I have to say that at first I wasn't too keen on Carnivale but the characters really absorb you into the story. It's very well written and has some good plot twists that you won't see coming. I think that the second series is even better (although also weirder) and obviously you need to see this one first. It's just a shame that they had to cancel it after the second series (mostly due to high production costs and HBO being a complete set of idiots). Anyway, you should definitely get the DVDs if you haven't seen it before, I recommend it very highly!

a truely groundbreaking series,one of the best things that has ever been on.at its dark heart is the tale of good vs evil but setting it in americas dust bowl during the depression was a stroke of genius.a twisted,scary,explicit tv show worthy of david lynch and with fantastic production values,all shot in a sepia tone.dwarves,mind readers,whores and a lead character who may be ( or not ) christ.pitted against an evil which spreads outwards and onwards and who could turn out to be the devil.sounds simple but its so engrossing and complex that it deserves repeated viewing.throw in references to world war 1,the knights templar,monsters and you are left with a spellbinding show that should have gone on for more than 2 seasons.damn the networks !

You just can't go wrong with HBO. I bought Carnivale simply because of that fact and boy was I glad I did.
This is poignant, haunting drama at its best dealing with a subject matter and time in US history that seems to have been conveniently forgotten. Think of Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath and add a supernatural, superstitious element and you have the bones of Carnivale.
The script is fantastic and the fact that you are never quite sure what is going on adds to the mystery and suspense. Will be buying season two as soon as I finish writing this. Absolute must-see tv.