The Circus
"Inside the Craziest Political Campaign on Earth"
Come one, come all to The Circus. This real-time documentary series pulls back the curtain on the current political stories, revealing the intense, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines. Key characters and events are presented in real time, as they are happening.
Genre: Documentary
Country: United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada
Type: tv
Season: 1
Episode: 1
Duration: 0h 29m
Release: 2016
Rating: 6.4
Season 1 - The Circus
2016-01-17
"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."
2016-01-24
"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."
2016-01-31
"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."
2016-02-07
"The fourth episode goes inside the Iowa fallout and the momentum leading into New Hampshire's primary. Who\u00bfs 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?"
2016-02-14
"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."
2016-02-21
"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."
2016-02-28
"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."
2016-03-06
"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?"
2016-03-13
"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?"
2016-03-20
"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?"
2016-03-27
"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?"
2016-04-03
"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?"
2016-04-10
"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."
2016-07-10
"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."
2016-07-17
"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?"
2016-07-24
"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?"
2016-07-31
"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?"
2016-09-11
"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?"
2016-09-18
"As Clinton's pneumonia and scrutiny about Trump's medical records comes to the forefront, their fitness to lead is questioned."
2016-09-25
"As Clinton and Trump prepare for their first debate, their campaigns target the swing states with an eye on Florida."
2016-10-02
"Preparations for the debate; the candidates cede the spotlight to those who cover the political news."
2016-10-16
"The fallout from the second debate and the current scandal surrounding a recently publicized audio tape."
2016-10-23
"Clinton faces the scandal of her highly sensitive, private emails being made public on WikiLeaks, amid claims of foreign hacking and intervention and international espionage of the 2016 election."
2016-10-30
"With only two weeks until election day, Clinton bets on the one man who has the potential to swing those states still up for grabs: Joe Biden."
2016-11-06
"Polls predict the differing outcomes; both campaigns make a case in \"far-fetched battlegrounds\"; to most, the race is either up for grabs or already decided."
2016-11-13
"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."
Season 2 - The Circus
2017-03-19
"Mark Halperin takes a ride on Airforce One with President Donald Trump. We look at the debate surrounding the healthcare bill and hear from both sides, including Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul and the White House."
2017-03-26
"Mark Halperin talks with Senator Patrick Leahy about Neil Gorsuch\u2019s Supreme Court nomination, Congressman Adam Schiff weighs in on Trump\u2019s alleged ties to Russia and Joe Biden enters the fray surrounding the healthcare bill."
2017-04-02
"What do people outside the Beltway really think about President Trump? Mark Halperin takes a trip through America to find the answers. Then he heads to New Orleans to discuss his surprising findings with Mary Matalin."
2017-04-09
"What in the world is going on? This week is all about foreign policy: President Trump's military response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria and its impact on his ongoing delicate dance with Russia."
2017-04-16
"Congress may be in recess but Mark Halperin is on the job, covering the White House and the Syria fallout. John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon hit the road to see what Americans think about how President Trump is handling the situation."
2017-04-23
"How are the Democrats resisting Trump? Mark Halperin talks to Elizabeth Warren about standing strong. Bernie Sanders tells John Heilemann about taking his message to the people. Americans talk about what resistance means to them."
2017-04-30
"What has President Trump learned from his first 100 days in office? As Congress reconvenes, Mark McKinnon and John Heilemann head to Capitol Hill to find out. Mark Halperin is in New York City to get Wall Street\u2019s perspective."
2017-05-07
"Washington insiders join John Heilemann, Mark Halperin and Mark McKinnon for a look at some of the thrilling, amazing and logic defying acts performed during President Trump's first 100 days. Season finale."
Season 3 - The Circus
2018-04-15
"The United States and Russia are locked in a dangerous new standoff. From Facebook and meddling in the 2016 election, to alleged poisoning attacks, to the war in Syria, Russia is the dominant force in our news cycle. John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and new host Alex Wagner examine America's new Cold War with Russia and where it's leading."
2018-04-22
"An ever-growing swirl of legal entanglements continues to surround President Trump. From the ongoing Mueller investigation to the Michael Cohen raid and subsequent hearing, and James Comey's inflammatory book, the Trump presidency is under siege. John Heillman interviews Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels' lawyer, John and Alex Wagner have a colorful dialog with legal heavyweight and Trump supporter Alan Dershowitz, and Mark McKinnon sits down with former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates."
2018-04-29
"State visits by the heads of France and Germany command the administration's attention; John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon talk with Wendy Sherman, architect of the Iran deal; Alex Wagner interviews the imam behind the travel-ban challenge."
