Carnivàle

Series Similar to Carnivàle

If you enjoyed Carnivàle, these series share similar themes, tone, and quality. Each recommendation is scored on genre overlap, tonal match, and critical acclaim.

1. Penny Dreadful

   2014 · Horror, Thriller, Supernatural · ended

   Recommended for similar Horror profile, highly rated (8.2).

   Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. They are joined by a core of original characters in a complex, frightening new narrative. Penny Dreadful is a psychological thriller filled with dark mystery and suspense, where personal demons from the past can be stronger than vampires, evil spirits and immortal beasts.

2. The Exorcist

   2016 · Drama, Horror, Supernatural · ended

   Recommended for similar Horror profile, highly rated (8).

   The Exorcist is a propulsive psychological thriller following two very different priests tackling one family's case of horrifying demonic possession. Father Tomas Ortega is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. He runs a small, but loyal, parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea that his quiet life is about to change forever. Deep in the slums of Mexico City, another priest has found himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. Father Marcus Keane is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his mission - and he constantly butts heads with his adversary within the church, Father Bennett.

3. Channel Zero

   2016 · Drama, Horror, Supernatural · ended

   Recommended for similar Horror profile.

   Get ready for some thrills and chills with Channel Zero, a horror anthology series. Each six hour installment draws inspiration from a different "creepypasta" (user-generated horror stories published online).

4. Hannibal

   2013 · Drama, Crime, Horror · ended

   Recommended for similar Horror profile, highly rated (8.2).

   Criminal profiler Will Graham is tasked by FBI agent Jack Crawford, the head of Behavioral Sciences, to help investigate the disappearances of eight young girls across Minnesota. Graham and Crawford's team investigate several subsequent murders, while also trying to catch the Chesapeake Ripper. With the investigation weighing heavily on Graham, Crawford decides to have him supervised by psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who, unbeknownst to them, is the Chesapeake Ripper himself, actively seeking to derail the investigation.

5. Bates Motel

   2013 · Drama, Horror, Thriller · ended

   Recommended for similar Horror profile, highly rated (8).

   Bates Motel is a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film Psycho, and gives viewers an intimate portrayal of how Norman Bates' psyche unravels through his teenage years.Following the tragic death of her husband, Norma Bates buys a motel on the outskirts of the idyllic coastal town of White Pine Bay, seeking a fresh start. As Norma and Norman get ensconced in their new home, they discover this town isn't quite what it seems, and the locals aren't so quick to let them in on their secrets. But the Bates' are done being pushed around and will do whatever it takes to survive - and will do whatever it takes to protect their own secrets.

6. Carnival Row

   2019 · Drama, Fantasy, Horror · ended

   Recommended for similar Fantasy / Horror profile.

   Carnival Row is a fantasy-noir set in a neo-Victorian city. Mythical creatures fleeing their war-torn homeland have gathered in the city, and tensions are simmering between citizens and the growing immigrant population. We follow the investigation of a string of unsolved murders which are eating away at whatever uneasy peace still exists.

7. The Haunting of Hill House

   2018 · Drama, Horror, Mystery · ended

   Recommended for similar Horror profile, highly rated (8.3).

   The Haunting of Hill House is a modern reimagining of Shirley Jackson's classic 1959 novel. Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.

8. Midnight Mass

   2021 · Drama, Horror, Mystery · ended

   Recommended for similar Horror profile.

   The arrival of a charismatic young priest brings glorious miracles, ominous mysteries and renewed religious fervor to a dying town desperate to believe.

9. Castle Rock

   2018 · Drama, Horror, Thriller · ended

   Recommended for similar Horror profile.

   A psychological-horror series set in the Stephen King multiverse, Castle Rock combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of King's best-loved works, weaving an epic saga of darkness and light, played out on a few square miles of Maine woodland. The fictional Maine town of Castle Rock has figured prominently in King's literary career: Cujo, The Dark Half, IT and Needful Things, as well as novella The Body and numerous short stories such as Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption are either set there or contain references to Castle Rock. Castle Rock is an original suspense/thriller — a first-of-its-kind reimagining that explores the themes and worlds uniting the entire King canon, while brushing up against some of his most iconic and beloved stories.

10. IT: Welcome to Derry

    2025 · Drama, Horror · returning

    Recommended for similar Horror profile, also on HBO.

    Taking place in the ‘60s, the show explores the origins of the curse that would haunt the small Maine town for the next 27 years — as well as the origin story of Pennywise the Clown.