Carnivale

I am fairly new to the world of HBO dramatic television series, but I am now getting caught up in the frenzy thanks to a cable snafu during my last year in Austin, TX as well as the greatness that is Netflix. When I moved into my last apartment in Austin about a year and a half ago and discovered my free HBO, I started watching "Curb Your Enthusiasm," a show that I was already familiar with and knew that I loved. I felt that it was too late to start watching "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under" because they were too far along and had too much of a serial plotline. I suppose the same could be said for "Curb Your Enthusiasm," but having now seen all the episodes of that show, I can safely say that it is a loose serial as opposed to some of the more intricate plotlines of the dramatic series on HBO.

When I saw that a new series called "Carnivale" was beginning, I thought that I might as well give it a try for a couple of episodes and see what it had to offer. I spent the first few episodes trying to figure out how the two main plotlines were connected. How is Ben Hawkins, the fugitive of justice with a very powerful gift related to Brother Justin, the circuit preacher with a very dark side? After several episodes, I wanted to continue watching in the hopes of figuring it out. As the season progressed, I constantly found myself comparing it my favorite TV series of my lifetime, "Twin Peaks." With each episode, a few questions are answered while several new questions emerge.

As the last episodes of the first season were playing, I started to realize that there was far too much that needed to be explained before the end. Indeed watching the last episode, I knew that there would be monumental cliff hangers and there were. But I am hooked.

When I moved to Nashville, I subscribed to HBO for the express purpose of having it if and when Carnivale returned. Today I found out that the return will be on Jan. 9. The official HBO website features a trailer that hints at answers to some of the first season's cliff hangers, but I expect plenty of new cans of worms to be opened as this season unfolds.

I highly recommend buying/renting the first season when it is released on Tuesday. You will have ample time to catch up before the start of the second season. Or you could always do what I have begun since joining Netflix. Simply rent the seasons of the TV series as they are released and be certain to remain sequestered to any seasons that are currently airing. It has been working with "Oz," "The Sopranos" and "Alias" thus far but lag time for the release of the third season of "Six Feet Under" is really starting to get to me.

Give "Carnivale" a chance even if you don't understand it. What it might lack in general coherence, it more than makes up for in sheer creepiness.