Circus Freaks and Sideshows

A trip through the bizarre world of midgets, giants, tattooed ladies, and other human curiosities as we trace the colorful history of a distinctly American form of entertainment--the circus sideshow. From the 1840s when P.T. Barnum exhibited Tom Thumb to the last remaining shows struggling to survive at New York's Coney Island, we learn the truth behind the sideshow adage that freaks are not born, but rather created, as performers share their memories of the magical midway.

Loading countdown...
Max Frisch, Citoyen

Max Frisch, Citoyen

2008

Breath of Freedom

Breath of Freedom

2014

Own the Room

Own the Room

2021

Surviving the Dust Bowl

Surviving the Dust Bowl

1998

River of Gold

River of Gold

2016

The Family: Inside the Manson Cult

The Family: Inside the Manson Cult

2009

Unwilling Sex

Unwilling Sex

2018

Ten Dollar Death Trip: Inside the Fentanyl Crisis

Ten Dollar Death Trip: Inside the Fentanyl Crisis

2020

Serbia in the Great War

Serbia in the Great War

2014

Bird of Passage

1966

Nick Cannon: Stand Up, Don't Shoot

Nick Cannon: Stand Up, Don't Shoot

2017

Casa Roshell

Casa Roshell

2017

Streetscapes [Dialogue]

Streetscapes [Dialogue]

2017

Inmates

Inmates

2017

Rustlers

Rustlers

2016

Dieste [Uruguay]

Dieste [Uruguay]

2017

Mama Colonel

Mama Colonel

2017

Pablo's Hippos

Pablo's Hippos

2010

Tornado! Hurricane! Flood!: Wonders of the Weather

Tornado! Hurricane! Flood!: Wonders of the Weather

1996

A Thousand Pines

A Thousand Pines

2023