THE CIRCUS Returns to Showtime on 8/16 at 8 PM ET/PT

As the country readies for one of the most consequential midterm elections in recent history, the third season of the groundbreaking political documentary series THE CIRCUS returns with nine new episodes starting on Sunday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Hosted by John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Alex Wagner, THE CIRCUS launched the first part of its third season this past spring recording the series' biggest premiere week ever, growing 10 percent in its second week and delivering a series high of 1.3 million viewers, topping its election week total in 2016.

This fall, THE CIRCUS returns to its roots. The show will hit the campaign trail for the midterm elections, which will not only determine control of Congress but how the Trump presidency will play out. The series will continue to cover the impact of the administration's policies as well as the legal and political controversies swirling around the White House. THE CIRCUS will follow multiple individual stories and key characters from the campaigns, and capture their unique perspectives in weekly half-hour shows. With intimate, behind-the-scenes access, cameras will offer viewers a look at what the public rarely sees and explore the high human drama of American politics.

The spring episodes of THE CIRCUS featured Heilemann, McKinnon and Wagner reporting from Moscow, St. Petersburg, London and Washington as they covered the ongoing drama around President Trump and all things Russia. Subsequent episodes took a deep dive into the unfolding developments in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, the Stormy Daniels lawsuit and the criminal probe of President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

THE CIRCUS is produced by Left/Right for SHOWTIME. John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, Alex Wagner, Banks Tarver and Ken Druckerman serve as executive producers.

John Heilemann has covered politics, business and their intersection for 25 years in the U.S. and abroad. He is currently National Affairs Analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, where he appears regularly on Morning Joe, The Last Word, The 11th Hour, DEADLINE: WHITE HOUSE and other shows. During the 2016 election cycle, he served as co-managing editor of BLOOMBERG POLITICS and co-host of With All Due Respect on MSNBC and Bloomberg TV. Previously, he was national affairs editor at New York Magazine and a staff writer for The New Yorker, Wired and The Economist. Heilemann is a co-author of The New York Times No. 1 bestsellers Game Change and Double Down: Game Change 2012. The first Game Change book was adapted into a movie of the same name, which went on to win five EmmyAwards, three Golden Globes(R) and a Peabody Award.

Mark McKinnon is a political advisor, reform advocate, media columnist and television producer. He was the chief media advisor to five successful presidential primary and general election campaigns and is cofounder of No Labels, an organization dedicated to bipartisanship, civil dialogue and political problem solving. McKinnon has worked for many causes, companies and candidates, including former President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, late Governor Ann Richards and Bono.

Alex Wagner is currently a national correspondent at CBS News, a contributing editor at The Atlantic and co-host of their weekly news and affairs podcast, Radio Atlantic. In April, she released her first book, Futureface, which examines questions about American identity and immigration in the 21st century. Previously, Wagner hosted the Emmy(R) nominated MSNBC political affairs program NOW with Alex Wagner. Before joining MSNBC, Wagner was a reporter with the Huffington Post, where she covered innovation in the American economy, investigating the intersection of business, politics and new technology. Prior to this, she served as the White House correspondent for Politics Daily and the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning FADER magazine.

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