The Circle (American TV series)

The Circle (sometimes called The Circle US[2][3] to differentiate from other international versions) is an American reality competition series, produced by Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group, that first aired on Netflix in January 2020. It is based on the original British TV series of the same name.[4] Alongside the American version of The Circle, Netflix also launched different versions in France and Brazil, as part of a partnership between Netflix and All3Media.[5] The series bills itself as a game based around social media, with the concept that "anyone can be anyone in The Circle." It has been compared to Big Brother and Catfish in format,[6] as well as Black Mirror episode "Nosedive" with the concept of ratings.[7]

The Circle
Official title screen for the show.
GenreReality competition
Presented byMichelle Buteau[1]
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes38 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Shane Byrne
  • Tim Harcourt
  • Stephen Lambert
  • Daisy Lilley
  • Susy Price
  • Chet Fenster
  • Richard Foster
  • Toni Ireland
Production locationsSalford, England, United Kingdom
Running time44–63 minutes
Production companyStudio Lambert
Release
Original networkNetflix
Picture formatHDTV 1080p
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseJanuary 1, 2020 (2020-01-01) 
present (present)
Chronology
Related shows

The third season began airing on September 8, 2021, and concluded on September 29, 2021.[8] The series was renewed for a fourth and fifth season in August 2021.[9] The fourth season is set to premiere on May 4, 2022.[10]

Format

A number of players move into separate apartments within the same building. While playing, contestants are kept isolated from the outside world and each other, and are not allowed to meet or communicate with each other face-to-face. Instead, they communicate via text on a specially-designed social media application that — through photographs, biographies, and text chat — gives them the ability to portray themselves in any way they choose. Players can thus opt to present themselves as a completely different personality to the other players, a tactic otherwise known as catfishing; for example, one male player in the first season presented himself as a female identity, while another female contestant used photos of a woman she felt was more attractive.[11]

Every few days, each contestant must secretly "rate" all of the others from first to last place; their average ratings are then revealed to the entire group from lowest to highest. Normally, the two highest-rated players become "Influencers", while the remaining players are at risk of being eliminated from the game ("blocked") by mutual agreement of the Influencers. Occasionally there may be twists to the blocking process; these include the lowest-rated player(s) being instantly blocked, the identity of the Influencers being a secret, or multiple players being blocked at one time. Blocked players must pack up and leave their apartments immediately, but are given the opportunity to meet and converse with one active player of their choosing in-person. The day after a blocking, a video message is shown to the remaining players to reveal whether the blocked player was real or a "catfish"[11]

Over the first 2/3rds of the season, following most blockings, one or more new players may enter the game. These players typically receive immunity for their first blocking, though they participate in ranking the others, after which they become vulnerable to elimination.

During the finale, the contestants rate each other one final time; the highest-rated player wins the game and US$100,000 (seasons 1-3), US$150,000 (season 4). Additionally, viewers are able to vote for their favorite player; the player that receives the most votes is declared "Fan Favorite" and receives US$10,000.[12][13]

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonPlayersWinnerRunner-upFan FavoritePrize MoneyEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
114Joey SassoShubham GoelSammie Cimarelli$100,00012January 1, 2020 (2020-01-01)January 15, 2020 (2020-01-15)
211DeLeesa St. Agathe as "Trevor"Chloe VeitchChloe Veitch13April 14, 2021 (2021-04-14)May 5, 2021 (2021-05-05)
313James Andre Jefferson Jr.Matthew Pappadia as "Ashley"Keisha "Kai" Ghost13September 8, 2021 (2021-09-08)September 29, 2021 (2021-09-29)
4TBATBATBATBA$150,00013[10][14]May 4, 2022 (2022-05-04)[10][14]May 25, 2022 (2022-05-25)[10][14]

Season 1 (2020)

On December 29, 2019, The New York Times published an article describing the background and inside of the show. It was revealed that twelve episodes would be airing from January 1 to January 15 with four episodes being released every Wednesday as part of the "three week event."[15]

The first season began airing on January 1, 2020;[16] after Netflix released an exclusive cut of the first episode on YouTube on December 30, 2019.[17] The first season concluded its run on January 15, 2020.

