Daniel Knauf speaks regarding the Cancellation of Carnivale'

[liberalnurse]

Ahh, so it's now official and I can finally speak.

First of all, I haven't commented to the press yet, so these are my
first thoughts on this matter, and I can't think of a better group
of people to share them with. Lots of you guys have been there since
the beginning, and I've enjoyed your analysis, arguments, cheers and
occasional gentle (but well thought-out) jeers.

I've read all the posts since Beth announced the cancellation (Could
somebody please tell me where this woman gets her information? Talk
about jacked-in!), have taken heart and encouragement from your kind
words, have shared your outrage and sense of loss.

If you're hoping I'll slam HBO, I'm afraid you're in for a bit of a
disappointment.

The fact is, nobody—-and I mean *nobody*-—would have even considered
financing and broadcasting a show this expensive, this different,
this technically challenging, even if the creator was a seasoned
television writer-producer. The fact that I was an untested talent
makes their courage all the more extraordinary. I will always
appreciate Carolyn's dedication and passion to this project, Chris's
support, and
Miranda's steady, guiding hand.

True, like many of you, I am ambivalent: HBO giveth, and HBO taketh
away.

I feel like a father whose baby was doomed in vitro, somehow
delivered, treated and kept alive by a brilliant team of surgeons,
only to see that same team yank the child off life-support just as
she began to show improvement.

Do I think their decision was boneheaded? Yes, absolutely.

Do I understand why they made it? Again, yes, absolutely.

Carnivale was an expensive show. Costs-per-episode have been guessed
at on this board, and in every case those estimations have been low.
Way low. Carnivale, in fact, represented one of the most costly—-if
not *the* most costly—-pattern-budget ever invested in a weekly
series in television history. If anybody has any resentment toward
HBO executives, consider this:

• They have a fiduciary responsibility toward their stock-holders;
• The show was hugely expensive;
• The reviews were mixed.
• The audience was not large enough to support it.

Game. Set. Match.

Was Carnivale thrown into a hopeless time-slot? Definitely. Could we
have done better with more promotion and support? Probably. Were
marketing opportunities missed? Undoubtedly. Would we have broken
out had we gotten a third season? I'm absolutely sure of it.

Would I bet my career, my reputation and--more importantly--tens of
millions of stockholder dollars on it?

I sincerely do not know.

Would you?

I'm not here to play apologist for the network. Far from it. But in
fairness, these things need saying, so there they are.

HBO taketh away, but, damnit...

... HBO giveth.

I was fortunate enough, for a too-brief, shining moment, to be part
of a project in which every last contributor believed with all their
hearts—-from the production assistants to the network executives.

Everybody on the show knew we were doing something special. Nobody
delivered less than their best work. This is an exceedingly rare
thing in the television world, where talented cast and crew are,
quite frankly, wasted on pabulum. When asked what they're working
on, the all-too-routine answer is "Some piece-of-s—-t cop show (or
doctor show, or lawyer show)."

Meanwhile, we all got to work on Carnivale.

Now *that* is cool.

And you guys watched it. And got it. And appreciated it.

You guys counted down to Sunday nights.

You reveled in the show's mysteries, its characters, its world. You
taped it, you TIVOed it, you played and replayed it. You caught
every blooper and anachronism, every real and imagined flaw in our
internal logic. You praised its authenticity and historocity. You
researched our mythology. Unlike many of our critics, you not only
welcomed the show's intellectual and narrative challenges, but
embraced them!

Not one teeny, tiny shred of our time, trouble and work was wasted
on you.

And that is very, *very* cool.

Folks have been asking what I want them to do in the face of this,
Okay, then. If there's one thing I want from you guys, it's to
simply know this:

Carnivale is not dead

Raymond Chandler was once asked by a reporter how he felt about
Hollywood ruining all his books. He simply pointed at a shelf behind
him and said, "Hollywood hasn't ruined my books. They're all right
there."

Similarly, I might point at my boxed set of Season 1 (and soon-to-be-
issued Season 2) and say, "The network didn't kill my show. It's
right there. Wanna watch a few episodes?"

Carnivale, and this wonderful community that's joined to celebrate
it, will continue to live as long as the work is viewed and enjoyed.
It's pretty clear now that, for whatever reasons, we never found our
audience.

But it's not too late.

