7.1/1043 votes#1 - The Outsiders
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/17/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.6/1029 votes#2 - Prisoner's Dilemma
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 1/24/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1028 votes#3 - Tension City
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 1/31/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.9/1030 votes#4 - The Big Mo
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 2/7/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1026 votes#5 - The Winnowing
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 2/14/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.9/1025 votes#6 - Fear and Loathing
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 2/21/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.8/1026 votes#7 - Confidence Game
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 2/28/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1022 votes#8 - The Reckoning
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 3/6/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.0/1022 votes#9 - Dead or Alive
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 3/13/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.8/1020 votes#10 - High Hopes
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 3/20/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.9/1021 votes#11 - Home And Abroad
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 3/27/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.2/1020 votes#12 - On Wisconsin
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 4/3/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.0/1013 votes#13 - Circus Recap
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 4/10/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.6/1018 votes#14 - Game On
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 7/10/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1021 votes#15 - Veepstakes
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 7/17/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.0/1021 votes#16 - The Trump Show
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 7/24/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.3/1020 votes#17 - In the Arena
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 7/31/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.3/1021 votes#18 - Closing the Gap
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 9/11/2016
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?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.9/1023 votes#19 - Fit to Serve
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 9/18/2016
As Clinton's pneumonia and scrutiny about Trump's medical records comes to the forefront, their fitness to lead is questioned.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.5/1019 votes
#20 - Battleground
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 9/25/2016
As Clinton and Trump prepare for their first debate, their campaigns target the swing states with an eye on Florida.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.4/1023 votes
#21 - 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
Writer: N/A
- 6.4/1023 votes
#22 - Tale of the Tape
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 10/16/2016
The fallout from the second debate and the current scandal surrounding a recently publicized audio tape.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.2/1022 votes
#23 - From Russia With Love
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 10/23/2016
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.6/1023 votes
#24 - His Word as Biden
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 10/30/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 5.9/1019 votes
#25 - Nobody F... Knows
Season 1 Episode 25 - Aired 11/6/2016
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of The Circus Season 1
Every episode of The Circus Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Circus Season 1!
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
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"The Outsiders" is the best rated episode of "The Circus" season 1. It scored 7.1/10 based on 43 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 1/17/2016. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Prisoner's Dilemma".