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[11/07/23 - 11:34 AM]
Showtime Announces Series Finale of "The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth"
The series will sign off after eight seasons and 130 episodes this Sunday, November 12 at 7:00/6:00c.

[09/06/23 - 11:05 AM]
"The Circus" Returns Sunday, October 8, on Paramount+ with Showtime
Hosts John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri pull back the curtain on this critical and volatile moment for the nation.

[02/01/23 - 11:01 AM]
New Season of "The Circus" Premieres Sunday, February 26 at 8 PM 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.

[08/22/22 - 09:34 AM]
"The Circus" Returns Sunday, September 25 at 8 PM ET/PT on Showtime
Hosts John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, and Jennifer Palmieri hit the ground running as they track the unfolding political drama with control of Congress up for grabs, President Biden's agenda on the line, and the future of American democracy hanging in the balance.

[01/27/22 - 02:03 PM]
New Season of "The Circus" Premieres Sunday, March 6 at 8 PM ET/PT on Showtime
Hosted by John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, Alex Wagner, and Jennifer Palmieri, the 16-episode season will air in two parts of eight episodes apiece, with the program returning in the fall for the second installment.

[08/26/21 - 09:31 AM]
"The Circus" Returns to Showtime Sunday, September 19 at 8 PM ET/PT
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.

[12/15/20 - 11:32 AM]
"The Circus" Returns to Showtime in January Ahead of the Crucial Georgia Senatorial Run-Off Elections
Prominent political strategist and commentator Jennifer Palmieri will join season six as a co-host along with John Heilemann, Alex Wagner and Mark Mckinnon.

[10/19/20 - 06:01 AM]
Stephen Colbert to Host Election Night Special on Showtime(R) Tuesday, November 3 at 11 PM ET
Guests will include Charlamagne Tha God and hosts Alex Wagner, John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon of "The Circus."

[06/22/20 - 09:01 AM]
Season Five of "The Circus" Returns to Showtime(R) Amid an Unparalleled Presidential Race
New weekly 30-minute episodes will premiere on Sunday, August 16 and continue through the election.

[12/11/19 - 10:31 AM]
"The Circus" Returns to Showtime(R) in January Ahead of the Crucial Iowa Democratic Caucuses
Hosted by John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Alex Wagner, "The Circus" is the network's most-watched docuseries, averaging more than one million weekly viewers.

[07/10/19 - 11:01 AM]
"The Circus" Returns to Showtime(R) - Eight New Episodes Start on September 22 at 8 PM ET/PT
Co-hosts John Heilemann, Alex Wagner, and Mark McKinnon will crisscross the country as an unprecedented cast of Democratic candidates barnstorm key states in their quests to face off against Donald Trump in 2020.

[01/04/19 - 12:08 PM]
"The Circus: Inside the Wildest Political Show on Earth" Returns to Showtime(R) on January 27
John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Alex Wagner return as hosts of the new season.

[09/13/18 - 10:32 AM]
Renowned Political Strategist Steve Schmidt Joins "The Circus"
New episodes of the series return this Sunday, September 16 at 8:00/7:00c on Showtime.

[08/03/18 - 12:02 PM]
"The Circus" Returns to Showtime on Sunday, September 16 at 8 PM ET/PT
As the country readies for one of the most consequential midterm elections in recent history, the third season of the groundbreaking political documentary series returns with nine new episodes.

[07/13/18 - 11:46 PM]
Development Update: Thursday-Friday, July 12-13
Updates include: Starz renews "Sweetbitter" for second season; Yvette Nicole Brown to guest host "Talking Dead" for AMC; and Rich Sommer joins the cast of The CW's "In the Dark."

[01/03/18 - 06:31 AM]
Showtime(R) Orders a New Season of "The Circus" Premiering Sunday, April 15 at 8 PM ET/PT
Alex Wagner will join returning hosts John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon.

[10/30/17 - 11:11 PM]
Development Update: Monday, October 30
Updates include: Netflix to end "House of Cards" following allegations against Kevin Spacey; USA cancels "Playing House"; and ABC extends "American Housewife," "Black-ish" and "Grey's Anatomy."

[02/27/17 - 11:04 AM]
Showtime(R) Orders a New Season of "The Circus" Offering an In-Depth Look at the First 100 Days of the Trump Administration
Returning Sunday, March 19, the show will examine the riveting and unprecedented events unfolding - both inside and outside the Beltway - in President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office.

[01/09/17 - 02:28 PM]
Showtime Documentary Films Presents "Trumped: Inside The Greatest Political Upset of All Time"
The film was produced by the team behind "The Circus" on Showtime.

