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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 14 april 2018
Showtime's 'Circus' returns

with new co-host Alex Wagner

By DAVID BAUDER Heilemann, Halperin and texture, but it will still be rec-
NEW YORK (AP) — A lot McKinnon, they are three ognizably 'The Circus.'"
has changed since the white men similar in age There was some thought
three hosts of Showtime's (McKinnnon is 62, Heile- that "The Circus" would
"The Circus" shared duck mann 52 and Halperin 53). have less excitement with-
at Washington's Momofuku Wagner is 40 and a new out the pulse of campaigns.
restaurant at the end of the mother. She has just written But the pace of news has
show's last season. a book about immigration hardly let up with Donald This image released by Showtime shows, from left, Alex Wagner,
John Heilemann and Mark McKinnon from the series, "The Cir-
Seemingly half of the White and a search for identity in- Trump in office, giving them cus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth." Wagner joins
House staff, for one thing. volving her Burmese moth- plenty of material. It also the show as a permanent host this season, premiering Sunday,
More importantly for the er and American father. makes it harder to discuss April 15.
political series, Mark Hal- "I bring a different perspec- in advance topics that will Associated Press
perin was dropped be- tive on all of that and a be covered this season, al-
cause of sexual miscon- lot of zeal," Wagner said. though the upcoming mid-
duct reports from when he "And I think we're also talk- terms will provide fodder.
worked at ABC News. Alex ing a lot about gender, "It's an incredibly ambitious
Wagner of CBS News and particularly in politics and program because it's in-
The Atlantic has replaced the workplace. It's good to credibly responsive to the
him, joining series veterans have a woman who has a news cycle," Wagner said.
John Heilemann and Mark firsthand knowledge and "You can start out on Mon-
McKinnon. interest in that, not to say day having an idea of what
The show's third season be- that it's just a woman's is- the show is going to be,
gins Sunday at 8 p.m. East- sue. But we're tackling that and by Friday it's something
ern and Pacific time. and talking about it in a else. That's only increased
While there was some doubt way that we weren't in the in the current media envi-
publicly about whether the last news cycle. It seems ronment, where the lead
show would go on without like fortuitous timing." story changes throughout
Halperin, there didn't seem The attitudes of women the day."
much within "The Circus." and young people also Heilemann said Trump
The show has established promise to be key in the makes it harder than any
itself as a documentary- midyear elections, which other president he's cov-
style review of a week in a significant portion of "The ered to distinguish be-
politics and government, Circus" will focus on this tween the urgent and the
an attempt to get behind season. important.
the headlines and talk that Wagner is not a complete Both are proud, however,
preoccupy cable television newcomer to the team; of how "The Circus" has
news. she did some reporting for been able to bring the
"I think if I got hit by a bus two episodes in its first sea- strengths of a documenta-
tomorrow on the West Side son. "The Circus" had plans ry to day-to-day news.
highway," said Heilemann, for her to do more this year "'The Circus' is essential be-
in a telephone interview even before Halperin's exit. cause it essentially takes
while he was actually rid- "She's going to bring a dif- the week that was and dis-
ing on that road, "that 'The ferent perspective be- tills it into, OK, here's what
Circus' is something that cause of her biography mattered," Wagner said.
Showtime could still pro- and she's going to bring a "That's needed now more
duce and would still pro- different perspective be- than ever. It's never going
duce." cause of the kinds of things to be a policy show, but we
Heilemann and Wagner that excite her about po- often lose sight in the pal-
wouldn't talk about Hal- litical commentary and ace intrigue and the politi-
perin in interviews, and the about political coverage," cal rat-a-tat of the big seis-
show isn't expected to ad- Heilemann said. "I think the mic shifts in terms of policy
dress his absence. show will have a different and how that is actually af-
For all the camaraderie of flavor to it and a different fecting people."q

Tambor accuser says she hopes

'Transparent' comes back

By NICOLE EVAT she's received and hopes ment. Tambor has denied
Associated Press the show is able to contin- the allegations.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ue without the Emmy-win- Lysette says she's grate-
— A transgender actress ning star. ful for the support she's
who accused "Transparent" Trace Lysette is one of two received since coming
star Jeffrey Tambor of sex- women who came forward forward with her claim. Ly-
ual misconduct says she's last year and accused sette said she’s hopeful the
grateful for the support Tambor of sexual harass- show will return. q