The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth

"The Circus (TV series)" redirects here. For the Indian drama series, see Circus (Indian TV series).

The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth
Also known asThe Circus
GenreDocumentary
Presented by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes130
Production
Running time28–30 minutes, 57–61 minutes (specials)
Production companyLeft/Right Productions
Original release
NetworkShowtime
ReleaseJanuary 17, 2016 (2016-01-17) –
November 12, 2023 (2023-11-12)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Circus is an American documentary television series initially following the 2016 presidential race,[1][2] the Trump administration, the 2020 United States presidential election, and then the Biden administration. It was produced by Left/Right Productions, a North Road company, for Showtime.[3]

The docu-series premiered on January 17, 2016, and focused on the 2016 U.S. presidential election, January to November. It was renewed for a second season, which premiered on March 19, 2017, and focused on President Trump's first 100 days.[4] It returned on April 15, 2018 for a third season, and focused on the mid-term elections, with CBS News anchor Alex Wagner stepping in as co-host to replace Mark Halperin, who was replaced on January 3, 2018,[5][6] by the show, after sexual harassment allegations.[7][8][9][5][6] Jennifer Palmieri joined as guest host beginning October 13, 2019, with season four episode twelve, Desperate Times, Desperate Measures, and joined as a permanent co-host in season 6.[10][11][12][13]

The first half of the fifth season premiered on January 26, 2020.[14] The second half of the fifth season premiered August 16, 2020.[15] The sixth season premiered on January 10, 2021.[16] The seventh season premiered on March 6, 2022.[17] The second half of the seventh season premiered on September 25, 2022.[18] The eighth and final season premiered on February 26, 2023.[19]

On November 7, 2023, it was announced the series would come to an end after eight seasons, with the final episode airing on November 12, 2023.[20]

  1. ^ "'The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. January 18, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  2. ^ Lowry, Brian (January 17, 2016). "'The Circus' Chronicles 2016 Presidential Campaign on Showtime". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  3. ^ "Showtime : The Circus : Home". Showtime. July 7, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  4. ^ Schwindt, Oriana (February 27, 2017). "'The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth' Gets Second Batch at Showtime". Variety. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Grynbaum, Michael M. (January 3, 2018). "Showtime's 'The Circus' Will Go On Without Mark Halperin". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Evans, Greg (August 3, 2018). "Showtime's 'The Circus' Sets Fall Premiere Date In Time For Midterm Elections". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  7. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (January 3, 2018). "Showtime Renews 'The Circus,' Alex Wagner Joins as Co-Host". Variety. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  8. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (October 30, 2017). "NBC News Terminates Mark Halperin's Contract". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 30, 2017.
  9. ^ "Journalist sacked over alleged harassment". BBC News. October 30, 2017.
  10. ^ Heilemann, John (October 13, 2019). "@jheil John Heilemann on Twitter: "#Superstar… "". Twitter. Archived from the original on October 13, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2020. @jheil Retweeted @jmpalmieri Friends, I had the pleasure of being a guest host on @SHO_TheCircus this week. So impressed with talent & professionalism of entire team. Minor miracle that they pull off this high quality show week after week. Tune in tonight at 8 pm to see me & @jheil w/ @CoryBooker in DSM. pic.twitter.com/jm4dJzcYU2
  11. ^ "THE CIRCUS CRISSCROSSES IOWA FOR THE FINAL CAUCUS SPRINT". ViacomCBS Press Express. CBS Broadcasting Inc. February 3, 2020. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  12. ^ "THE CIRCUS HEADS SOUTH FOR A PALMETTO STATE BRAWL". ViacomCBS Press Express. CBS Broadcasting Inc. February 28, 2020. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  13. ^ "THE CIRCUS IS BACK ON SHOWTIME FOR BIDEN'S VP PICK". ViacomCBS Press Express. CBS Broadcasting Inc. August 14, 2020. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  14. ^ "'The Circus' Returns to Showtime(R) in January Ahead of the Crucial Iowa Democratic Caucuses". The Futon Critic. December 11, 2019.
  15. ^ Pedersen, Erik (June 22, 2020). "'The Circus' Coming Back To Town In August On Showtime". Deadline Hollywood.
  16. ^ Pedersen, Erik (January 1, 2021). "Midseason/Winter 2021 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  17. ^ Schwartz, Ryan (March 5, 2022). "The TVLine-Up: What's New, Returning and Leaving the Week of March 6". TVLine. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  18. ^ Johnson, Ted (August 22, 2022). "Showtime's The Circus Season 7 Gets September Premiere Date; Watch Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "NEW SEASON OF THE CIRCUS PREMIERES SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 AT 8 PM ET/PT ON SHOWTIME". Paramount Press Express (Press release). February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  20. ^ Johnson, Ted (November 7, 2023). "Showtime's Political Docuseries 'The Circus' To End Run After Current Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 7, 2023.