“The Circus” is folding its tent.
The popular political documentary show will broadcast its final episode this month after eight seasons and 130 episodes, Showtime confirmed on Tuesday.
Hosted by political operatives and commentators John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri, “The Circus” was born out of the 2016 presidential election cycle and brought viewers behind the scenes of the chaos and storylines surrounding nation’s biggest political stories for years.
Over eight seasons, the show captured Trump’s presidential victory and his contentious time in office, the pandemic, the 2020 election and more.
“When we started The Circus in 2016, we thought it would be a one-and-done deal,” said Heilemann, who is also a contributor for NBC. “Eight seasons and 130 episodes later, we’re still agog that Showtime gave us the trust and support that kept us cranking on this long, strange trip — and let us prove that our idea of doing a weekly, behind-the-scenes, real-time doc series on American politics wasn’t as unhinged as it seemed.”
Paramount decided not to renew the show for a ninth season amid a slew of changes to the streaming and linear network, Deadline reported, noting former Chairman and CEO David Nevins was a major champion of the show before he departed the media company late last year.