The BEST episodes of The Circus
Every episode of The Circus ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Circus!
This documentary series pulls back the curtain on the 2016 presidential race, revealing the intense, inspiring and infuriating stories behind the headlines. Key characters and events from the individual campaigns are presented in real time, as they are happening. Produced in cooperation with Bloomberg Politics, THE CIRCUS is a non-partisan, never-before-attempted take on what promises to be one of the most fascinating and consequential elections in modern history.
#1 - War and Peace
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/13/2018
The gloves are off as Donald Trump fights a 360-degree battle to keep the presidency. He's taking shots at those who stand to threaten it, and is at war against the "deep state" of the FBI, CIA, and the Department of Justice. Stories covered include Michael Cohen's connection to a Russian oligarch, Trump's attempts to undermine the Mueller investigation, the scuttling of the Iran deal, and the Senate confirmation hearing for Trump's controversial CIA Director pick, Gina Haspel.
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#2 - 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. Incensed by the final blow of a Democratic controlled Senate, President Trump continues to stoke the political fire as his supporters riot to halt the now-certified Electoral Vote count. Hosts John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, Alex Wagner and Jenn Palmieri bring their perspective to the unfolding news, exploring the fallout of a turbulent week and the energy surging from the results of the Georgia run-off.
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#3 - Who The F*** Are We?
Season 5 - Episode 21 - Aired 11/8/2020
As election night passes with many a ballot remaining uncounted, The Circus wraps up an unhinged election season with a special one-hour look at how the 2020 race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has evolved. With results permeating into the days following, the hosts are on the ground in every key battleground state offering a unique perspective of how the Presidential race is playing out.
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#4 - Judgment Day
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/30/2018
The focus remains tightly on the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the future of U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein notwithstanding. As legions of outspoken critics and fans of Judge Kavanaugh vie for attention on Capitol Hill, and allegations of sexual misconduct continue to surface, the temperature in the capital climbs steadily upward. For much of the week John Heilemann is embedded with attorney Michael Avenatti, who may just have the most explosive revelations of all.
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#5 - 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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#6 - A Place Called Fear
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/4/2018
Donald Trump has hit the campaign trail in a big way to aid Republicans in their election efforts, and he is painting frightening pictures to motivate his base. In response, prominent Democrats are issuing dire warnings of what will happen if their party doesn't retake at least some control. With the midterm elections only days away, The Circus travels to rallies and campaign stops around the country to find out how both sides are pulling out all the stops to win these all-important races.
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#7 - Clear and Present Danger
Season 6 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/17/2021
At the brink of an historic second impeachment, The Circus delves into the last week in office of a furious, de-platformed President Trump. With last week’s Capitol violence ever relevant, the question remains: will this be a decisive moment for our nation? Alongside social media bans, the hosts explore efforts hindering the rhetoric of Trump and his supporters. John Heilemann speaks with Neil Katyal about the legal implications impeachment brings and Mark McKinnon provides an eye-opening account with Texans still indoctrinated with conspiracy.
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#8 - New World Disorder
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/27/2019
On the season premiere of The Circus, it's a new world order in Washington as a Democratic majority in the House puts a check on the Trump presidency. The second half of his term has begun with total gridlock, a government shutdown, and federal workers lining up for free hot meals. Meanwhile, freshmen representatives are putting a new face on Congress—and introducing a new reality, and the investigation of Trump takes a surprising turn in the wake of Michael Cohen postponing his congressional testimony.
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#9 - Party of One
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/30/2020
The Circus is in the thick of the Republic National Convention in D.C., covering speakers, key speeches and the subsequent public reaction. Among other steady Trump confidants, Senior Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz preview the race ahead and break down President Trump's appeal to swing voters. Can Republicans offer a winning perspective on "law & order" in response to national rallies over recent police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin?
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#10 - Black and White
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 10/28/2018
As undertones of racial politics make news, The Circus travels south, following two historic gubernatorial races with African-American candidates. In Florida, America's most unpredictable swing state, Democrat Andrew Gillum and Republican Ron DeSantis reap the benefits and face the challenges of being respectively progressive and pro-Trump candidates. Next door in Georgia, Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams find themselves locked in a virtual dead heat despite being on opposite ends of a statewide voting controversy.
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#11 - October Surprise
Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 10/4/2020
The Circus covers the fiery first debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Jen Palmieri explores Trump's aggressive debate strategy, swapping war stories with Philippe Reines, a member of the Clinton 2016 debate prep team. John Heilemann spends debate night with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Alex Wagner and Mark McKinnon are on the ground in Cleveland gauging public reactions to the debate, as all the hosts react to the seismic news that President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19.
