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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!

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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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Circus Season 1 Episode 8 - The Reckoning
    10.0/10(21 votes)

    #1 - The Reckoning

    S1:E8

    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?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Circus Season 1 Episode 21 - The Newsrooms
    10.0/10(23 votes)

    #2 - The Newsrooms

    S1:E21

    Preparations for the debate; the candidates cede the spotlight to those who cover the political news.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The Circus Season 1 Episode 23 - From Russia With Love
    10.0/10(22 votes)

    #3 - From Russia With Love

    S1:E23

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Circus Season 2 Episode 1 - Shocking But Not Surprising
    10.0/10(19 votes)

    #4 - Shocking But Not Surprising

    S2:E1

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Circus Season 2 Episode 2 - Checking and Balancing
    10.0/10(20 votes)

    #5 - Checking and Balancing

    S2:E2

    Mark Halperin talks with Senator Patrick Leahy about Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court nomination, Congressman Adam Schiff weighs in on Trump’s alleged ties to Russia and Joe Biden enters the fray surrounding the healthcare bill.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The Circus Season 2 Episode 3 - How's He Doing?
    10.0/10(15 votes)

    #6 - How's He Doing?

    S2:E3

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Circus

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  7. The Circus Season 2 Episode 4 - The Whole World is Watching
    10.0/10(13 votes)

    #7 - The Whole World is Watching

    S2:E4

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Circus Season 3 Episode 3 - Man of the World
    10.0/10(20 votes)

    #8 - Man of the World

    S3:E3

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The Circus Season 1 Episode 1 - The Outsiders
    9.0/10(43 votes)

    #9 - The Outsiders

    S1:E1

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Circus Season 1 Episode 3 - Tension City
    9.0/10(27 votes)

    #10 - Tension City

    S1:E3

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Circus Season 1 Episode 4 - The Big Mo
    9.0/10(29 votes)

    #11 - The Big Mo

    S1:E4

    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?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Circus Season 1 Episode 5 - The Winnowing
    9.0/10(25 votes)

    #12 - The Winnowing

    S1:E5

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Circus Season 1 Episode 7 - Confidence Game
    9.0/10(25 votes)

    #13 - Confidence Game

    S1:E7

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Circus Season 1 Episode 26 - President Trump
    9.0/10(30 votes)

    #14 - President Trump

    S1:E26

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Circus Season 1 Episode 2 - Prisoner's Dilemma
    8.0/10(28 votes)

    #15 - Prisoner's Dilemma

    S1:E2

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Circus Season 1 Episode 18 - Closing the Gap
    8.0/10(20 votes)

    #16 - Closing the Gap

    S1:E18

    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?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Circus Season 1 Episode 19 - Fit to Serve
    8.0/10(22 votes)

    #17 - Fit to Serve

    S1:E19

    As Clinton's pneumonia and scrutiny about Trump's medical records comes to the forefront, their fitness to lead is questioned.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Circus Season 1 Episode 20 - Battleground
    8.0/10(19 votes)

    #18 - Battleground

    S1:E20

    As Clinton and Trump prepare for their first debate, their campaigns target the swing states with an eye on Florida.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Circus Season 1 Episode 22 - Tale of the Tape
    8.0/10(23 votes)

    #19 - Tale of the Tape

    S1:E22

    The fallout from the second debate and the current scandal surrounding a recently publicized audio tape.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Circus Season 7 Episode 10 - Rule of Law
    8.0/10(13 votes)

    #20 - Rule of Law

    S7:E10

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Circus Season 7 Episode 11 - State of Denial
    8.0/10(13 votes)

    #21 - State of Denial

    S7:E11

    The Circus travels to Arizona, a key battleground in the upcoming midterm elections and the epicenter of election denial. Jennifer Palmieri, John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and guest host Tim Miller travel the state, where every top Republican candidate has echoed former President Donald Trump's false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent, exploring what's at stake if election-denying candidates win office and control of the state's election system.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Circus Season 7 Episode 12 - Buckeyes and Bulldogs
    8.0/10(12 votes)

    #22 - Buckeyes and Bulldogs

    S7:E12

    Buckeyes and Bulldogs

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Circus Season 7 Episode 13 - This Land is Greene-Land
    8.0/10(13 votes)

    #23 - This Land is Greene-Land

    S7:E13

    The Circus is on the ground in Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Georgia district, examining her meteoric rise within the Republican party. The team also catches up with her Democratic opponent to discuss his longshot strategy to head off her re-election.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. The Circus Season 7 Episode 15 - Here Comes the Flood
    8.0/10(12 votes)

    #24 - Here Comes the Flood

    S7:E15

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Circus Season 8 Episode 4 - Fake News?
    8.0/10(15 votes)

    #25 - Fake News?

    S8:E4

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Reckoning" is the best rated episode of "The Circus". It scored 10/10 based on 21 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 3/6/2016. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Newsrooms".