Showtime’s political documentary series “The Circus” will end after the current season

The circusThe Showtime docu-series, which showcased the chaotic world of politics in a weekly story, is ending after eight seasons and 130 episodes.

The show’s final episode, featuring regular guest correspondents Mark McKinnon, John Heilemann and Jennifer Palmieri, airs Sunday on Paramount+ with Showtime and Showtime linear.

Due to changes at the premium network, Showtime decided not to renew the series. One of the show’s great champions, David Nevins, left last year.

The circus ends right on the eve of the 2024 presidential cycle, which could see a battle to the finish between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, with the latter likely to spend most of the year in court dealing with felons. cost.

The show’s hosts didn’t rule out the possibility of a sequel on another platform, but they praised Showtime for embracing the idea The circus and stick to it.

In an interview, McKinnon noted that the show, which launched in 2016, “was designed to be that kind of show. …So this show lasted seven seasons longer than planned.

Heilemann said, “We all feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to do this for so long.”

He said Showtime gave them “an extraordinary amount of freedom to create a really ambitious show that almost no one else would touch.” Heilemann added that there are “not many entertainment companies that are designed to have that kind of speed and flexibility and have the confidence that Showtime has always had in us to do something this high.”

Palmieri said the show proved that “you can tell a compelling story that matches the gravity and seriousness of the political moment, but you can also do it in a way with compelling cinematography and compelling storytelling.”

The series featured interviews with Trump, Biden and many other political figures, but the hosts note that the purpose of the series was not to present a “get” of the week. Under the motto: “Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth”, The circus The goal was to bring the candor of a traditional political documentary to a weekly format, which was a quick turnaround given the pace of breaking news over the past eight years.

As for standout episodes, McKinnon pointed to one: season three’s “The Looking Glass War.”,in which the show traveled to Russia amid rising tensions in the US and further revelations about Vladimir Putin’s disinformation efforts. It features Heilemann’s interview with a woman who infiltrated the infamous Internet Research Agency. McKinnon also pointed to examples like Wagner’s meeting with a Republican sorority president from Loudon County, Va., about critical race theory as a kind of insightful interview with someone who isn’t a big name.

The series had to go through a grueling production process, often wrapping each episode in the early hours of Sunday morning, less than 24 hours before its debut on Showtime. A particular challenge was the episode that aired after the attack on the Capitol on January 6, when it was decided to extend the program to an hour in light of the week’s events. “It always comes at the right time because we really work with a lot of footage every Saturday and have to deal with a lot of changes every week,” Heilemann said. “When major news events have occurred, it presents an additional challenge, especially if it occurs later in the week.”

Palmieri noted that Jordan Klepper, who has performed several times, “described the show as dealing with uncertainty with a lot of confidence.” The trio also praised the post-production team for helping them meet very tight deadlines.

The show’s biggest shake-up came in 2017 when EP and host Mark Halperin was fired amid allegations of sexual harassment. Alex Wagner, who worked on the show, was appointed as the permanent presenter.

“When the show started, it was never intended to have three old white guys as hosts,” McKinnon said. “The goal was always to be more diverse and have a different cast. We had our eye on Alex Wagner before these things happened with Mark, and when she came in, people thought it was because of Mark, but actually it was planned long before that.” Wagner left her last year when she joined the Primetime cast of MSNBC. .

Heilemann said it’s a legacy of making the show “something that’s not only high quality, but hopefully good for a setting that’s a little out of context and factually accurate.” We live in an age of misinformation and disinformation. I am convinced that you are making a positive contribution to an uncertain information ecosystem.”

Palmieri said campaigns “understand that we are people who understand what goes on behind the scenes, and we wanted to portray things as they really happened.”…I think we were able to capture the humanity of the candidates and they let it speak for itself, regardless of which side of the aisle we were on.”

She pointed to a moment in 2021 when the program after an interview with Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) went and he spent over an hour getting his tractor to pull her stock vehicle out of the snow.

The three hosts plan to stay involved in the upcoming cycle, and McKinnon said it will be “one of the most remarkable years in history.” Heilemann is a national business analyst for NBC News and MSNBC; McKinnon and Palmieri and old political strategists.

“Over the next 12 months, we will be very involved in observing and commenting on the political scene where we can,” Heilemann said. “And… as for the future The circusStay tuned.”

The circus is produced by Left/Right for Showtime, with Heilemann, McKinnon, Palmieri, Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman, Tom Johnson and Divya Chungi serving as executive producers. Politico first reported the show’s conclusion.