Showtime’s ‘The Circus’ Ends With Plenty Of Anxiety And Angst Over The Precarious State Of Politics – And Democracy

Ted Johnson
·5 min read
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SPOILER ALERT: This article includes details of Sunday’s series finale of Showtime’s docuseries The Circus.

Showtime’s The Circus launched eight years ago with a title that suggested politics infused with a bit of crazy spectacle, but it ended tonight with anxiety, angst and even a sense of dread for what’s ahead.

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The docuseries wrapped up after an eventful week: Donald Trump testifying in his civil trial, off-year elections that saw some unexpected Democratic wins and a Republican debate that may ultimately prove to be irrelevant.

But what stood out in the episode were a series of interviews from figures across the political spectrum, which has refracted quite a bit since The Circus debuted. The finale reflected the precarious state of politics, driven largely by the rise and endurance of Donald Trump and the reaction against him and his movement.

Steve Bannon, appearing in a contentious interview with co-host John Heilemann and guest host Tim Miller, warned and boasted, “President Trump is a moderate in our movement. You are going to pine in future years that you wished Donald Trump was around.”

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, in an interview with co-host Jennifer Palmieri, talked of the growing concerns over violent rhetoric and actual violence in politics, pointing out how state Republican leadership had declined to condemn those involved in a plot to kidnap and assassinate her. One state representative even labeled as “heroes” two defendants who were acquitted in the plot.

Democratic strategist James Carville, following an interview with Heilemann, sent him a text message that read, “We in a business we love, and that other people hate. Hope our chat can help people understand why this sh– is important. I am scared man. Very.”

Co-host Mark McKinnon told Deadline that in planning the episode, “We really wanted to try and figure our a way to wrap it all up, and so kind of the theme of the week was, ‘What have we seen over these eight years?’ … So wanted go back and sort of say, ‘What of has been the arc history during that period. It’s of course the rise of Trump and MAGA and then the rise of the resistance to push back on that.'”

Politics has undoubtedly coarsened, gotten more polarized and more angry in that time frame, but there is no doubt that the show captured a turning point in American history, even if it invites ever more pessimistic scenarios. McKinnon said that “the best thing that happened to The Circus was our timing. We just caught lightning in a bottle. I pitched the show for 10 years and it just happened to get greenlit before that 2016 election.”

To the sound of the Talking Heads, the finale featured a compilation of moments over the past eight seasons. Alex Wagner, the former co-host, made a cameo appearance, although former co-host Mark Halperin, who was replaced amid sexual harassment allegations, was not seen. And McKinnon said that former Showtime chief David Nevins, a longtime champion of the show, showed up as the show was being edited in New York on Saturday night, with the episode completed at about 3 a.m. this morning.

But the look-back highlights were used sparingly in favor of the purpose of the show itself: To offer a documentary style take on the week’s worth of political events, interspersed with figures who can offer a bit of analysis and perspective.

Bannon, who thrives on giving the media shocking pronouncements and bombastic declarations, did not disappoint.

At one point, Miller pointed out a recent story about a MAGA lawyer who identified the top five priorities for another Trump presidency, including firing the “deep state” executive branch, indicting the whole Biden family, deporting 10 million people, detaining people at Gitmo, pardoning every January 6th defendant. “What do you think about that five?” Miller asked.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Bannon said. “We are going to start the largest deportation program in history.”

Whitmer gave Democrats a bit of optmism, offering what she sees as her road map for winning. “When we lead, we make people’s lives better. I think that is going to be really important as we talk about the threats to our democracy and our fundamental rights,” she said. But she also warned of the state of politics, telling Palmieri, “This is an existential moment.”

For his part, Carville gave little solace to Democrats worried about Joe Biden and his age amid dismal poll numbers, and echoed what he has warned about for some time. Biden’s reelection bid is a big risk with so much at stake. “Democrats think he’s too old,” Carville said. “You can’t deny that. All of these polls — it’s like walking in on your grandma naked. You can’t get the image out of your mind. It sticks with him.”

For those worried about 2024, about the future, and about democracy, the one big hope out of the episode may have been its reminder of how politics is now much more unpredictable. Much of the forecasting over a Biden vs. Trump rematch doesn’t take into account that so much will happen in the next year to change that dynamic. The past eight years prove it, as probably no 12 months have gone by when events haven’t thrown the punditry for a loop. As McKinnon said, “Time after time after time, we have been shocked and surprised, and of course, that has made for incredible drama for our show.”

As for what he foresees at this time of anxiety and angst, McKinnon said, “As I say in the last scene, I am a prisoner of hope.”

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