In 2019, Amazon Prime Video gave us a dark aesthetic, period series topped off as a blended fantasy cocktail, where being a supernatural meant being an immigrant fighting to survive. The Carnival Row series was highly anticipated with such a mixture of troupes coupled with superstars like Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevinge. But despite a thriving fan base and season 2 being confirmed even before the release of season 1, we’re still waiting for the new season. Why?
Production for Carnival Row season 2 started in November 2019 in the Czech Republic, but filming was put on hold in March 2020 due to our unexpected visitor, the Covid-19 virus. Once the Czech Republic was open for business again, filming continued in August 2020, but the interruptions didn’t end there. Production halted once more in May 2021 because Orlando Bloom was unavailable due to the birth of his son, which left filming to be concluded in September 2021.
Unless there will be reshoots, we can take a breath that all eight episodes of the coming season are filmed, but when can we expect them to be released? As of right now, the show's release date is TBD. The first season was released a year after filming was completed, but we have already been waiting quite some time for season 2. At this point, with the pandemic now giving us a moment to breathe, we’re hoping to get at least a thriller and, even better, a release date for Carnival Row season 2.
Carnival Row Season 1 Is a Fantasy Must-Watch
We all need a break from reality sometimes and delving into a fantasy world so different from ours always does the trick. Created by Travis Beacham and Rene Echevarria, Carnival Row is based on Beacham’s film script, A Killing On Carnival Row, which follows a human detective Rycroft Philostrate (Orlando Bloom), and a fairy, Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevinge), who rekindles a dangerous affair in a Victorian fantasy world, where the city’s uneasy peace collapses when a string of murders reveals an unimaginable monster.
The fictional city is called The Burgue and is the capital of the Republic of Burgue, an independent nation. However, there is a divide between humans and magical faeries (fae) who try to co-exist. While humans, for the most part, live well, faeries are refugees from their homeland Tirnanoc which was colonized by a human empire called The Pact several years earlier. While The Burgue offered faes refuge, the horned or winged faeries are subjected to vile discrimination and forced to work menial jobs while living in a rundown neighborhood called Carnival Row.
Tension and ego are prevalent in The Burgue, and interspecies mingling is looked down on. But that doesn't stop a few characters from doing what they please and with whom. In one such instance, Agreus Astrayon (David Gyasi), a faun with considerable wealth but still scorned by humans in high society, initiates an affair with a broke human heiress, Imogen Spurnrose (Tamzin Merchant). Like them, our lead duo Rycroft (Orlando) and Vignette (Cara), spark their own forbidden romance.
Amid political unrest and war, love finds a way to prevail, and Carnival Row does a fantastic job showing that we humans force our own limitations on love.
What We Hope from Season 2
Carnival Row season 1 was action-packed with blood, love, and war, and season 2 will indeed up the ante with more conflict and romance. The first season was somewhat of an introduction to the Carnival Row universe and its ongoing battles, so season 2 will hopefully go more in-depth and explain Burgue’s and Tirnanoc’s history and everything in-between.
Although not confirmed yet, fans can expect to see new faces, but several stars from the previous season will be returning. Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevinge will be returning to reprise their lead roles, and stars like Tamzin Merchant, David Gyasi, Caroline Ford, and Andrew Gower will be joining them. As for season 2’s plot, the previous season ended with the rocky boat between humans and faes finally toppling over. Outside Burgue, several characters set sail for distant lands that will hopefully introduce a larger world for us to explore.
In addition, Season 1’s showrunner Marc Guggenhelm didn't return for season 2, but the show gained a new showrunner, Erik Olesson, who previously worked on Daredevil. With that being said, this coming season will have a fresh take, and we’re eager to see how much better the Carnival Row universe can be made. Amazon Prime has a lot in store for us folks and with a few things left to be confirmed, stay tuned for updates! We won’t be left hanging for much longer.