"THE CIRCUS" RETURNS TO SHOWTIME(R) SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 AT 8 PM ET/PT

Emmy(R) Nominated Docuseries Kicks Off an Eight-Episode Fall Run

NEW YORK - August 26, 2021 - THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH returns for an eight-episode run this fall, kicking off on Sunday, September 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. The acclaimed weekly docu-series, now in its sixth season and nominated this year for two Emmy Awards, is hosted by John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, Alex Wagner and Jennifer Palmieri. With Covid-19 resurgent, Afghanistan in chaos, Joe Biden's sweeping domestic agenda on the line in Congress and the Republican Party still in thrall to Donald Trump and his Big Lie about 2020 election fraud, THE CIRCUS once again will take viewers behind the scenes and beyond the headlines at a moment when American politics is more convulsive than ever - and the stakes for the country have never been higher.

John Heilemann is a co-founder of Recount Media and executive editor of The Recount - a start-up reinventing video news coverage of politics, business, technology and culture for social and streaming platforms - and the host of its Hell & High Water podcast. Heilemann is national affairs analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, where he appears regularly on Morning Joe, Deadline: White House and The Last Word, and the co-author of the No. 1 New York Times bestsellers Game Change and Double Down, on the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, respectively. Game Change was adapted into a movie of the same name, which won five Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.

Mark McKinnon is a political strategist, reform advocate, media columnist and television producer. He was the chief media adviser to five successful presidential primary and general election campaigns and is cofounder of No Labels, an organization dedicated to bipartisanship, civil dialogue and political problem solving. McKinnon has worked for many causes, companies and candidates, including President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, Texas Governor Ann Richards and Bono.

Alex Wagner is a contributing editor at The Atlantic. She is also the author of Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest and the Secret To Belonging, which examines questions about American identity and immigration in the 21st century. Previously, Wagner hosted the Emmy nominated MSNBC political affairs program NOW with Alex Wagner. Before joining MSNBC, she was a reporter with the Huffington Post, investigating the intersection of business, politics and new technology. Prior to this, she served as the White House correspondent for Politics Daily and Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning FADER magazine.

Jennifer Palmieri was communications director for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and White House communications director for President Barack Obama. She is the author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller, Dear Madam President, as well as She Proclaims: Our Declaration of Independence from a Man's World. She is also the host of the "Just Something About Her" podcast from The Recount.

THE CIRCUS is produced by Left/Right for SHOWTIME. John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, Alex Wagner, Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Tom Johnson and Siobhan Walshe serve as executive producers. To learn more about THE CIRCUS, go to: SHO.com, follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and join the conversation using #TheCircus.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., owns and operates the premium service SHOWTIME(R), which features critically acclaimed original series, provocative documentaries, box-office hit films, comedy and music specials and hard-hitting sports. SHOWTIME is available as a stand-alone streaming service across all major streaming devices and Showtime.com, as well as via cable, DBS, telco and streaming video providers. SNI also operates the premium services THE MOVIE CHANNEL(TM) and FLIX(R), as well as on demand versions of all three brands. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV(R). For more information, go to www.SHO.com.