2018-05-06
"Taking the nation's temperature on the president's performance, midterm elections and gun control; featuring interviews with Mitt Romney, Randy \"Iron Stache\" Bryce and Beto O'Rourke"
2018-05-13
"The gloves are off as Donald Trump fights a 360-degree battle to keep the presidency; he is taking shots at those who stand to threaten it and is at war against the deep state of the FBI, CIA, and the Department of Justice."
2018-05-20
"The Trump administration has had to contend with an unprecedented number of crises, and spinning them is an ongoing preoccupation. In this era of splintered news media, how do you get the right message to the right people, and still stay on course? Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie discusses trying to govern during a PR crisis, Steve Brill hosts an Axios event on combating fake news, and Steve Schmidt and Mark Fabiani, Bill Clinton's advisor during the Whitewater scandal, both weigh in on how this White House is managing crises."
2018-09-16
"With the looming midterm elections, the Trump presidency under relentless siege, and Hurricane Florence bearing down on the Carolina coast, Washington has a lot on its collective plate. Mark McKinnon and Alex Wagner visit the democratic and republican war rooms respectively, and learn what each camp is doing to secure the majority in the House. John Heilemann interviews Steve Bannon and takes a tour of Breitbart, all in advance of the release of Bannon's inflammatory new documentary."
2018-09-23
"As Republicans and Democrats play a dramatic game of chess in the wake of the assault allegations from Christine Blasey Ford, all eyes are on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the confirmation process of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Parallels are drawn between the current showdown and the Anita Hill hearing in 1991, and recurring contributor Steve Schmidt gives context to the Trump administration's response, given his experience working to confirm Supreme Court nominees for previous Republican administrations."
2018-09-30
"The focus remains tightly on the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court; for much of the week, John Heilemann is embedded with attorney Michael Avenatti, who may just have the most explosive revelations of all."
2018-10-07
"The emphasis remains squarely on the Judge Brett Kavanaugh confirmation saga; as the midterm elections draw nearer, the hosts delve into the ramifications of the confirmation's outcome on various U.S. Senate races around the country."
2018-10-14
"The Circus travels to California to gauge the resistance to the Trump administration; with almost a dozen Republican-held house seats in serious contention, any potential blue wave in the midterm elections will begin here."
2018-10-21
"As the battle for the Senate heats up with polls forecasting a Republican resurgence, \"The Circus\" travels the country charting the shifting dynamics in three of the closest races: Arizona, Nevada and North Dakota."
2018-10-28
"As undertones of racial politics make news, \"The Circus\" travels to Florida and Georgia, following two historic gubernatorial races with African-American candidates."
2018-11-04
"With the midterm elections only days away, The Circus travels to rallies and campaign stops around the country to find out how both sides are pulling out all the stops to win these all-important races."
2018-11-11
"This special one-hour season finale is all about the midterms: before, during and after. In the run-up to election day, The Circus visits some of the high-profile campaigns to catch their final pushes."
Season 4 - The Circus
2019-01-27
"It's a new world order in Washington as a Democratic majority in the House puts a check on the Trump presidency. The second half of his term has begun with total gridlock, a government shutdown, and federal workers lining up for free hot meals. Is this the new normal? Meanwhile, freshmen representatives are putting a new face on Congress\u2014and introducing a new reality, and the investigation of Trump takes a surprising turn in the wake of Michael Cohen postponing his congressional testimony."
2019-02-03
"The list of former allies who are turning on Donald Trump grows daily, the Mueller investigation continues to circle him and the Democrats have been unrelenting in their attacks. The President\u2019s increasing vulnerability has led to a bumper crop of potential 2020 challengers, all of whom are hoping to be the one to unseat him."
2019-02-10
"As President Trump toys with declaring a state of emergency in order to be able to begin construction of his border wall, his administration is in the spotlight. The House Intelligence Committee is ramping up investigations of Trump on multiple fronts, and is collaborating with Robert Mueller's team."
2019-02-17
"The 2020 election is looming large in the capital. Campaign season is here early and more and more candidates are jumping in each week. THE CIRCUS follows declared and potential candidates Amy Klobuchar and Beto O\u2019Rourke at the top of the week, and tracks ongoing news of the potential government shutdown, the border wall battle, and the Green New Deal back in D.C."
2019-02-24
"What exactly constitutes a national emergency? For President Trump, it is clearly securing the U.S. southern border. But others have very different ideas, including gun violence, the opioid crisis and climate change, to name a few. This week THE CIRCUS compares and contrasts various perceived national emergencies and covers people on the front lines of each one."
2019-03-03
"It's an action-packed week for President Trump on two fronts, creating a split-screen effect for the American people. On one hand, the President travels to Vietnam to meet with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and have a big moment on the world stage. On the other hand, the President's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, testifies before Congress about potential presidential dirt he may have. Emily Jane Fox, a reporter for Vanity Fair who has been following Cohen, joins the hosts this week to help cover the hearings."
