''Carnival Row'' is an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

television series created by

René Echevarria René Echevarria is an American screenwriter and producer. He has worked on a number of television series, including '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', '' Dark Angel'' and ''Castle''. He created ''The 4400'' for USA Network, ''Carnival Row'' fo ...

and

Travis Beacham Travis Beacham (born 1980) is an American screenwriter, best known for writing and co-writing the films '' Dog Days of Summer'' (2007), ''Pacific Rim'' (2013), '' Clash of the Titans'' (2010), and proposing the concept for the Amazon Prime fanta ...

, based on Beacham's unproduced film

spec script A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...

, ''A Killing on Carnival Row''. Starring

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series (2001–03). He reprised his r ...

and

Cara Delevingne Cara Jocelyn Delevingne ( ; born 12 August 1992) is an English model and actress. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014, and List of award ...

, the series follows mythological beings who must survive as

oppressed Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment of, or exercise of power over, a group of individuals, often in the form of governmental authority. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. No universally accepted model ...

refugees in human society, as a detective works to solve murders connected with them. ''Carnival Row'' first season was released in its entirety on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

on August 30, 2019. In July 2019, Amazon renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on February 17, 2023, and served as the series's final season, concluding on March 17, 2023.

Premise

In ''Carnival Row,'' "mythical creatures... have fled their war-torn homeland and gathered in the city as tensions are simmering between citizens and the growing immigrant population". There is an investigation into a string of unsolved murders, questions of madness of power, unresolved love, and social adjustments eating away at whatever uneasy peace exists.

Cast and characters

Main

as Rycroft "Philo" Philostrate, an

inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

of the Burgue Constabulary, investigating a dark conspiracy at the heart of the city. A half-fae passing as a human, and

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

of the war, he sympathizes with the fae to the disgust of many of his colleagues. *

as Vignette Stonemoss, a faerie and Philo's former lover who believed him to be dead following the war. She falls in with a group of fae extremists known as the Black Raven while dealing with her complicated feelings for Philo. *

Simon McBurney Simon Montagu McBurney (born 25 August 1957) is an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Complicité, Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films ''The Manch ...

as Runyan Millworthy, a human street performer and master of a troupe of

kobold A kobold (; ''kobolt'', ''kobolde'', cobold) is a general or generic name for the household spirit (''hausgeist'') in German folklore. It may invisibly make noises (i.e., be a poltergeist), or helpfully perform kitchen chores or stable work. ...

s. *

Tamzin Merchant Tamzin Claire Merchant (born 4 March 1987) is a British actress, best known for her roles as Georgiana Darcy in the film '' Pride & Prejudice'' (2005), as Catherine Howard in the Showtime series ''The Tudors'' (2009–2010) and as Anne Hale in ...

as Imogen Spurnrose, a spoiled heiress who has to face reality. *

David Gyasi David Kwaku Asamoah Gyasi (; born 2 January 1980) is a British actor. His films include ''Cloud Atlas'' (2012) and '' Interstellar'' (2014). On television, he is known for his roles in the BBC series '' White Heat'' (2012) and '' Troy: Fall of ...

as Agreus Astrayon, a wealthy

faun The faun (, ; , ) is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology. Originally fauns of Roman mythology were ghosts ( genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their chief, the god Faunus. Before t ...

shunned by Burgue high society for his appearance and origin. *

Andrew Gower Andrew Gower (born 8 November 1989) is an English actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Cutler in '' Being Human'' and his turn as Prince Charles Stuart in ''Outlander''. Gower won the Spotlight Prize for Best Actor in 2010. Life ...

as Ezra Spurnrose, Imogen's brother whom she blames for mishandling the family finances and driving them into debt. *

Karla Crome Karla Patsy Crome (born 22 June 1988) is a British actress and writer, best known for her work on Sky Atlantic's '' Hit & Miss'', playing series regular Jess on E4's ''Misfits'', and appearances in a number of other television series and films, ...

as Tourmaline Larou, Vignette's fae friend and former lover, Poet Laureate of Tirnanoc, and a

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

at the Tetterby Hotel in Carnival Row. * Arty Froushan as Jonah Breakspear, the Chancellor’s son who rebels against his controlling father. *

Indira Varma Indira Anne Varma (born 27 September 1973) is a British actress and narrator. Her film debut and first major role was in '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love''. She is known for her television roles, such as playing Niobe in the BBC and HBO series ''R ...