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title[18]Day(s)Original release date[18]Prod.
code[14]
Week 1
11"Hello, Circle"Day 1January 1, 2020 (2020-01-01)101
22"Face-to-Face"Days 1-2January 1, 2020 (2020-01-01)102
33"There's a Catfish Among Us"Days 2-3January 1, 2020 (2020-01-01)103
44"Planting Doubt"Days 3-4January 1, 2020 (2020-01-01)104
Week 2
55"Sliding into DMs"Days 4-5January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)105
66"Anonymous Trolling"Days 5-6January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)106
77"Picking Teams"Days 6-7January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)107
88"The Player I'm Saving Is…"Days 7-8January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)108
Week 3
99"Instant Block"Days 8-9January 15, 2020 (2020-01-15)109
1010"Declare Your Rival"Days 9-10January 15, 2020 (2020-01-15)110
1111"The Last Rating"Days 10-12January 15, 2020 (2020-01-15)111
1212"Finale"Day 12January 15, 2020 (2020-01-15)112

Season 2 (2021)

The Circle was renewed for a second season on March 24, 2020.[19][20] The second season premiered on April 14, 2021 and concluded on May 5, 2021.[21]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDay(s)Original release date[22]Prod.
code[14]
Week 1
131"Back and More Savage Than Ever"Day 1April 14, 2021 (2021-04-14)201
142"Alliances Are Formed"Days 1-2April 14, 2021 (2021-04-14)202
153"Bye, Bye, Bye!"Days 3-4April 14, 2021 (2021-04-14)203
164"Lines Are Drawn"Days ?-?April 14, 2021 (2021-04-14)204
Week 2
175"Snake in the Grass"Days ?-?April 21, 2021 (2021-04-21)205
186"A Love Triangle"Days ?-?April 21, 2021 (2021-04-21)206
197"Friend Zoned...."Days ?-?April 21, 2021 (2021-04-21)207
208"Damage Control"Days ?-?April 21, 2021 (2021-04-21)208
Week 3
219"A New Twist"Days ?-?April 28, 2021 (2021-04-28)209
2210"Campaigning to Win"Days ?-?April 28, 2021 (2021-04-28)210
2311"The Master Plan"Days ?-?April 28, 2021 (2021-04-28)211
2412"The Last Blocking"Days ?-?April 28, 2021 (2021-04-28)212
Week 4
2513"And The Winner Is..."Days ?-?May 5, 2021 (2021-05-05)213

Season 3 (2021)

The series was renewed for a third season on March 24, 2020. The third season premiered on September 8, 2021, and concluded on September 29, 2021.[8]

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDay(s)Original release date[8]Prod.
code[14]
Week 1
261"Circle, Did You Miss Me?"Day 1September 8, 2021 (2021-09-08)301
272"A New Twist"Days 1-2September 8, 2021 (2021-09-08)302
283"Identity Theft"Days 2-3September 8, 2021 (2021-09-08)303
294"A Flirtatious Alliance"Days 3-4September 8, 2021 (2021-09-08)304
Week 2
305"The Real Michelle"Days 4-5September 15, 2021 (2021-09-15)305
316"A New Member of the Wolfpack"Days 5-7September 15, 2021 (2021-09-15)306
327"Shock Blocking"Days 7-8September 15, 2021 (2021-09-15)307
338"Full Out War"Days 8-9September 15, 2021 (2021-09-15)308
Week 3
349"Ghostbusting & Catfishing"Days 9-10September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)309
3510"A Circle Divided"Days 10-11September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)310
3611"Choosing Sides"Days 11-12September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)311
3712"The Final Stretch"Days 13-14September 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)312
Week 4
3813"Finale"Day 15September 29, 2021 (2021-09-29)313

Season 4

Netflix renewed The Circle for a fourth season on August 9, 2021.[9] The fourth season is set to premiere with its first episodes on May 4, 2022.[10]

