8.3/108 votesLoading...
8.3/1015 votesLoading...#2 - Fake News?
Season 8 Episode 4 - Aired 3/19/2023
The Circus examines the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News. John Heilemann speaks with legendary First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams, Mark McKinnon with prominent journalists, and Jennifer Palmieri with Trump voters about the case.
Director: N/A
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8.3/1013 votesLoading...#3 - Life During Wartime
Season 8 Episode 12 - Aired 11/12/2023
Hosts John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Jenn Palmieri go behind the scenes of the wildest political show on earth for an unbiased, inside look at the stories beyond the headlines.
Director: N/A
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8.2/1014 votesLoading...#4 - Nothing but the Truth
Season 8 Episode 6 - Aired 4/2/2023
This week The Circus examines the historic indictment of Donald Trump, the nation's first former president to face criminal charges, and tracks the legal and political fallout from the bombshell development. In addition, John Heilemann and guest host Andrew Weissmann discuss the two special counsel probes focused on Trump, Mark McKinnon speaks with Mike Pence after the former VP was ordered to testify in one of those inquiries, and Jennifer Palmieri looks at the investigation into Trump’s election interference in Georgia.
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8.0/1014 votesLoading...#5 - The Information War
Season 7 Episode 3 - Aired 3/20/2022
As Russia escalates its assault, Ukraine’s President delivers an impassioned address to Congress. Jennifer Palmieri and Mark McKinnon are on Capitol Hill speaking with lawmakers immediately after Zelinsky’s emotional plea to “close the sky” over Ukraine. Plus, Alex Wagner and John Heilemann examine the information war, including the sophisticated Russian disinformation campaign infiltrating American media and Putin’s draconian crackdown on dissent and free speech inside Russia.
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8.0/1012 votesLoading...#6 - The Home Front
Season 7 Episode 5 - Aired 4/3/2022
The Circus tracks the dramatic developments out of the House committee investigating the forces behind the violent January 6 insurrection. Jennifer Palmieri and Mark McKinnon speak with members of the committee after voting to hold two of former President Donald Trump's aides in contempt; Alex Wagner talks with Bob Woodward and Robert Costa on their bombshell reporting about the White House call log from the day of the Capitol attack; and John Heilemann examines the growing pressure on the Justice Department to investigate Trump's activities.
Director: N/A
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- 8.0/1016 votesLoading...
#7 - Exhaustion, Depression and Dread... Oy Vey
Season 8 Episode 7 - Aired 10/8/2023
Hosts John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Jenn Palmieri go behind the scenes of the wildest political show on earth for an unbiased, inside look at the stories beyond the headlines.
Director: N/A
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7.9/1021 votesLoading...#8 - Steal This Election
Season 5 Episode 18 - Aired 10/18/2020
The Circus dives into voting integrity, specifically issues concerning election day disputes, voter suppression and re-election rhetoric from the President himself. Eager to stave off fears of negative polling numbers, Trump is hot on the campaign trail, despite his recent COVID-19 diagnosis. Among a myriad of perspectives, Mark McKinnon speaks with ACLU Director Andre Segura in Texas, where Republican officials are limiting mail-in voting. And Alex Wagner talks to a militia leader in Michigan about his view on the necessity of poll-watchers.
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7.9/1013 votesLoading...#9 - The Escalation Ladder
Season 7 Episode 2 - Aired 3/13/2022
With the situation on the ground in Ukraine growing increasingly dire, The Circus explores what more the U.S. and its allies can do. As Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Estonia, John Heilemann speaks with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas about fears Putin could strike a NATO nation next. Plus, Mark McKinnon explores President Biden’s response with Senator Mitt Romney; Alex Wagner interviews Ukrainian parliament member Oleksandra Ustinova; and Jennifer Palmieri speaks with officials about the threat Putin now poses to the world.
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7.8/1033 votesLoading...#10 - Raining Chaos
Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 1/10/2021
In an extended season premiere, The Circus attempts to make sense of a country reeling from the grave implications of a Capitol siege.
Director: N/A
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7.8/1011 votesLoading...#11 - Rule of Law
Season 7 Episode 10 - Aired 10/2/2022
The Circus examines the myriad legal threats facing former President Donald Trump. Mark McKinnon speaks with journalists Susan Glasser and Peter Baker, authors of a new book detailing the Trump administration. Jennifer Palmieri sits down with Sarah Matthews, the former White House Deputy Press Secretary who testified before the January 6th Committee. John Heilemann speaks with legal experts Andrew Weissman and Neal Katyal to discuss the implications of the wide range of investigations into Trump.
Director: N/A
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7.7/1013 votesLoading...#12 - Kevin's House
Season 8 Episode 3 - Aired 3/12/2023
The Circus heads to Capitol Hill to cover the new Republican-controlled House of Representatives. John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, and Jennifer Palmieri follow two freshman members of Congress, Republican Mike Lawler of New York and Democrat Maxwell Frost of Florida, as they navigate a week dominated by Tucker Carlson's coverage of January 6th, hearings on the Biden Administration, and a fight that threatens to tip America over a fiscal cliff.
