Showtime has decided to produce another season of the campaign drama, The Circus, but onetime star Mark Halperin will not be a part of it, the creators of the show told The New York Times in an interview.
Instead, former MSNBC anchor Alex Wagner will replace Halperin, joining his longtime partner John Heilemann and veteran political adviser Mark McKinnon.
At the time Halperin was publicly accused by several women of sexual harassment and nonconsensual touching, Showtime said it was cutting ties with the political reporter. "Should The Circus move forward with another season, Mark Halperin will not be a part of it," a spokesperson said in late October.
One part of the new iteration of the show will air in spring and one part will air this fall, the Times reported.
As a consequence of the revelations, Halperin lost his gig as a contributor for NBC News and MSNBC. HBO also canceled plans to make a movie based on a book that he was slated to co-write about the 2016 presidential election.
"We all strongly believe that the success of the show is not based on the co-hosts — it’s based on the concept,” McKinnon told the Times. “No one co-host was irreplaceable.”
