‘The Circus’ Is Your Reliable Guide To The Behind-The-Scenes Drama Of This Election Season

We’re barely in March, and this election cycle already seems exhausting. If a potential candidate hasn’t dropped another parody video, then a new insult has been thrown about anything from where they were born to their penis — er, I mean “hand” — size. What I’m trying to say is that it’s an insane election year. If you want to stay updated on the narrative of the 2016 election season and sort through the sensationalized feuding and day-to-day antics, then you need to check out Showtime’s The Circus immediately.

The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth is a docu-series that promises to pull back the curtains on the behind-the-scenes drama of this election season, and that’s a promise the show keeps. Each 30-minute episode offers a private look into the current political climate, what it takes to be a political reporter, and the American people as a whole while rarely feeling sensationalized or biased. This is largely due to the onscreen professionals guiding us through this series: Mark Halperin, John Heilemann, and Mark McKinnon.

All three of these political insiders have had extensive experience in covering American elections. Halperin and Heilemann are both political reporters as well as editors for Bloomberg Politics. McKinnon is a strategist who has been the chief media advisor in five winning nomination and general presidential campaigns. This is all to say that this series is led by a group of people who know exactly what they’re talking about. Because of its hosts, the series feels like being granted access to a VIP party. Put more accurately, it feels like your cool friend has been given access to this party, and you are his lucky and wide-eyed guest.

Seeing the world of politics through these seasoned lens is fascinating. As you watch the series, it becomes easy see this election season as a constant high-stakes competition rather than an issue-based race. Though this distancing does have the inverse effect of somewhat trivializing the social and monetary issues at stake during this election season, the result feels refreshingly trustworthy. Because you know the hosts of this series are invested not in a certain candidate but in politics as a whole, I found myself trusting their commentary about the election season more than some of the news sites I visit. However, even if the series was missing it’s 2016 election angle, it would still be fascinating.

We as a people are endlessly interested in politics. Specifically, we’re interested in what goes on behind-the-scenes of elections and what sort of egomaniacs lurk behind those practiced smiles. We can pretend like we’re not obsessed, but the shows we binge indicate otherwise. What do The West Wing, House of Cards, and Scandal all have in common? They’re all about the inner workings of politics and the White House, and they’re all highly addicting. The Circus takes all of that excitement and bundles it into one digestible and high-stakes package about one of the most insane elections in recent history. I think Halperin summed up the draw of the series and the election best:

Every election is crazy. This one’s already been crazier than almost any one I’ve ever covered.

That quote was spoken by a man who has covered every presidential election since 1988, so when he cries “crazy,” you know it’s crazy. However, The Circus never feels sensationalized, which is something that can’t be said for many news stories. Objectively, the series is actually pretty boring. It mostly focuses on candidates arriving at events, giving speeches, and exhausted reporters rolling oranges to Bernie Sanders (yes, this is a thing that happens, and yes it has a point). But because the show covers all of this monotony that exists behind the scenes of a world most of us will never know, it’s interesting.

The Circus can never be an up-to-date account of this presidential race, so you shouldn’t swear off the news just yet. But between the clear care that’s gone into editing each 30-minute piece and the large scope of topics each episode covers, the series constructs a much-needed narrative for this confusing election season. This docu-series is the in-the-know political compendium you need in your life.

You can stream Showtime shows, including The Circus, through Showtime Anytime or by adding the Showtime add on option to either your Hulu or Amazon account.  

[Stream The Circus on Showtime Anytime, Hulu, or Amazon Video]

Photos: Showtime