up in season two as the stage has now been set and the sides of good and evil are perfectly laid out.

The appeal of the show is its characters and its look. Painted in the dirt of America, "Carnivàle" has a specific look to it that is all its own. Hues of brown mixed with vivid color allow the show to pop off the screen and into your living room.

As for bonus features, there aren't exactly a large amount as the show offers up three audio commentaries and a "making-of" featurette that only lasts about 15 minutes, on top of that you are only getting 12 hour-long episodes with this first season as opposed to the 20+ normally offered from the network series.

One thing that is certain to catch anyone's eye is the awesome packaging this DVD set comes in as the digipak case opens up into a hardcover book format casing the six discs for the series. I know packaging doesn't make a show good, but it is certainly a cool addition for fans of the show that makes it stand out that much more on the shelf.

Nevertheless, "Carnivàle" does have an audience and you may want to check out the DVD trailer we have linked to the right to see if this might be one for you. If you aren't a risk taker when it comes to your purchases you may want to steer clear of this title, but if you have an eye for the peculiar you won't have to stray far from the first episode of "Carnivàle".