Phenomen-X is a popular show on late-night cable among viewers who hunger for the affirmation of sprawling conspiracy theories. The world does make sense, its stories all imply, but the machinations of unseen forces keep the viewers from understanding everything and from using that understanding to their advantage. Sensational stories of alien abduction, UFOs, and government black helicopters are Phenomen- X’s bread and butter.

Producer Frank Carincola embodies the cynicism at the heart of Phenomen-X. After a brief stint in the army in Vietnam, he earned degrees in journalism and
literature from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
He is a driven professional, but the slow collapse of American journalism has left him delivering entertainment and calling it news. Cocky, garrulous, and callous, Carincola is always a loud and domineering presence who keeps the Phenomen-X team focused
and knows how to cherry-pick lines from interviews with kooks for maximum, ridiculous impact

Carincola is a thin, balding white man with a
slight stoop who wears cheap, wrinkled suits. Without his bifocals he is nearly blind.