The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth

The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth
Genre	Documentary Miniseries
Presented by	Mark Halperin John Heilemann Mark McKinnon
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	28–30 minutes
Release
Original network	Showtime
Original release	January 17 – November 13, 2016
External links
Website

The Circus (Also known as The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth) is a 2016 television documentary series following the 2016 American Presidential Election Campaign.^[1][2] It is produced by Showtime and Bloomberg Politics.^[3]

Reception

The Circus received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 70%, based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The consensus reads: "The Circus reveals a more human side of the candidates and paints a clear picture of how grueling life can be on the campaign trail, yet the show fails to provide the type of candid analysis and discourse it alludes to during this incredibly unique and cantankerous election cycle."^[4] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 5 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".^[5]

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed By	Original Air Date	Viewers
1	The Outsiders		January 17, 2016
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.
2	Prisoner's Dilema		January 24, 2016
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.
3	Tension City		January 31, 2016
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.
4	The Big Mo		February 7, 2016
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?
5	The Winnowing		February 14, 2016
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.
6	Fear and Loathing		February 21, 2016
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.
7	Confidence Game		February 28, 2016
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.
8	The Reckoning		March 6, 2016
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?
9	Dead or Alive		March 13, 2016
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?
10	High Hopes		March 20, 2016
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?
11	Home and Abroad		March 27, 2016
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?
12	On Wisconsin		April 3, 2016
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?
13	Recap		April 10, 2016
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.
14	Game On		July 10, 2016
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.
15	Veepstakes		July 17, 2016
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?
16	Trump Show		July 24, 2016
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?
17	In the Arena		July 31, 2016
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?
18	Closing the Gap		September 11, 2016
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?
19	Fit to Serve		September 18, 2016
With revelations of Clinton's pneumonia and scrutiny surrounding Trump's medical records, the question of their fitness to lead takes a physical turn. As both campaigns try to punt the issue can the seconds-in-command handle the heat?
20	Battleground		September 25, 2016
As Clinton and Trump prepare for the first of their debates, the campaigns target a handful of states that could swing the election. But in the must-win battleground of Florida can either candidate work out a path to gaining the edge?
21	The Newsrooms		October 2, 2016
From debate prep to the big night and the flap that follows over Alicia Machado, the script gets flipped as the candidates cede the spotlight to an inside peek into the days and nights of the people who broadcast the news and cover the political sphere.
22	Tale of the Tape		Oct 16, 2016
Tracking the fallout from the second debate and the scandal surrounding a now-infamous audio tape, could this be the final nail in Trump's campaign coffin - or can he pull off a surprise October Surprise to rally yet another comeback?
23	From Russia With Love		Oct 23, 2016
Amid claims of foreign intervention, international espionage and widespread hacking, Clinton faces what might turn out to be her toughest opponent to date: WikiLeaks, and the trove of highly sensitive, private emails it's made public.
24	His Word As a Biden		Oct 30, 2016
The final two-week push going into the election sees the full weight of the White House come out in force for Clinton's campaign, including one man who has the potential to swing those states still up for grabs: Joe Biden.
25	Nobody F***ing Knows		Nov 6, 2016
Clinton in Arizona? Trump in Washington? As different polls predict differing outcomes both campaigns make a case in far-fetched battlegrounds. In a race that's either up for grabs or already decided, hope, it seems, springs eternal.
26	President Trump		Nov 13, 2016
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. Series finale.

References

1. "'The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth': TV Review". Hollywood Reporter. 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
2. Brian Lowry (2016-01-17). "'The Circus' Chronicles 2016 Presidential Campaign on Showtime". Variety. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
3. "Showtime : The Circus : Home". Sho.com. 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
4. "The Circus: Inside The Greatest Political Show on Earth: Miniseries". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
5. "The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 2, 2016.