as Lady Piety Breakspear (season 1), the Chanchellor’s manipulative wife who seeks to enshrine her family's legacy. *

Jared Harris Jared Francis Harris (born 24 August 1961) is a British actor. His roles include Lane Pryce in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2009–2012), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Seri ...

as Chancellor Absalom Breakspear (season 1), the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the Republic of the Burgue. * Caroline Ford as Sophie Longerbane, the power-seeking daughter of the Leader of the Opposition. * Jay Ali as Kaine (season 2), a faerie allied with the Black Raven who goes to extreme measures to make life better for his people. *

Joanne Whalley Joanne Whalley (born 25 August 1961) is an English film and television actress. She was credited as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer from 1988 to 1996 during her marriage to Val Kilmer. Whalley came to fame through television with appearances in drama se ...

as Leonora (season 2), a faun with a broken horn who leads the New Dawn revolutionary movement. * Jamie Harris as Sergeant Dombey (season 2; recurring season 1), a sergeant in the Constabulary who is known to harbor racist beliefs against the fae and despises Philo for sympathizing with them. *

Ariyon Bakare Ariyon Bakare () (born 1971) is an English actor, writer and director. He is known for his extensive work across theatre, television, and film. In 1998, he became the first Black man to play a lead role in a BBC period drama, portraying Mehuru ...

as Darius Sykes (season 2; recurring season 1), Philo's old friend and a former soldier of the Burgue now held in captive luxury at Bleakness Keep due to having been bitten by a Marrok (a type of

werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...

created from a virus) during the war.

Recurring

Alice Krige Alice Maud Krige (; born June 28, 1954) is a South African actress and producer. Her big break came in 1981, when she starred as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the British historical film ''Chariots of Fire'', and as Eva Gall ...

as Aoife Tsigani, a

Haruspex In the Ancient Roman religion, religion of ancient Rome, a haruspex was a person trained to practise a form of divination called haruspicy, the inspection of the entrails of Animal sacrifice, sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrifi ...

(or

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

) in the service of Piety Breakspear. *

Tracey Wilkinson Tracey Wilkinson is an English actress primarily known for her role as Di Barker in the series '' Bad Girls''. She joined the prison drama in Series 2 as a caring prison officer new to G-Wing, but by the end of her time on the programme in Series ...

as Afissa, the faun housekeeper of the Spurnroses. * Ryan Hayes as Constable Thatch, a constable with a strong hatred of the fae. * Waj Ali as Constable Berwick, Philo's timid partner who nevertheless remains loyal to him. * James Beaumont as Constable Cuppins, a constable who finds Philo's interest in the fae unnatural. * Jim High as Fergus, a human servant working for Agreus. * Scott Reid as Quilliam "Quill", a faun

footman A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage. Etymology Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...

for the Breakspear family who is unjustly dismissed by the Chancellor, and turns to radicalism. * Brian Caspe as Nigel Winetrout, a politician and close advisor to the Breakspear family. *

Chloe Pirrie Chloe Pirrie (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish actress. Her most notable performance was in the film ''Shell'' (2012). Other credits include '' The Game'' (2014), and ''An Inspector Calls'' (2015), '' War & Peace'' (2016), ''Youth'' (2015), ' ...

as Dahlia, the ruthless leader of the Black Raven, an extremist faerie organization. * Anthony Kaye as Bolero, second-in-command of the Black Raven. * Sinead Phelps as Jenila, Sophie Longerbane’s faun

lady's maid A lady's maid is a female personal attendant who waits on her female employer. The role of a lady's maid is similar to that of a gentleman's valet. Description Traditionally, the lady's maid was not as high-ranking as a lady's companion, who wa ...

