(Photo: Ben Hider/Paramount+ with Showtime)
The Circus is ending with its current eighth season. Showtime has announced that the 130th and final episode of the political docuseries series will be released on Sunday.
Hosted by John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, and Jennifer Palmieri, the series premiered in 2016, and it takes viewers inside the world of politics to go beyond the headlines.
Showtime revealed more about the series ending in a press release.
After eight seasons and 130 episodes, the groundbreaking, four-time Emmy® nominated political docuseries THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH – hosted by John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, and Jennifer Palmieri – concludes with a series finale episode on Sunday, November 12 at 7 P.M. ET/PT streaming on Paramount+ with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan and on SHOWTIME linear.
Since the historic 2016 presidential race, THE CIRCUS has brought viewers behind-the-scenes and beyond the headlines of the nation’s biggest political stories inside the Beltway and beyond – while delivering the fast-paced, on-the-ground perspective, compelling and unfettered inside access, and eye-catching cinematography for which the show has been celebrated.
For eight seasons, THE CIRCUS has captured everything from Trump’s unexpected presidential victory and his contentious time in office, to the polarizing politics of the pandemic, the 2020 election and ensuing insurrection on Capitol Hill, Biden’s presidency at a time of international turmoil, and much more. The hosts have traversed the globe to give viewers a look at what the public rarely sees and explore the high human drama inherent in American politics.
“When we started The Circus in 2016, we thought it would be a one-and-done deal. Eight seasons and 130 episodes later, we’re still agog that Showtime gave us the trust and support that kept us cranking on this long, strange trip — and let us prove that our idea of doing a weekly, behind-the-scenes, real-time doc series on American politics wasn’t as unhinged as it seemed,” said host and executive producer John Heilemann. “Our belief in the importance of the story we’ve been covering and our eagerness to keep covering it, Circus-style, hasn’t changed. So when people ask what’s next, all we can say is: stay tuned.”
What do you think? Are you sad that The Circus is ending its run on Showtime? Have you enjoyed this series?
I’m shocked at the timing. And yes, I enjoyed it.
How can they end it now. It is a great show and fantastic synopsis of what happened in the past week. I would like it to be on year round without breaks!
Seriously!! Not giving us coverage up until the 2024 election??? We love this show. It takes over an hour to watch as we have to stop the video to discuss what we are hearing. Even as depressing as most the political news is presently. This is disappointing. We will miss them until they really come back under another name or different channel. They won’t miss this election!
So… it sounds like a bit of a head-fake. It’s not so much of an ending, but they’re going to rebrand it under another name, and bring it back in January 2024, just in time for the “official” start of the Presidential primary season.
You can bet your soul on it.