"Axios" (2020 release; episodes run about 35 min. each) returns for a third season. Episode 1 opens with an interview with Roger Stone, the Republican fixer who was convicted on 7 counts in November, 2019 and is awaiting sentencing when this interview was taped, ever unapologetic about what he did. We then go to "Manchester, New Hampshire" where the POTUS leads a campaign rally before a packed arena of Trump devotees. We then get a frank interview with the Manhattan District Attorney who prosecuted Harvey Weinstein. Episode 2 opens in "Oshkoch, WI", where Donald Trump Jr. is interviewed in front of a Trump-loving audience. When the audience is asked whether they care for the Republican Party (as opposed to Trump), not a single person raises their hand (as if more proof is needed that Trump is a cult of personality). Equally revealing is an interview with Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Just watch. Episode 3 deals with the coronavirus, including footage from the US-funded office in Kathmandu, Nepal, to detect pandemic outbreaks. That office was closed by the Trump administration in January of 2020... Episode 4 is consumed entirely by a hard-hitting interview of the Chinese Ambassador to the US. The guy squirms and wiggles and outright lies for over 30 minutes without any hesitation or scruples. Episode 5 contains interviews with NY Gov Cuomo and the CEO of Walmart, all about the coronavirus of course.
Couple of comments: based on the number of episodes in Seasons 1 and 2 (which aired in 2018 and 19, respectively), we are now about midway through Season 3. The show continues its mix of interviews (mostly) and on the ground reporting (some), with good effect. Political reporter Jonathan Swan, bless his heart, does not shy away from any of the though questions when interviewing the Chinese Ambassador to the US, and makes this absolute must-see TV. Watch how the Chinese Ambassador responds when asked about the 'disappeared' citizen journalists who reported in January and February from COVID-19 ground zero in Wuhan... Perhaps the scariest segment of these first 5 episodes is the interview of Don Jr. who brazenly and blatantly responds to the interviewer's questions with falsehoods, untruths, and misinformation, all in front of a Trump-adoring crowd. Absolutely amazing. Talk about 'drinking the kool aid'!
"Axios" falls somewhere in the middle of other news shows like HBO's "The Circus" and Showtime's "VICE". If you have any interest in politics and geopolitics, you don't want to miss this, period. New episodes air on Monday evenings and then are available on HBO On Demand and other streaming services.
