NEW SEASON OF "THE CIRCUS" PREMIERES SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 AT 8 PM ET/PT ON SHOWTIME(R)

Season Eight of Emmy(R) Nominated Docuseries Returns With Six Episodes

NEW YORK - February 1, 2023 - As a year of high stakes political drama kicks into gear, the Emmy-nominated series THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH returns for a new season on Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Hosts John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri pull back the curtain on this extraordinarily fractured and volatile moment for American democracy.

THE CIRCUS hits the ground running in 2023 to examine a new era of divided government as President Joe Biden braces for withering GOP-led House investigations. Meanwhile bitter divisions among Republicans signal a tumultuous year ahead for the party and the nation. And while President Biden mulls a bid for reelection amidst questions about his mishandling of classified documents, former President Donald Trump is facing multiple investigations of his own, as well as staring down a list of potential Republican challengers, in his third run for the White House.

John Heilemann is a co-founder of Recount Media and executive editor of The Recount, as well as the host of its Hell & High Water podcast; national affairs analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, where he appears regularly on Morning Joe, Deadline: White House, The Last Word, and other programs; and co-author of the New York Times No. 1 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 that won five Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, 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.

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.

THE CIRCUS is produced by Left/Right for SHOWTIME. John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, Jennifer Palmieri, Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Tom Johnson and Divya Chungi 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.

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