[11/11/16 - 11:18 AM]
It's President Trump on the Hour-Long Series Finale of "The Circus" Sunday, November 13 on Showtime(R)
The team shows the moment-by-moment reactions on election night as the mood at Clinton's event turned from celebratory to funereal and the Trump event went from somber to jubilant.

[10/14/16 - 10:31 AM]
Watch Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in Immersive Virtual Reality Through "The Circus" on Showtime(R)
The network captured the 360 video on the campaign trail at Hillary Clinton's policy speech in Orlando, FL and Donald Trump's campaign rally in Bedford, NH.

[10/11/16 - 09:01 AM]
"The Circus" Returns a Week Early Amid Explosive Campaign Developments
The series is cutting its two-week break in half and will air all new episodes on Sundays at 8:00/7:00c.

[08/11/16 - 04:51 PM]
"The Circus" Returns September 11th on Showtime(R)
Following a brief hiatus, the series will return in time to track and cover the first presidential debate, continuing its unprecedented access to the players and key events leading up to the general election.

[07/29/16 - 10:33 AM]
"The Circus" Returns This September for the Final Act of the 2016 Election
Sunday night's episode marks the final episode in the series' summer run.

[04/29/16 - 12:18 PM]
Showtime 2016 Summer Programming Overview
Highlights include the return of "The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth" on Sunday, July 10 at 8:00/7:00c.

[04/08/16 - 09:33 AM]
Showtime(R) Debuts a Special Recap Episode of "The Circus" This Sunday and Offers the Show for Sampling Across Multiple Platforms
This mid-season recap will relive the behind the scenes moments from all the intense, irreverent and inspiring real stories as the field has winnowed in the nomination battles so far.

[03/18/16 - 02:01 PM]
Showtime Extends the Original Run of "The Circus" by Adding Two Additional Episodes
The series will return in July with new episodes for the Democratic and Republican conventions, then go on another hiatus before returning in the fall for weekly coverage to coincide with the general election campaign.

[02/09/16 - 11:39 PM]
Development Update: Tuesday, February 9
Updates include: Courteney Cox's "Charity Case" gets pilot order at FOX; Jeremy Sisto called in for ABC's "The Jury"; and Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse bound for The CW's "Riverdale."

[01/15/16 - 09:02 AM]
Come One, Come All to "The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth" - Premiering Sunday, Jan. 17 on Showtime(R)
In its first episode, the series follows Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Bernie Sanders and GOP front-runner Donald Trump as they traverse the country on the human rollercoaster of the presidential campaign.

[01/11/16 - 11:25 AM]
Showtime(R) Will Be Available to Over 70 Million Homes for a Free Preview Weekend Starting on Saturday, January 16
Said preview, which runs through Monday, January 18, coincides with the launch of new drama "Billions" this Sunday.

[01/05/16 - 11:20 AM]
Showtime(R) Trailblazing New Political Documentary Series "The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth" Sets Airdate
The real-time documentary series will premieres Sunday, January 17 at 8:00/7:00c.

[12/15/15 - 09:08 AM]
Showtime(R) Greenlights Trailblazing New Political Documentary Series "The Circus: Inside The Greatest Political Show on Earth"
The real-time documentary series will pull back the curtain on the 2016 presidential race, revealing the intense, irreverent, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines of what promises to be one of the most fascinating and consequential elections in modern history.







CIRCUS, THE (SHOWTIME)
BROADCAST HISTORY:
1/17/16 - 11/12/23
STATUS:
canceled/ended (2023-2024 season)
TIME SLOT:
completed airing its current season
SEASON(S):
8 (130 episodes, 0 of which have yet to air)
VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
series finale aired on 11/12/23
DESCRIPTION:
(from Showtime's web site, February 2023) Come one, come all to The Circus, the groundbreaking docuseries that pulls back the curtain on American politics. Hosts John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Jenn Palmieri go behind the scenes of the greatest political show on earth each week for an unbiased, inside look at the stories beyond the headlines.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Jennifer Palmieri as Herself (Season 6- )
· John Heilemann as Himself
· Mark McKinnon as Himself
RECURRING/PREVIOUS CAST INFORMATION:
· Alex Wagner as Herself (Season 3-7)
· Mark Halperin as Himself (Season 1-2)
· Steve Schmidt as Himself (Season 3)
CREW INFORMATION:
· Banks Tarver as EP
· Divya Chungi as EP
· John Heilemann as EP
· Ken Druckerman as EP
· Mark McKinnon as EP
· Tom Johnson as EP
GENRE(S):
· reality (all)
· reality (documentary)
STUDIO INFORMATION:
· Left-Right Productions