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title[14]Day(s)Original release date[10][14]Prod.
code[14]
Week 1
391TBADays 1-?May 4, 2022 (2022-05-04)401
402TBADays ?-?May 4, 2022 (2022-05-04)402
413TBADays ?-?May 4, 2022 (2022-05-04)403
424TBADays ?-?May 4, 2022 (2022-05-04)404
Week 2
435TBADays ?-?May 11, 2022 (2022-05-11)405
446TBADays ?-?May 11, 2022 (2022-05-11)406
457TBADays ?-?May 11, 2022 (2022-05-11)407
468TBADays ?-?May 11, 2022 (2022-05-11)408
Week 3
479TBADays ?-?May 18, 2022 (2022-05-18)409
4810TBADays ?-?May 18, 2022 (2022-05-18)410
4911TBADays ?-?May 18, 2022 (2022-05-18)411
5012TBADays ?-?May 18, 2022 (2022-05-18)412
Week 4
5113TBADays ?-?May 25, 2022 (2022-05-25)413

Background

Concept

Tim Harcourt is the creative director of Studio Lambert, which produces the British and American versions of the show. Harcourt wondered what a reality show would look like if the people never met face-to-face. He had also been considering the idea of a bird's-eye view-style documentary of an apartment building, seeing into each of their lives. He began to work on The Circle after hearing that Channel 4 was looking for a reality-show format centered on social media.[15]

Development

The British version of the show premiered in 2018, and was renewed for its second season a few months after the first season ended.[23][24] After the first season was Channel 4's "youngest profiling" show in six years, according to the British TV industry magazine Broadcast, talks began of international versions.[15] On October 8, 2018, Netflix announced its partnership with All3Media to create three international versions of The Circle on Netflix, including the American version. Brandon Reigg, Netflix's Vice Principal of Unscripted Content, stated, "We think the show's combination of modern social media interaction and competition will captivate Netflix members around the world, in multiple languages, and we're delighted to partner with Studio Lambert and Motion to produce these three new local versions."[25]

On March 24, 2020, Netflix renewed The Circle for a second and third season.[19]

Production

The Circle app

Each apartment that the players live in is plastered with screens in every room in order for the players to be able to hold conversations with other players as they go about their everyday lives. Each player starts out the game by creating a profile. This includes sharing their age, relationship status, a short bio, and one photo to use as their profile picture. Every day, the players are allowed to share a status update, explaining their thoughts for the day. Sometimes, either through rewards or passing a certain milestone, the players are allowed to upload another photo to their profile.[26] Throughout the competition the Circle app remains the only way players can communicate with each other.[26]

During a typical episode, the Circle prompts participation in a minigame. Tim Harcourt of Studio Lambert says that "some games were really good for bonding them, some were really good for them learning about each other, some were good for testing who's a catfish, some could have been more divisive."[26]

Most episodes also included a rating exercise. Each player would rank others in The Circle, then an average score would determine the overall placements of each player. Depending on how high or low their average placement was, the player's ranking would determine whether they became an influencer. Typically the two players with the top rankings would be Influencers, with the advantage of determining the player being eliminated, or "blocked."[26][27]

Apartment building

The Circle US was shot entirely in the same apartment building in Salford, England, as the other international versions except for the first series of the original UK show.[28] The apartment building is always prepared with twelve furnished and ready-to-use apartments for the players to live in.[29] The building also has an exercise room and a rooftop lounge, which are also outfitted with cameras and television screens.[30] One room in the building, called "the testimonial room," is the room players go to after they are blocked to create their goodbye video to the remaining players.[31] On the outside of the building is a large, lit up circle made of a roughly 82-foot (25-meter) diameter aluminum track with LED lights strung through and around the circle.[29]

Opposite the apartment building was the control room, which was previously a college campus that became disused.[29] At any time in the control room, there were between twenty and thirty producers and camera operators working, recording, and sending all the messages from The Circle.[29]