2019-03-10
"THE CIRCUS takes a deep dive into the Democratic party. There is a reckoning going on about the party's future. On one hand, there is a movement to tack left towards more progressive policies, a strategy that proved effective in 2018 elections. On the other, many feel that the best way to convert Trump voters in 2020 is to move towards the center. That was Bill Clinton's winning strategy in 1992, after the Democrats had failed to win the presidency repeatedly with more progressive candidates. The question is, are we in a new world now, or not?"
2019-03-17
"Donald Trump is currently engaged in a three-front war over the future of his presidency. The first battle is with Congress, where he is facing a rebuke from both sides of the aisle over his national emergency declaration. The second focusses on the 2020 election, as two potential game-changing Democratic challengers\u2014Joe Biden and Beto O'Rourke\u2014weigh Presidential bids. Trump's final battle on the legal front anticipates the release of the Mueller report, just as his known associates Paul Manafort and Roger Stone face lengthy prison time."
2019-03-22
"The Circus returns with an update on where things stand in the 2020 presidential race. On the Democratic side, the three leading candidates \u2014 Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren \u2014 are crisscrossing the country trying to get their message across, while the party as a whole is debating what it will take to beat Trump. Meanwhile, the President has an unprecedented number of Republican primary challengers to contend with, which could have an impact on his election strategy."
2019-03-29
"The Circus tackles the launch of an official impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. As news roils the capital and the entire nation, the hosts track down Democratic congressional leaders, members of the House Intelligence Committee, and prominent Republicans in a momentous week for both sides of the political aisle."
2019-10-06
"The Circus fans out across the country to cover the rapidly-evolving impeachment story through the lens of 2020 presidential campaigns. Meanwhile, in the capital, the hosts track breaking news developments as the White House and others react to the impeachment inquiry and findings thus far. And as members of Congress return to their districts for the fall recess, The Circus attends their town hall meetings with constituents to capture voter reactions."
2019-10-13
"How are key players responding to these desperate times? The President seems to have crafted his defense of the impeachment inquiry, and he's pushing it forcefully. The whistleblowers risked their careers to come forward, can they be protected? And the lower-tier 2020 Democratic candidates must fight even harder to be heard over the tidal wave of impeachment news, while Joe Biden faces a critical test of his candidacy. Special guest Jennifer Palmieri, a veteran of the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Bill Clinton White House, joins the hosts."
2019-10-20
"With Congress back in session after a two-week recess, everyone in the capital seems to be in fighting mode. Democrats are pursuing the impeachment inquiry at an aggressive pace, and members of Congress from both parties weigh in about the closed-door hearings. The President and his Republican supporters loudly defend his actions in both Ukraine and Syria. And the Democratic 2020 contenders participated in a heated debate in which everyone tried hard to differentiate themselves and be heard above the fray."
2019-10-27
"The Circus does a deep dive into the longtime federal government agencies and bureaucrats involved in Congress\u2019 ongoing impeachment inquiry, otherwise dubbed by President Trump as the \"deep state.\u201d"
2019-11-03
"The Circus is in Iowa for the all-important Liberty and Justice Celebration, aka Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, where past Presidential winners like Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter have broken out from tight races. The hosts go behind the scenes of 2020 Democratic candidates\u2019 campaigns to evaluate their infrastructure and strategy for the event. Will there be a breakout star this time around?"
Season 5 - The Circus
20 Sep 2020
"The Circus investigates the politicization of COVID-19. While Trump prioritizes the economy, Biden has upheld health experts, begging the question: How will the discourse between Red and Blue affect the 2020 election in swing states?"
Season 6 - The Circus
03 Oct 2021
"The Circus heads to Capitol Hill for the fierce battle over President Biden's legacy-defining agenda. As Democrats face off over costs and priorities, moderates and progressives refuse to back down."
17 Oct 2021
"The Circus examines the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen and how the falsehood is being embraced by the Republican Party and threatens American democracy."
24 Oct 2021
"The Circus heads to Virginia, examining both sides of the neck and neck gubernatorial race considered by many to be a bellwether for the country."
31 Oct 2021
"The Circus heads to Capitol Hill as the deadline looms to pass President Biden's legacy-defining agenda, as moderate and progressive Democrats in both chambers race to strike a deal before the week's end."
Season 7 - The Circus
06 Mar 2022
"The Circus returns as Russia invades Ukraine and President Biden delivers his first State of the Union address. With the world on high alert, the hosts report on the escalating crisis from Washington DC and Eastern Europe. Season pre"
24 Apr 2022
"The Circus heads to Florida to explore the controversial new laws signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on gender, education and abortion - and how the Sunshine State is now the central battlefield of America's culture war."
Season 8 - The Circus