Lend your DVDs to friends. Get them out there into the world.
Capture eyeballs, collect converts. Donate sets to your local
libraries. Throw viewing parties. Start discussion groups.

For God's sake, organize a Live CarnyCon!

And maybe—-just maybe—-in the (hopefully) not so distant future,
some bright young executive will say, "Hey, remember that show
Carnivale? You know, people are still talking about that! There's a
monster fan base out there!" Maybe they'll order a season. Maybe a
series of films...

Who knows? Stranger things have (and do) happen.

You can bet I, as well as many in our cast and crew, will be ready
to support you in any way we can. As for me, I'll be weighing in on
the lists, participating in chats like always. I'm not going
anywhere. You guys are stuck with me.

Granted, it'll take some effort, but as a very wise friend of mine
named Samson once said, "When it comes to livin, dyin's the easy
part." And everything's impossible, til it ain't.

Fans, the ball's in your court, now. Take it and run with it.

Dazzle me.

I love you guys.

D.

(As posted on the CarnivaleHBO yahoogroup)

[liberalnurse]

1. Daniel gave us a spoiler!

From: "Daniel Knauf" <fboffo@...>
Date: Thu May 12, 2005 8:22 am

Subject: Re: in response to dan's letter
Of course you're owed something, but not a cheap slap in the face like
a quick, bloodless rundown of what happens to the characters through
the end of the story.

Carnivale has never been about the destination. After all, look
around. We're all still here, so we know the devil didn't have his
day and bring on Armegeddon, despite the successful tests at
Alamogordo. The destination is self-evident.

You want to know the end of the story? Look in the mirror.

No, Carnivale is and always has been about the journey. And that is
all in the telling.

In order to protect the telling, I won't ever release a "quick
digest" of future plots. And it would be BS anyway if I did, because
even though I may know the "recipe," the actual "cooking" happens in a
room with other writers, all of whom add their own ingredients. And
then there's the directors, who brings stuff to the party. And the
department heads, of course. And the actors, who have a huge impact
on interpreting the characters' behavior.

So I'll be taking a tip from J.K. Rowling, and the tale will stay
inside my head until the opportunity comes around that will allow me
to finish it and do it justice. Please do not ask me. My least
favorite word in the English language is "no," but I'll use it. Again
and again and again and isn't that boring? My lips are sealed.

All except for this because, damnit, it's just not fair to leave you
hanging:

(SPOILER SPACE)

*

*

Neither Ben nor Justin are dead.

Jonesy recovers from the gunshot wound.

D.

[lavenderdiva]

2. WOW!

Thank you so much for posting these two comments... I still can't believe its over. I miss sharing my Sunday evenings with Carnivale, and trying to figure the twists and turns of the story. It was thought-provoking , interesting, and original. Something we don't see much of on TV programming nowadays. I am sorry to see it go, and am wishing a speedy return in some form or another.

[Toucano]

3. Any word on Knauf's new Showtime project?

I understand he inked a deal with them before the cancellation was announced.

[liberalnurse]

4. There have been a few posts and brief

discussions about it. It's some off-beat comedy. I kind of glazed over the data since my focus was Carnivale. I'll peek in on the Baggage Trailor and see if there is a note there. ...Wait an minute...I'll be right back....


Here I am with the goods:

Baggage Trailor snip>

And Yahoo Group from Dan himself:

Daniel Knauf" <fboffo@...>
Date: Wed May 18, 2005 1:21 pm
Subject: Re: DK's new SHOWTIME project

looking forward to this show, here's a little description from mr. knauf:

re: DK's new showtime project

QUOTE ("Daniel Knauf")
The show, created in collaboration with Tracy Torme, is called "Where
the Hart Is." It's a half-hour comedy, and is the most bent thing
I've ever had a hand in writing.

Basically, WTHI will perfectly replicate a 1950s half-hour family
sitcom--black & white, cheesy musical stings, obnoxious laugh-track.
But the characters are very dark and, well, let's say "complex." The
fun is in the dichotomy between the form and the content--kinda like a
tragic limerick.

We just finished the script. Turned it in last week. We're waiting
to hear. I know, this is 180 degrees from "Carnivale," but I hope you
guys check it out if it becomes a series. It's really twisted and
funny. But, then, I'm biased.

D.

[Toucano]

5. You're a gem!

Thanks so much.