Amazon finally delivers a better look at what audiences can expect from its high-concept series Carnival Row. The series blends together a dark crime drama with Victorian fantasy, pairing genre veterans Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne as a human investigator and a faerie whose relationship goes against the norms of society. Their affair is also set against the backdrop of a volatile situation in which magical creatures have become refugees due to the expanse of humankind’s reach.
The series’ premise is loaded with metaphor, but now it looks as though Carnival Row has some compelling and imaginative visuals to back it up. This new trailer is in stark contrast to the one released earlier this summer, which showed a train full of fairytale creatures before cutting to a shot of Bloom and Delevingne walking in front of a conspicuous green screen. The iffy visuals weren’t exactly the best way to ingratiate the new series to genre fans who’ve come to expect Game of Thrones-level effects with there fantasy stories.
Thankfully, the new teaser has plenty to show off, in addition to its moody atmosphere and effects. That includes recent Emmy nominee Jared Harris, who once again finds himself in Victorian England, albeit without Robert Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes. It would seem Amazon is pleased with where the show’s headed, as the streamer has already renewed Carnival Row for season 2. Check out the new teaser and synopsis for Amazon’s Carnival Row below:
“Carnival Row, a series set in a Victorian fantasy world filled with mythological immigrant creatures whose exotic homelands were invaded by the empires of man. This growing population struggles to coexist with humans — forbidden to live, love, or fly with freedom. But even in darkness, hope lives, as a human detective, Rycroft Philostrate (Bloom), and a refugee faerie named Vignette Stonemoss (Delevingne) rekindle a dangerous affair despite an increasingly intolerant society. Vignette harbors a secret that endangers Philo’s world during his most important case yet: a string of gruesome murders threatening the uneasy peace of the Row.”
The trailer does a lot of heavy lifting, as it not only establishes a strong sense of place, but it also quickly demonstrates the rift between humans and monsters, sets up a murder investigation, and sketches out the troubled relationship between Bloom’s and Delevingne’s characters. In all, it seems as though Carnival Row will appeal to a wide audience, seeing as it has its fingers in a number of genre pies. Though it seems like anyone who’s been missing Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, and can’t wait for the spinoff to premiere, can get their fix here.
Carnival Row streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video beginning Labor Day weekend.