BRILLIANT BUT CANCELLED

Yahoo TV has a list, "The Best Brilliant But Cancelled Dramas of the Decade". While there was no mention of Wonderfalls, Firefly or Pushing Daisies, it was good to see the HBO series, Carnivale, listed. Carnivale was one of my favorite shows and I hated to see it end. It was apparent in Season Two that the show had changed direction, focusing on action and trying to tie up loose ends, in a last ditch effort to avoid cancellation.

This beautiful period drama, set during the great Depression, sank deep into the never-ending battle between good and evil, all against the backdrop of a traveling carnival. It boasted the most unique set of characters we'd seen since "Twin Peaks," and some of the most confusing storytelling we'd seen since that show as well. But just because we were sometimes baffled doesn't mean it wasn't compelling TV. This ambitious, artistic series set out to unfold its complete drama over six seasons but was cut short after only two, leaving us scratching our heads even more.

HBO's slogan is, "It's Not TV, It's HBO". But they acted just like regular television programmers when they cancelled this series after just two seasons. Carnivale is available on DVD.