Season 1

Maeve Dermody Maeve Dermody ( ; born 2 November 1988) is a UK-based Australian actress. After a film appearance at 5 years old, her adult acting career has included work in Australian and British television, theatre, short films and movies. Early life She ...

as Portia Fyfe, Philo's

landlady A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord appli ...

whose romantic advances he rebuffs. *

Leanne Best Leanne Best (born 15 June 1979) is an English actress. She trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and presently lives in southwest London. She is known for her roles as Jane Cobden in the BBC series ''Ripper Street'', Celia Do ...

as Madame Moira, the proprietor of the Tetterby Hotel, a brothel. *

Anna Rust Anna Rust (born 3 May 1995) is an English actress and filmmaker. She began her career as a child actress in the ITV drama '' Doctor Zhivago'' (2002) and the film ''The Brothers Grimm'' (2005). She has since appeared in the Amazon Prime series '' ...

as Fleury, a courtesan at the Tetterby Hotel. *

Ronan Vibert Ronan David Jackson Vibert (23 February 1964 – 22 December 2022) was an English actor who was known for his appearances in films and on British and American television. Early life He was born in Cambridge, on 23 February 1964, the son of Dil ...

as Ritter Longerbane, the Leader of the Opposition in parliament and, therefore, Chancellor Breakspear's primary political opponent. A longtime advocate of fae subjugation. *

Mark Lewis Jones Mark Lewis Jones (born 31 August 1964) is a Welsh actor, whose roles include that of a First Order Captain Moden Canady in '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', a police inspector in BBC drama series '' 55 Degrees North'', a whaler in the film '' Mas ...

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

Flute, Philo’s superior in the Constabulary. * Erika Starkova as Aisling Querelle, Philo's mother and a once-famous singer. *

Theo Barklem-Biggs Theo Barklem-Biggs (born 21 March 1990) is an English television and film actor from London. He has performed both comedic and dramatic roles. Career He made his debut television appearance in ''The Bill '' in 2008. He appeared in ''EastEnders, ...

as Cabal, a faun malcontent seeking to bring his brethren together.

Season 2

* Fraser James as Erasmus Fletcher, a politician and advisor to the Longerbane family. * Eve Ponsonby as Phaedra, a vigilante and member of the Black Raven. * Stewart Scudamore as Boz Ghaidos, a well-connected cattle-horned faun who manages an underground fighting ring. *

Andrew Buchan Andrew Neil Buchan is an English actor and writer. He is known for his roles as DI James Marsh in the ITV drama '' Code of Silence'' (2025), ITV drama ''Broadchurch'' (2013–17), Scott Foster in the BBC political drama '' Party Animals'' (2 ...

as Mikulas Vir, a major in the Pact army who travels to The Burgue to secure a weapons deal with a secret of his own. *

Karel Dobrý Karel Dobrý (born 2 May 1969) is a Czechs, Czech film, television and stage actor. He is known for playing Liet-Kynes in the ''Frank Herbert's Dune, Dune'' 2000 miniseries, and Korba (Dune), Korba in the 2003 sequel ''Frank Herbert's Children of ...

as Ambassador Anrep, the ambassador for The Pact to The Burgue. *

Jacqueline Boatswain Jacqueline Boatswain (sometimes credited as Jacqui Boatswain) is an English actress of Vincentian origin. Career She is best known for playing headmistress Mrs Bassinger in the long-running BBC school drama, ''Grange Hill'', from 2003–200 ...

as Mima Blodwen, a "Mima" or spiritual leader, who guides Tourmaline. * George Georgiou as Kastor, a high-ranking member of the New Dawn in charge of overseeing Agreus and Imogen.

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2023)

Production

Development

On January 9, 2015,

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

signed a development deal for the series which, at the time had

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

on board as a co-writer, executive producer, and director. The series, set to be co-written by del Toro, Travis Beacham, and Rene Echeverria, is based on a feature film

written by Beacham, entitled ''A Killing on Carnival Row''. The company ordered three scripts with the expectation that if the series went into production del Toro would direct the first episode. On June 6, 2016, the production was given a pilot order with the previously announced creative team still set to be involved. On May 10, 2017, the production was given a series order with Beacham and Echeverria still executive producing, and with Echeverria expected to act as showrunner. Filmmaker Paul McGuigan was set to direct the series. By this point, del Toro had stepped away from the project, as his feature film schedule did not permit him to stay on as an executive producer as the project moved forward. On November 10, 2017, filmmaker

Jon Amiel Jon Amiel (born 20 May 1948) is an English director who has worked in film and television in both the UK and the US. After receiving a BAFTA Award nomination for the BBC series ''The Singing Detective'' (1986), he went on to direct films, inclu ...

replaced McGuigan as director. In July 2019, Amazon renewed the series for a second season. In November 2022, Amazon announced that the second season would serve as the series's last.

