Feb 13, 2013 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – “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, Calif.

And, now, they’re all poised to become TV stars, thanks to “Freakshow,” an unscripted series premiering today at 9:30 p.m. 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.