"THE CIRCUS" RETURNS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, ON PARAMOUNT+ WITH SHOWTIME(R)

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

Photo: Ben Hider/SHOWTIME

September 6, 2023 - Fresh off a fourth Emmy nomination, THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH returns to streaming with six new episodes on the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan, beginning Sunday, October 8 and premieres that day at 7 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME linear. Hosts John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri pull back the curtain on this critical and volatile moment for the nation.

The acclaimed docuseries, which just received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Recorded News Program, returns to examine the high stakes political drama of the emerging presidential race. THE CIRCUS lays bare this extraordinary and precarious moment, as the president seeks reelection amid a bitterly polarized political environment and a former president aims to challenge him while facing criminal charges for his conduct, including attempting to subvert the very democracy he hopes to lead once again. The show follows President Biden's mounting campaign, Donald Trump's unfolding legal battles and impending trials, and the longshot Republican candidates attempting to dethrone him as the party's standard bearer all while the future of American democracy hangs in the balance.

John Heilemann is national affairs analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, where he appears regularly on Morning Joe, Deadline: White House, and other programs; host of the Hell & High Water podcast; 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 feature film of the same name that went on to win 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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