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#12 - The Cruelest Month
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/15/2020
The results of the Big Tuesday Democratic primaries in 6 states cemented Joe Biden's frontrunner status and gave him a seemingly insurmountable lead in delegates over rival Bernie Sanders. But Sanders has announced he isn't dropping out, and is planning to debate Biden and continue to push his progressive agenda. Meanwhile, with cancelled rallies and limits on travel, the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the race in ways large and small.
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#13 - Rip Tides
Season 7 - Episode 16 - Aired 11/13/2022
The Circus concludes yet another turbulent election season with an extended one-hour episode tracking the final days leading up to an historic election night. Hosts John Heilemann, Jennifer Palmieri and Mark McKinnon, along with guest hosts Tim Miller and Errin Haines, are on the ground in the key battlegrounds tracking the stunning election results as a predicted red wave fizzles. Season finale.
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#14 - State of Denial
Season 7 - Episode 11 - Aired 10/9/2022
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.
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#15 - Full Court Press
Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 9/27/2020
The Circus profiles the legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and examines the political battlefield her death has created. Eager to capitalize, Senator Mitch McConnell and conservatives have zealously pushed to fill her vacancy before election day, while progressives strongly object. Republican strategist Charlie Black joins Mark McKinnon to analyze McConnell's motives. Meanwhile, former Principal Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal and Director of Demand Justice Brian Fallon discuss the implications of rushing a successor.
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#16 - Senatorial Combat
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 10/21/2018
As the battle for the Senate heats up with post-Kavanaugh polls forecasting a Republican resurgence, The Circus travels the country charting the shifting dynamics in three of the closest races - each considered a must-win if Democrats hope to gain the majority. In Arizona, it's neck and neck between Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally; in Nevada, Jacky Rosen digs deep to take on incumbent Dean Heller; plus, a sit-down with North Dakota's Heidi Heitkamp, who's fighting for her political life in the wake of a campaign ad controversy.
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#17 - Circling Vultures
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/3/2019
The list of former allies who are turning on Donald Trump grows daily, the Mueller investigation continues to circle him and the Democrats have been unrelenting in their attacks. The President’s increasing vulnerability has led to a bumper crop of potential 2020 challengers, all of whom are hoping to be the one to unseat him.
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#18 - Tale of the Tape
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 10/16/2016
Tracking the fallout from the second debate and the scandal surrounding a now-infamous audio tape, could this be the final nail in Trump's campaign coffin - or can he pull off a surprise October Surprise to rally yet another comeback?
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#19 - President Trump
Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 11/13/2016
In a special hour-long episode finale 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.
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#20 - Force Majeure
Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 9/20/2020
As the United States approaches a grim 200,000 deaths, The Circus investigates the politicization of COVID-19. While the Trump campaign continues to prioritize the economy, Joe Biden has emphatically upheld health experts, causing many to question how the discourse between Red & Blue will play in the 2020 election. With regard to the current political game in key battleground states, the hosts interview Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, Biden Senior Advisor Symone Sanders and Republican political consultant Susie Wiles.
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#21 - Man of the World
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/29/2018
As Mike Pompeo's nomination for Secretary of State clears a Senate hurdle, official visits from French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel command the administration's attention. John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon sit down with Wendy Sherman, lead negotiator behind the Iran nuclear deal. Plus, Alex Wagner interviews imam Dr. Ismail Elshikh, the plaintiff behind the travel-ban challenge.
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#22 - 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.
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#23 - Trump Country
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/6/2018
The Circus goes on the road to Trump country to take the nation's temperature on the president's performance, how the midterm elections are shaping up, and where the two sides currently stand on gun control. John Heilemann catches up with Mitt Romney about his Utah senate campaign, Mark McKinnon interviews Randy "Iron Stache" Bryce in Wisconsin about his bid to turn Paul Ryan's district Democratic, and Alex Wagner travels to Texas for a sit-down with Beto O'Rourke on his surprisingly close race to unseat Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
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#24 - Mother(f***er) of All Midterms
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 11/11/2018
This special one-hour season finale is all about the midterms: before, during and after. In the run-up to election day, The Circus visits some of the high-profile campaigns to catch their final pushes. On election day, we're backstage and on set at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where John Heilemann and Alex Wagner are guests as the results are coming in. Then we cover the fallout of the historic election, from Trump's reaction to the surprising changes to the political landscape in Washington and beyond.
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#25 - Crisis Mismanagement
Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 10/11/2020
In a turbulent week following President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis, The Circus is covering all the inquiry surrounding his health. As more people in Trump's circle test positive, the current functionality of the White House and outlook for the campaign has come under scrutiny. Alex Wagner talks with Kevin Madden, one of the top GOP communication experts, to discuss the White House's strategy in the days remaining until the election. Meanwhile, John Heilemann sits down with members of The Lincoln Project on the heels of the first Veep debate.
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