The Circus
Inside the Craziest Political Campaign on Earth
TV-142016•29m•6.2/10
Documentary
Ratings
🎬TMDb
6.2/10(19)
Come one, come all to The Circus. This real-time documentary series pulls back the curtain on the current political stories, revealing the intense, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines. Key characters and events are presented in real time, as they are happening.
Production
Left/Right
Language
EN
Status
Ended
First Aired
January 17, 2016
Last Aired
November 12, 2023
Networks
Showtime
Created By
John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon
Trailers & Videos
Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
E1
The Outsiders
Air date: 2016-01-17
The campaigns of three "outsiders" - Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump - are given behind-the-scenes attention on the road to the Iowa caucus. Series premiere.
E2
Prisoner's Dilemma
Air date: 2016-01-24
The second episode follows Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Chris Christie, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Gov. John Kasich as they prepare for the all-important, first-in-the-nation primary in New Hampshire.
E3
Tension City
Air date: 2016-01-31
This episode follows the angst and drama leading up to the Iowa caucuses, with a showdown brewing between Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton and the GOP's first real test of outsider candidates versus the establishment.
E4
The Big Mo
Air date: 2016-02-07
The fourth episode goes inside the Iowa fallout and the momentum leading into New Hampshire's primary. Who¿s got it? Who doesn't? And how can the Clinton and Trump campaigns pick up the pace to beat back the surge of Sanders and Cruz?
E5
The Winnowing
Air date: 2016-02-14
From the electric jolt of New Hampshire to the hard truths coming up in South Carolina and Nevada. Trump tastes victory, Kasich picks up momentum - and Bush faces the prospect of an impending do-or-die reality.
E6
Fear and Loathing
Air date: 2016-02-21
As the campaigns head towards the final stretch leading to Nevada and South Carolina, there's growing anxiety among both frontrunners and stragglers about just how high the stakes are - and the significance of falling behind.
E7
Confidence Game
Air date: 2016-02-28
With the field narrowed down to The Big Five, the campaigns spread their game across the country and play to their strengths - with eyes squarely focused on the all-important upcoming prize: Super Tuesday.
E8
The Reckoning
Air date: 2016-03-06
With big wins for the frontrunners on Super Tuesday the rest of candidates are reckoning with the results. But the biggest story of all might be one both Democratic and Republican establishments can agree on: how do they stop Trump?
E9
Dead or Alive
Air date: 2016-03-13
It's make or break time for Rubio, Kasich and Sanders. As the candidates pin their hopes on Florida and Ohio, can they gather enough momentum to force a brokered convention - or will their campaigns finally run out of steam?
E10
High Hopes
Air date: 2016-03-20
While Rubio gets trumped in Florida, the rest of the candidates remain cautiously optimistic. But are high hopes what they need to pull off a win and secure the nomination - or are they just delusional?
E11
Home And Abroad
Air date: 2016-03-27
Foreign policy comes to the fore as the political climate grows fiery in the wake of the attacks in Brussels. As Trump and Clinton prepare to square off, can either of them prove their presidential mettle in handling the heat?
E12
On Wisconsin
Air date: 2016-04-03
Ahead of a Wisconsin showdown the candidates crisscross the state in pursuit of competing agendas. Can Kasich, Cruz or Sanders secure their position as spoilers - or will Clinton and Trump finally be crowned their party's Big Cheese?
E13
Circus Recap
Air date: 2016-04-10
From the early primary battles to the Super Tuesday showdown and beyond, pull back the curtain on the 2016 presidential race with Mark Halperin, John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon - and catch up on the electrifying first twelve weeks.
E14
Game On
Air date: 2016-07-10
While the nation celebrates July 4th, Trump and Clinton engage in their own fireworks. With the reemergence of Clinton's email scandal and Trump's latest faux pas, the titans go on the attack to take each other down.
E15
Veepstakes
Air date: 2016-07-17
No president is complete without a veep. As Trump auditions Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Newt Gingrich and Clinton considers Tim Kaine, can the candidates find the right-hand man for the job who will make, not break, their campaign?
E16
The Trump Show
Air date: 2016-07-24
The political circus goes into overdrive as Trump is crowned the Republican nominee - and Melania, controversially, speaks! Capitalizing on his children to help humanize his image, can Trump plus Pence finally rally a unified party?
E17
In the Arena
Air date: 2016-07-31
The jeers and boos of Sanders diehards ring out in Philadelphia, before the Democrats at last make Hillary a historic nominee. But is shattering a glass ceiling enough for Clinton and Kaine to unite the party into a winning coalition?
E18
Closing the Gap
Air date: 2016-09-11
With ten weeks to go until the election the Trump campaign finds itself running from behind. As members of his party start to publicly jump ship, can Trump find a way to close the gap with Clinton or will he just fall further behind?
E19
Fit to Serve
Air date: 2016-09-18
As Clinton's pneumonia and scrutiny about Trump's medical records comes to the forefront, their fitness to lead is questioned.
E20
Battleground
Air date: 2016-09-25
As Clinton and Trump prepare for their first debate, their campaigns target the swing states with an eye on Florida.
E21
The Newsrooms
Air date: 2016-10-02
Preparations for the debate; the candidates cede the spotlight to those who cover the political news.
E22
Tale of the Tape
Air date: 2016-10-16
The fallout from the second debate and the current scandal surrounding a recently publicized audio tape.
E23
From Russia With Love
Air date: 2016-10-23
Clinton faces the scandal of her highly sensitive, private emails being made public on WikiLeaks, amid claims of foreign hacking and intervention and international espionage of the 2016 election.
E24
His Word as Biden
Air date: 2016-10-30
With only two weeks until election day, Clinton bets on the one man who has the potential to swing those states still up for grabs: Joe Biden.
E25
Nobody F... Knows
Air date: 2016-11-06
Polls predict the differing outcomes; both campaigns make a case in "far-fetched battlegrounds"; to most, the race is either up for grabs or already decided.
E26
President Trump
Air date: 2016-11-13
In a special hour-long episode of the real-time documentary series, Mark Halperin, John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon go behind the scenes of both campaigns in the lead up to Election Day - and the fallout that followed.
Cast
John Heilemann
Self - Co-Host
Mark McKinnon
Self - Co-Host
Jennifer Palmieri
Self - Co-Host
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