Casting

In August 2017,

and

were cast in the series' two lead roles. On September 22, 2017, it was reported that

, and

had joined the main cast. In October 2017, it was announced that

, and

had been cast in recurring roles. On November 3, 2017, it was reported

was joining the series in a recurring capacity. On December 15, 2017, it was announced that

and Jamie Harris had been cast in recurring roles. On January 30, 2018, it was reported that Scott Reid had joined the cast as a series regular. On October 8, 2018, it was reported that

had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.

Filming

The series spent almost five months in pre-production before filming began. The series was shot entirely in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

throughout 108 shooting days. Principal photography began in October 2017. Much of the work was done at the

Barrandov Studios Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe. Barrandov has made several major Hollywood productions, including ''Mission: Impossible (film), ...

in Prague, while locations included the city of

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

, the chateaux in

Frýdlant Frýdlant (, also known as Frýdlant v Čechách; ) is a town in Liberec District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Cz ...

and Krnsko, and at the

Prachov Rocks The Prachov Rocks () are a rock formation in the Czech Republic approximately 5 kilometres west of Jičín. Since 1933, they have been a protected natural reserve. The region where the formations are located is called Bohemian Paradise, Český r� ...

(Prachovské skály) area. Filming for the first season concluded on March 14, 2018. Production on the second season commenced in November 2019 but was halted in March 2020 due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. As of the first week of May, preparations for resumption of production were underway. However, by June 2020, Amazon had yet to resume production on the series. Upon production halting due to the pandemic, the production team were reportedly three weeks away from concluding filming for the season. Filming for the second season continued in August 2020 in the Czech Republic. In a February 2021 interview, Tamzin Merchant revealed that only five out of eight episodes were wrapped up. Filming for the second season officially wrapped in September 2021. Production for the second season resumed in May 2021 in the Czech Republic, mainly to film the remaining scenes which involved Orlando Bloom, who was not available in 2020 due to the birth of his child. Filming of the second season also occurred in Croatia.

Release

On June 3, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere on August 30, 2019. The second and final season premiered on February 17, 2023, with episodes released weekly in batches of two episodes.

Themes

The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' wrote that the show is about government oppression, sexism, and elitism.

, the original script writer and one of the executive producers, said that the show is also about class, race, and immigration. Despite the script being written 17 years before the show's production, the same issues were just as relevant by the time it aired. The show, based on a Victorian fantasy setting, served as a hypothetical space where political and social issues that reflected the real world could be safely discussed.

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the first season of ''Carnival Row'' holds a 57% approval rating based on 68 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Beautiful, but bloated, ''Carnival Row'' boasts meticulously crafted mythology and luscious world building—unfortunately its story of haves and have nots simply has too much going on to create anything cohesive." The second season holds a 44% approval rating based on 16 reviews. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the series has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Sam Brooks of the New Zealand-based ''

The Spinoff ''The Spinoff'' is a New Zealand online magazine and news website that was founded in 2014. It is known for current affairs coverage, political and social analysis, and cultural commentary. It earns money through commercial sponsorship and su ...

'' noted that the premise of the show is "a mish-mash of influences and inspirations, from

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

to ''

Mortal Engines ''Mortal Engines'' is a young adult science fiction novel by Philip Reeve, published by Scholastic UK in 2001. The book focuses on a futuristic, steampunk version of London, now a giant machine striving to survive on a world that is running ...

'' (the novels not the film)".

Accolades

''Carnival Row'' was nominated for Best Genre Series at the 2020

Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

Other media

* ''Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark'' – An audiobook about the first meeting of Tourmaline and Vignette * ''Carnival Row: From the Dark'' – A comic starring Rycroft * ''Carnival Row: Sparrowhawk'' – A comic starring Vignette * ''Carnival Row'' – A roleplaying setting for the Cypher System by Monte Cook Games * ''Tales of Carnival Row'' – A graphic novel anthology set in the Burgue.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carnival Row 2010s American drama television series 2010s American supernatural television series 2019 American television series debuts 2020s American drama television series 2020s American supernatural television series 2023 American television series endings Dark fantasy television series Amazon Prime Video original programming American English-language television shows Neo-noir television series Race and ethnicity in television Steampunk television series High fantasy television series LGBTQ speculative fiction television series Television shows about magic Television series about immigration Television series by Amazon MGM Studios Television series by Legendary Television Television series created by Travis Beacham Television shows filmed in Croatia Television shows filmed in the Czech Republic Urban fantasy television series