The Circus
Season 1

s01e01 / The Outsiders

18th Jan '16 - 1:00am
The Outsiders Summary

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.

42 have watched this episode

s01e02 / Prisoner's Dilemma

25th Jan '16 - 1:00am
Prisoner's Dilemma Summary

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.

42 have watched this episode

s01e03 / Tension City

1st Feb '16 - 1:00am
Tension City Summary

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.

42 have watched this episode

s01e04 / The Big Mo

8th Feb '16 - 1:00am
The Big Mo Summary

Inside the Iowa fallout and who's got momentum leading into New Hampshire.

40 have watched this episode

s01e05 / The Winnowing

15th Feb '16 - 1:00am
The Winnowing Summary

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.

40 have watched this episode

s01e06 / Fear and Loathing

22nd Feb '16 - 1:00am
Fear and Loathing Summary

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.

40 have watched this episode

s01e07 / Confidence Game

29th Feb '16 - 1:00am
Confidence Game Summary

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.

40 have watched this episode

s01e08 / The Reckoning

7th Mar '16 - 1:00am
The Reckoning Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e09 / Dead or Alive

14th Mar '16 - 12:00am
Dead or Alive Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e10 / High Hopes

21st Mar '16 - 12:00am
High Hopes Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e11 / Home and Abroad

28th Mar '16 - 12:00am
Home and Abroad Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e12 / On Wisconsin

4th Apr '16 - 12:00am
On Wisconsin Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e13 / Circus Recap

11th Apr '16 - 12:00am
Circus Recap Summary

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.

40 have watched this episode

s01e14 / Game On

11th Jul '16 - 12:00am
Game On Summary

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.

40 have watched this episode

s01e15 / Veepstakes

18th Jul '16 - 12:00am
Veepstakes Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e16 / Trump Show

25th Jul '16 - 12:00am
Trump Show Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e17 / In the Arena

1st Aug '16 - 12:00am
In the Arena Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e18 / Closing the Gap

12th Sep '16 - 12:00am
Closing the Gap Summary

The Trump campaign finds itself running from behind and tries to close the gap on Clinton, even as members of his party start to publicly jump ship.

40 have watched this episode

s01e19 / Fit to Serve

19th Sep '16 - 12:00am
Fit to Serve Summary

Revelations about Clinton's pneumonia and scrutiny surrounding Trump's medical records lead to questions of their fitness to lead. As each campaign tries to avoid the issues, heat is put on their running mates.

40 have watched this episode

s01e20 / Battleground

26th Sep '16 - 12:00am
Battleground Summary

As Clinton and Trump prepare for the first of their debates, the campaigns target a handful of states that could swing the election, including the must-win battleground of Florida.

40 have watched this episode

s01e21 / The Newsrooms

3rd Oct '16 - 12:00am
The Newsrooms Summary

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

40 have watched this episode

s01e22 / Tale of the Tape

17th Oct '16 - 12:00am
Tale of the Tape Summary

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?

40 have watched this episode

s01e23 / From Russia with Love

24th Oct '16 - 12:00am
From Russia with Love Summary

Amid claims of foreign intervention, international espionage and widespread hacking, Clinton faces what might turn out to be her toughest opponent to date: WikiLeaks, and the trove of highly sensitive, private emails it's made public.

40 have watched this episode

s01e24 / His Word as a Biden

31st Oct '16 - 12:00am
His Word as a Biden Summary

The final two-week push going into the election sees the full weight of the White House come out in force for Clinton's campaign, including one man who has the potential to swing those states still up for grabs: Joe Biden.

40 have watched this episode

s01e25 / Nobody Fucking Knows

7th Nov '16 - 1:00am
Nobody Fucking Knows Summary

Clinton in Arizona? Trump in Washington? As different polls predict differing outcomes both campaigns make a case in far-fetched battlegrounds. In a race that's either up for grabs or already decided, hope, it seems, springs eternal.

39 have watched this episode

s01e26 / President Trump

14th Nov '16 - 1:00am
President Trump Summary

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.

40 have watched this episode
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