Airs: November 3, 10 & 17, 9pm (check local listings)
Network: PBS
What’s It All About? Did you know there still really are people who run off and join the circus? That’s just one of the things you’ll learn in this quirky new documentary from two of the key creative forces behind the Emmy-winning Carrier. Just as that miniseries followed the lives of those aboard an aircraft carrier, this one introduces us to the interesting cast and crew who make up the famed Big Apple Circus, taking us behind the scenes of not only the amazing acts, but also the stories of the performers. Seeing an inner look at a circus in 2010 seems like entering a completely different world in this age of entertainment dominated by more high-tech diversions. We weren’t even sure people still went to the circus, let alone went to such lengths to put one on, but Circus shows otherwise. The six-part miniseries is ambitious and tries to walk a high-wire act between being both reality show and behind-the-scenes documentary, sometimes veering off into the conventions of reality drama a bit too much. But when it stays on focus, which is most of the time, there really are some incredible, and even beautiful, scenes (including stunning up-close, slo-mo footage of trapeze artists in action) and characters. Several of the folks here — from the ringmaster to the workers who raise the massive tents — have gripping backstories as to why they came to the circus, why they stay, and why they are torn about leaving, even though it’s a tough day-to-day existence. Many of them are, in a way, working without a net in their own personal lives, and there are heartbreaking scenes of some employees having to be fired, forced to leave their makeshift family and wondering what’s next. No matter how you may feel about actually seeing a show under the big top, you should enjoy this Circus when it comes to town.