Director: N/A
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7.7/1012 votesLoading...#13 - Wheels of Justice
Season 8 Episode 5 - Aired 3/26/2023
This week The Circus examines the multiple investigations facing Donald Trump that could lead to the first indictment of a U.S. president. Jennifer Palmieri speaks with former Justice Department prosecutor Andrew Weissmann about the hush-money probe. Mark McKinnon charts Michael Cohen’s journey from Trump fixer to star witness with Vanity Fair reporter Emily Jane Fox. John Heilemann talks with New York Times reporters Michael Bender and Katie Benner about the myriad investigations and their political fallout.
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- 7.7/1013 votesLoading...
#14 - Piercing The Bubble
Season 8 Episode 8 - Aired 10/15/2023
In the wake of the shocking terrorist attack in Israel, The Circus tracks the political fallout as Republican presidential hopefuls respond to the ongoing crisis.
Director: N/A
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7.6/1013 votesLoading...#15 - The Nuclear Option
Season 7 Episode 4 - Aired 3/27/2022
As President Biden travels to Brussels for an emergency NATO summit, The Circus examines Russia's threats of using nuclear weapons. Jennifer Palmieri speaks to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby about the U.S. response to Putin's nuclear saber-rattling; John Heilemann games out war simulations with one of the world's foremost experts on nuclear weapons, Zia Mian; and Alex Wagner assesses Putin's motives with former Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev.
Director: N/A
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7.6/1012 votesLoading...#16 - Not in Kansas Anymore
Season 7 Episode 9 - Aired 9/25/2022
The Circus returns amid the critical midterm election season with voters across the nation energized in unprecedented ways by the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. John Heilemann goes behind the scenes with Vice President Kamala Harris as she campaigns for reproductive rights in a swing state that could determine control of the Senate. Jennifer Palmieri and Mark McKinnon are on the ground in Michigan to report on how the end of Roe is impacting one the nation's marquee gubernatorial races.
Director: N/A
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7.6/1016 votesLoading...#17 - The Year of Living Dangerously
Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 2/26/2023
The Circus is in Poland tracking President Biden as he stuns the world with a visit to the embattled capital of Ukraine to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Host John Heilemann talks with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan about the covert trip to Kyiv and the monumental challenges of confronting a nuclear armed Russia. Back in the U.S., Mark McKinnon speaks with Bush White House veteran Nicole Wallace, while Jennifer Palmieri sits down with former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Admiral James Stavridis.
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7.6/1016 votesLoading...#18 - Off to the Races
Season 8 Episode 2 - Aired 3/5/2023
The Circus is on the ground in Florida, South Carolina, Maryland and New Hampshire to mark the unofficial kick-off of the Republican Party's presidential nominating contest. The week begins as a leading potential candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, launches his book tour and ends with CPAC, the annual conservative gathering that’s friendly territory for former President Donald Trump, who’s already in the race. John Heilemann, Jennifer Palmieri, Mark McKinnon and guest host Tim Miller examine the fault lines already emerging in the party.
Director: N/A
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- 7.6/1013 votesLoading...
#19 - The A.I. Election
Season 8 Episode 11 - Aired 11/5/2023
The Circus examines the impact of AI on the 2024 election, as world leaders convene an AI Safety Summit. The Circus team, along with guest host Jordan Klepper, explore the myriad concerns, including AI-enabled disinformation and deep fakes.
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7.5/1015 votesLoading...#20 - The Gathering Storm
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 9/16/2018
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.
Director: N/A
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- 7.5/1014 votesLoading...
#21 - Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 10/13/2019
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.
Director: N/A
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- 7.5/1014 votesLoading...
#22 - Field of Dreams
Season 4 Episode 15 - Aired 11/3/2019
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’ campaigns to evaluate their infrastructure and strategy for the event. Will there be a breakout star this time around?
Director: N/A
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7.5/1012 votesLoading...#23 - Here Comes the Flood
Season 7 Episode 15 - Aired 11/6/2022
No description available
Director: N/A
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- 7.5/1011 votesLoading...
#24 - The Crucible
Season 8 Episode 9 - Aired 10/22/2023
The Circus examines President Biden's high profile wartime trip to Israel, a nation reeling in the wake of the terrorist attack by Hamas. Meanwhile, House Republicans struggle to elect a new speaker, two weeks after ousting Kevin McCarthy.
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- 7.4/1023 votesLoading...
#25 - The Newsrooms
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 10/2/2016
Preparations for the debate; the candidates cede the spotlight to those who cover the political news.
Director: N/A
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The Best Episodes of The Circus
Every episode of The Circus ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Circus!
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...
Genre:Documentary
Network:Showtime
Best Episodes Summary
"Riptides" is the best rated episode of "The Circus". It scored 8.3/10 based on 8 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 11/13/2022. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Fake News?".