Fire-breathers, contortionists and the tallest man in America: Meet the weird, wondrous stars of new reality series Freakshow

Wonder is still alive,' says Todd Ray. 'People are still curious.'

Ray sure is. Wonder and curiosity led him to bail on a flourishing career as a music producer seven years ago to indulge his passion for the wondrous and odd.
Today, with the enthusiastic participation of wife Danielle, teenage son Phoenix and daughter Asia, 20 - along with their extended family of wondrous exhibitionists - Ray is the impresario of a freak show on the boardwalk of Venice Beach, California.
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Fire-breathing, contortion and sword-eating: AMC's new reality series Freakshow follows Todd Ray and his 'extended family' - a group of exhibitionists in Venice Beach, California

The weird and the wondrous: 'We're all freaks of the universe,' says Todd Ray. 'We're all individuals so unique that we're actually magical creatures'

And, now, they're all poised to become TV stars, thanks to Freakshow, an unscripted series premiering Thursday (9:30 p.m. EST) on AMC.
The Rays invite viewers to meet the gang, and - don't worry - it's OK to stare at Amazing Ali, the miniature woman; Goth-fashioned Morgue, whose bag of tricks includes plunging a drill bit up his nose; Marcus 'The Creature,' whose body is a tableau of tattoos and piercings; and George, who, at 7-feet-8-inches, is, well, the resident Tall Man.

 

Even Asia Ray has gotten into the act, transforming herself from a dutiful student and aspiring classical musician into a radiantly charming fire-eater, sword swallower and contortionist. Music school can wait. The Freakshow calls.
Granted, much of the reality-show genre could be branded a freak show, with the likes of Honey Boo Boo, Snooki and the Real (pick your city) Housewives freaking out for the cameras.
But in Ray's lexicon, '"Freak" isn't a bad word at all. We're all freaks of the universe,' he says, meaning everyone on this exceptional planet Earth. 'We're all individuals so unique that we're actually magical creatures.'

Circus act: Morgue, pictured withdrawing a sword from his esophagus, has a big of tricks that includes plunging a drill bit up his nose

 

All in the family: Asia Ray - daughter of Todd Ray, who runs and manages the freak show - tries her hand at firebreathing and contortion

Family photo: Asia, Creature, Morgue, The Bearded Lady, Todd, George, Murrugun, Brianna, Phoenix, Danielle and Ali at a birthday party for Poncho and Lefty, the two-headed bearded dragon

No wonder he celebrates people who are even odder than most. During a recent interview he explains that, 'when they join us, they're respected and they're treated well.'
Ray says the series explores why they do what they do as performers, 'and, if they're born uniquely different from most people, how they cope with the struggle against the "normal" world - how they deal with society that puts them on the outside.'
How should the 'normal world' deal with them in return?
'You can look at those who are different from you and be excited about them,' Ray proposes, 'and then you can look in the mirror and be excited about yourself.'
Amid all this, some viewers may wonder what an unscripted series like Freakshow is doing on a network known for feature films and acclaimed dramas like Mad Men and The Walking Dead.
But Freakshow isn't AMC's only departure from scripted fare.
On Thursday at 9 p.m., Comic Book Men resumes its second season of informed geek-chat originating from filmmaker Kevin Smith's New Jersey comic shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash.
Then, at 10 p.m., following Freakshow, AMC will premiere Immortalized, a wondrously odd competition show.

 

 

 

 

 

Pushing human boundaries: Morgue (left) and Murrugan (right) are Freakshow's resident sword-eaters

 

 

The cast: Todd (left) runs the show, while Brianna (right) impresses with her glass-eating talent

 

 

Supportive siblings: Todd Ray's children Asia (left) and Phoenix (right) also play a role in their father's show

Let other competitions settle who can rustle up the best grub or shed the most pounds. Immortalized focuses on taxidermy.
With the motto 'No guts, all glory,' each episode features one of four expert 'Immortalizers' facing off against a lesser-known challenger in a competition to create a winning piece that a panel will judge on originality, craft and interpretation of an assigned theme.
This unscripted trio of programs constitutes AMC's new 'real original Thursdays,' which builds on the run of Comic Book Men in its previous Sunday berth and other reality programming including The Pitch and Small Town Security, which have aired in the past and will be back.
It's fitting that AMC is going off-book. A number of reality-based networks are doing just the opposite.
In 2010, AMC's sister network Sundance Channel, long acclaimed for its devotion to the unscripted genre, aired the miniseries Carlos, which starred Edgar Ramirez as notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal. In December, it presented Restless, a miniseries starring Michelle Dockery of Downton Abbey.

 

 

 

Strange creatures: The Venice Beach freak show also showcases weird and unusual animals, including Poncho and Lefty (pictured) the two-headed bearded dragon

And now, with a heightened emphasis on scripted fare, Sundance has planned a slate of shows that include, starting in March, Top of the Lake, a seven-part series written and directed by Academy Award-winning Jane Campion and starring Holly Hunter and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men). Airing in April, Rectify is a six-part drama about a man who has served 19 years on Georgia's death row before DNA evidence calls his conviction into question.
Meanwhile, Discovery Channel recently announced the production of its first-ever scripted miniseries, Klondike, starring Chris Cooper. And reality-centric Bravo has signed actress Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad) for the lead role in Rita, one of several scripted pilots it has in development.
Does it seem a little strange that these networks are revising their time-honored policies? Maybe they just share Todd Ray's mantra: 'Say "No" to normal.'