September 18 , 2005
SaveCarnivale.org sends a letter to HBO Chairman Chris Albrecht

Dear Mr. Albrecht:

As the coordinators of the fan-led group, SaveCarnivale.org, we feel the need to introduce you to this diverse group of individuals and to express a number of concerns and issues on behalf of our group.

We've heard of the threats you and your staff received in response to your decision to cancel “Carniv à le”. Threats are certainly not sanctioned by anyone in this group. In fact, we have stressed the need for courtesy and decorum in all our correspondence. Although we have no control over the actions of those individuals, we hardly feel those actions were appropriate, or warranted, and we know that they reflect badly on all of us. We offer our sincerest sympathies for any harm those individuals may have caused. However, we can offer no apologies for the raw emotion and sense of grief the many fans of “Carniv à le” feel about the cancellation. Canceling the series at such a critical point in the story is comparable to taking away a beautiful piece of literature before the readers have finished. Truly, that is what “Carniv à le” is: literature for the television screen. It is undoubtedly one of the things that set your network apart. Certainly, you can understand why the viewers would feel such a sense of betrayal.

We understand your reasons for cancellation, as we have all read the reports from the TCA press releases. While it is true that HBO is ultimately a business that must be fiscally responsible, it is also a groundbreaking and innovative medium capable of raising television programming to its zenith. This series, like so many other HBO Originals, is an excellent vehicle to do just that. We are grateful that you had the forethought to take a chance on such a unique program, and your timing, judging from the fall line-up, could not have been better. Genre shows, such as “Carniv à le,” are flooding the mainstream networks. It is truly unfortunate that you failed to follow through on such cutting-edge programming. Had you marketed “Carniv à le's” supernatural storyline, perhaps you would have achieved the viewership you sought.

You've argued that “Carniv à le” was too expensive to produce given its viewing audience, but you failed to acknowledge that despite a time slot pitted against the new water cooler show, “Desperate Housewives,” and special events such as the Super Bowl and the Academy awards, “Carnivàle” held its own, even bringing in 2.2 million viewers for the series finale. Additionally, “Carniv à le” lacked the promotion and marketing campaigns of “Deadwood,” “The Sopranos,” and of course, “ Rome .” In fact, it has depended almost solely on the word-of-mouth marketing campaign of the fanbase, which, by the way, continues on a daily basis via viewing parties, online discussions, and grassroots advertising.

Our Yahoo discussion group, HelpSaveCarnivale, started just before the cancellation announcement, has grown to almost 700 members in three months. Other groups range from 40 members to close to 6000. Our website exceeds space requirements on a daily basis. Daily we are barraged with emails regaling success stories from people who convert more fans by just showing them the first episode on DVD.

Additionally, our members regularly provide many suggestions on how to make the program more marketable, while giving the fans the conclusion they deserve:

•  A graphic-novel retelling of Seasons 1 and 2 to increase the fan base, then continuing the story on TV,

•  Making a series of theatrical films,

•  Selling the rights back to Dan Knauf or to another network interested in continuing the story.

One thing with which the entire group agrees is that any decision to continue the story should be in complete accord with Daniel Knauf's vision.

I invite you to visit our group, as well as our website, www.SaveCarnivale.org , to see first hand the intelligence and creativity of these fans. It is truly inspiring.

The Save Carnivale movement is a growing fandom made up of a diverse population. Our ages range from 18 to 80. We watched the show with our spouses, our siblings, our friends, our parents, and our children. We not only talked about it at the water cooler, we debated and analyzed it online in chat rooms and discussion boards. We sought out people to talk to and encouraged others to view the show. We are homemakers, scientists, students, executives, and laborers who prefer engaging, well-produced television programming that entices all our senses, to reality-TV overload and pandering sitcoms. The foreign market you suggest is lacking would beg to differ according to our boards. We receive emails and feedback from fans all over the world: South America , New Zealand , France , Australia , the Netherlands , Ireland , England , Poland , and Romania . They ask for our support in contacting their networks to boost airing of the series. Most of these folks have yet to see Season 2, and many had to hunt for Season 1 as networks buried it in late night schedules. The market is there. It just hasn't been given the chance to grow and thrive.

The only threat we have advocated as a group is the threat to cancel our HBO subscriptions. We deserve the story to continue to its conclusion the way its creator, Daniel Knauf, had envisioned.

We're not going anywhere until HBO finds some way to do that. And our numbers are growing everyday as more fans learn of the cancellation. We hope you and the executives at HBO finally hear our voices and search for an appropriate medium to finish our much-loved saga, “Carniv à le.”

Sincerely,

Diane Smith and Julie Burnette, and the Rousties at SaveCarnivale.org

Cc: Carolyn Strauss, President, HBO Entertainment
Miranda Heller, Vice-President, Original Programming

Ec: Zap2it.com
FutonCritic.com
Mike Ausiello at TV Guide
E! Online

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