History YMMV / Carnivale

* HilariousInHindsight:
** Jimmi Simpson plays an AxCrazy hick on this show. He would later go on to play the exact same type of character on ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'', but there it's PlayedForLaughs.
** The ghosts in Babylon are very similar in both appearance and role to [[Series/TwinPeaks the Woodsmen]].

* NightmareFuel: Starts with the raining blood and possessed Madonna and child statues, and just keep going. Every single episode has ''something'' terrifying in it, though especially the end of "Pick a Number".
** "She's ''screaming!''"
** The town of Babylon. Not during the day, but the nightlife is, well...
** Every scene involving Ben's extended family. Forests full of doll's heads is NOT charming!
** The death-mask scene with [[spoiler:Evander Geddes]].

* NightmareFuel: Start with the raining blood and possessed Madonna and child statues, and just keep going. Every single episode has ''something'' terrifying in it, though especially the end of "Pick a Number".

** Yes, [[Series/PrisonBreak T-Bag]] aka Creator/RobertKnepper is playing a good guy. (Tommy)

* VindicatedByHistory: Of a sort. The show itself was ''always'' an AcclaimedFlop, but it was also the network's unsuccessful first attempt at bringing a fantasy series for adults to the small screen. At the time, many people wrote off ''Carnivale'''s failure as the inevitable result of [[ItWillNeverCatchOn trying to run a history-inspired fantasy saga on HBO]]. [[HilariousInHindsight Because a show like that could never possibly find a wide audience, right?]] But after the absurd success of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' (currently HBO's most popular show ''ever''), the idea doesn't seem nearly as strange.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: [[http://www.salon.com/2003/11/01/carnivale/ Some critics]] during the first season's run felt this way about the show, as its bleak, macabre take on the Depression-era U.S. and moral ambiguity made it difficult to care about its characters. The second season was better about this, but the show suffered a large enough ratings drop between seasons to be CutShort.

* HeReallyCanAct: Turns out Michael J. Anderson is just as good playing a human character as he was a [[Series/TwinPeaks backwards-talking, dancing spirit]].
* HilariousInHindsight: Jimmi Simpson plays an AxCrazy hick on this show. He would later go on to play the exact same type of character on ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'', but there it's PlayedForLaughs.

* MagnificentBastard: Iris Crowe is a fairly spectacular example. The sweet, innocent spinster sister of Brother Justin? Has not only spent her entire life playing Xanatos Speed Chess with her brother's true nature, but burned down her brother's church to get him publicity, allowed an innocent man to go to jail and eventual execution for what she did, lured an innocent woman out beyond the camp and then bashed her over the head with a boat oar, to keep her from talking about how evil Justin really is and kept the secret of Sofie's paternity from everyone. After the big battle, when Ben and Justin are lying dead in the cornfield, the New Canaan faithful have almost been completely slaughtered by Justin, and the Carnivale has had to slip away for fear of the authorities in the early morning hours, what is Iris doing? Cooling her heels as the Last One Standing.

* MagnificentBastard: One could make a valid argument to rename the trope Management. Justin and Iris also fit this trope at numerous points throughout the series.

* MagnificentBastard: One could make a valid argument to rename the trope Management. Justin and Iris also fit this trope at numerous points throughout the series.

** Tim [=DeKay=] (Clayton) is much more well-known these days as [[WhiteCollar Agent Peter Burke]].
** Yes, [[PrisonBreak T-Bag]] aka Creator/RobertKnepper is playing a good guy. (Tommy)

* VindicatedByHistory: Of a sort. The show itself was ''always'' an AcclaimedFlop, but it was also the network's unsuccessful first attempt at bringing a fantasy series for adults to the small screen. At the time, many people wrote off ''Carnivale''s failure as the inevitable result of [[ItWillNeverCatchOn trying to run a history-inspired fantasy saga on HBO]]. [[HilariousInHindsight Because a show like that could never possibly find a wide audience, right?]] But after the absurd success of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' (currently HBO's most popular show ''ever''), the idea doesn't seem nearly as strange.

* TearJerker: Many, most especially the immolation of the orphan children in Justin's ministry.

* CompleteMonster: Varlyn Stroud has no redeeming qualities of any kind.

* TearJerker: Many, most especially the immolation of the orphan children in Justin's ministry.
* TooGoodToLast

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: Start with the raining blood and possessed Madonna and child statues, and just keep going. Every single episode has ''something'' terrifying in it, though special mention has to go to the end of "Pick a Number".
** "She's ''screaming!''"
** The town of Babylon. Not during the day, but the nightlife is, well...
** Every scene involving Ben's extended family. Forests full of doll's heads is NOT charming!
** The death-mask scene with [[spoiler:Evander Geddes]].

* CompleteMonster - Varlyn Stroud has no redeeming qualities of any kind.

** The death-mask scene with [[spoiler:Evander Geddeys]].

* TearJerker - Many, most especially the immolation of the orphan children in Justin's ministry.

* CharacterDerailment - Justin became a victim of this thanks to HBO's ExecutiveMeddling. At the end of Season 1, Justin was still conflicted about his role as the Antichrist. With Season 2, he's pretty much a CompleteMonster with few of the complexities that his arc had in the first season.

* HeyItsThatGuy: A surprising amount with this cast:
** [[SinCity That Yellow Bastard]]/[[TheTerminator John Connor]] is Ben.
** [[SpongebobSquarepants Mr. Krabs]]/[[JusticeLeague Lex Luthor]]/[[{{Highlander}} the Kurgan]] is Justin.
** [[WhiteCollar Agent Peter Burke]] is Jonesy.
** [[TwinPeaks The backwards-talking dwarf]] is Samson.
** [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Marcie Ross]]/[[{{Series/Heroes}} Audrey Hanson]] is Sofie.
** [[FieldOfDreams Annie Kinsella]] is Iris.
** [[{{Series/Heroes}} Samuel]]/[[PrisonBreak T-Bag]] is Tommy Dolan.
** The dad from ''The Waltons'' is Reverend Balthus.
** [[{{Bones}} Daisy Wick]] is Libby.
** [[TheAdventuresOfPeteAndPete Artie, the Strongest Man in the World]] is Stumpy.
** [[DarkAngel Lydecker]] is Scudder.
** [[{{Dune}} Shadout Mapes]]/ [[DisneyAnimatedCanon Grandmother Willow]]/ (and the really [[MindScrew mindscrewy]] one?) [[NCISLosAngeles Hettie]] is ''Management''.