References

  1. @MichelleButeau (December 10, 2019). "I'm hosting this show & you should watch 👇🏽✨💯" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  2. @CastTheCircleUS. "The Circle US Casting 🇺🇸". twitter.com. Twitter. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  3. @CastTheCircleUS. "The Circle US". facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  4. Deen, Sarah (October 9, 2018). "The Circle US is coming as Netflix plan three new versions of the Channel 4 series". Metro. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  5. Elise Sandberg, Bryn (October 8, 2018). "Netflix to Adapt U.K. Reality Series 'The Circle'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  6. White, Peter (October 8, 2018). "Netflix Remakes Studio Lambert's British Reality Series 'The Circle' In The U.S. & Two Other Global Markets". Deadline. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  7. Abdulbaki, Mae (September 26, 2019). "Netflix's New Reality Competition The Circle Is Already Super Popular In The U.K." Cinema Blend. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  8. Pedersen, Erik (August 19, 2021). "'The Circle' Season 3 Premiere Date Set At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood.
  9. White, Peter (August 9, 2021). "'The Circle', 'Indian Matchmaking' & 'The American Barbecue Showdown' Renewed At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood.
  10. Massoto, Erick (April 6, 2022). "'The Circle' Season 4 Release Date Announced at Netflix". Collider. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  11. Kuchera, Ben (January 10, 2020). "Netflix's The Circle is the sweetest reality show about catfishing". Polygon. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  12. @CircleNetflix (January 8, 2020). "🚨ALERT!🚨 It's time to vote for #TheCircle Fan Favorite. You can decide which player you'd rank #1 and get them $10,000! Go to TheCircleVote.com to vote now!" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  13. @thecirclenetflix (January 8, 2020). "🚨ALERT!🚨 It's time to vote for The Circle Fan Favorite. You can decide which player you'd rank #1 and get them $10,000! Tap the link in our bio and vote now☝️". instagram.com. Instagram. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  14. "The Circle Episode Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  15. Smallman, Etan (December 29, 2019). "Inside 'The Circle,' Reality TV Gets a Social Media Filter". The New York Times. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved December 30, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. Netflix (December 10, 2019). "The Circle - A Netflix Reality-Competition Official Trailer Netflix". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  17. Netflix (December 30, 2019). "The Circle - EPISODE ONE - Exclusive Cut - Netflix". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  18. "The Circle". netflix.com. Netflix. Retrieved December 25, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. Netflix (March 24, 2020). "Moments of Joy from Real Netflix Shows - New season announcements". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  20. Thorne, Will (March 24, 2020). "Netflix Orders More 'Love Is Blind,' 'The Circle,' 'Rhythm + Flow' and Marie Kondo". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  21. Netflix (March 23, 2021). Reality Wednesdays: The Circle and Too Hot To Handle Return | Netflix. YouTube. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  22. Keith, Chantel (March 26, 2021). "The Circle Season 2: Release Date, Episode and Player Count Confirmed". Spring Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  23. Tutton, Charlotte (January 18, 2019). "The Circle season 2 confirmed as Channel 4 series returns with a HUGE twist". OK! Magazine. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  24. Ling, Thomas. "The Circle series 2 confirmed – but there are going to be some changes". Radio Times. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  25. "Netflix to Adapt UK Unscripted Sensation The Circle with Three Local Versions for Countries Around the World". Hollywood, California: Netflix Media Center. October 8, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  26. Turchiano, Danielle (January 1, 2020). "'The Circle' Boss on Connecting 'People Who Otherwise Might Not Have Come into Contact with Each Other' — And Catfishing". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  27. Fallo, Julie (January 3, 2020). "The Circle: US Version Has a Shot at Succeeding From All the Right Changes". screenrant.com. Screen Rant. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  28. Anderton, Joe (October 19, 2019). "The Circle may be coming back sooner than you think". Digital Spy.
  29. Haylock, Zoe (January 21, 2020). "The Circle's Creator Guides Us Through the Show's Beautiful Web of Lies". vulture.com. Vulture. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  30. Netflix (January 14, 2020). "Go Inside The Circle Apartment Complex with Michelle Buteau – Netflix". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  31. Fuentes, Tamara (January 14, 2020). "Exclusive: Go Behind the Scenes of "The Circle" and Check Out the Apartments". seventeen.com. Seventeen. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
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