Sometimes I still think about Tiger King and how crazy it was. Not the plot as much, that was outrageous because the people were batsh*t and the circumstances were beyond, but the settings and editing. The filmmakers had some of their interview subjects sitting in front of dumpsters (Saff) and with their shirts off and their teeth out so they would look trashier (John Finlay). There was something manipulative about the whole show, but it was a train wreck and I couldn’t look away. I wasn’t the only one. Tiger King, which aired early in the pandemic, was one of the most popular shows ever on Netflix with over 34 million viewers. There was a reunion special in late April, 2020 hosted remotely by Joel McHale and featuring interviews with people like Saff, who had to have his arm amputated after a tiger attack, and Rick Kirkham, the filmmaker who smoked throughout his interviews. Now there’s news that a second season is coming later this year. Netflix made the announcement in a press release about their true crime shows. Here’s more, from Variety:
It’s official: Another installment of “Tiger King,” the docuseries that captivated millions of Netflix users in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, is coming.
Netflix revealed on Thursday morning that the continuation, titled “Tiger King 2,” will premiere on the streamer later this year. The news came as Netflix announced its upcoming true crime slate, which includes four new docuseries and films set through early 2022.
“Tiger King 2” promises “more madness and mayhem,” according to the press release. Directors Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin are returning for the second installment, as well as executive producers Chris Smith and Fisher Stevens. Good and Chaiklin will also serve as executive producers.
Although it remains unclear exactly when in the timeline of events “Tiger King 2” will pick up, footage within Netflix’s announcement video for its true crime slate shows clips of Carole Baskin, Jeff Lowe and Joe Exotic phoning in from jail, where he is currently serving a 17-year sentence for attempting a murder for hire plot aimed at Baskin.
You know I will watch this sequel. I give zero sh-ts about Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin or that grifter swinging couple who took over the zoo, Jeff and Lauren Lowe. I want to hear more from Saff, Rick and John. Sadly Erik Cowie, the zoo manager who was featured on the reunion special, died earlier this month. Joe is still in prison for putting a hit on Carole Baskin. Although his sentence was shortened by a few years this summer he’s still serving at least 17.5 years. Carole Baskin gained legal control of Joe’s Zoo last year, and she has slammed this sequel, saying that when filmmaker Rebecca Chaiklin approached her about it she told Chaiklin to “lose her number.” While I don’t think Carole had her first husband killed and believe the filmmakers exaggerated that plotline for effect, I think she’s a grifter. She doesn’t pay the people who work at her “sanctuary” and she used to be a large cat breeder. She hated being exposed for that.
Here’s Netflix’s teaser on their upcoming true crime shows. The Tiger King part starts at :50 in. The Tinder Swindler doc looks good too!
While my standards are low and I will watch this, many people consider it unnecessary. They also take issue at the way that animal cruelty was glossed over in the show. This was something the reunion special addressed as well.
Since Tiger King aired, THREE of its subjects not including Joe Exotic have been charged with or convicted of violating federal animal welfare laws.
Will season two continue to gloss over animal welfare, choosing instead to focus on the entertainment value of these tiger owners? https://t.co/yJOag4ENVs
— Natasha Daly (@natashaldaly) September 23, 2021
photos via Netflix press
hard pass. didn’t watch the first one, and won’t watch this one. I feel for the little people but I absolutely don’t wanna support the horrible big people who WILL be getting something from it. and the absolutely insane misogyny that the first season spawned was not a good look.
I resisted. It was lockdown and I didn’t want to depress myself by watching the glorification of animal abusers.
Sometimes it’s healthier to go against the trend.
Another no. I couldn’t get through the first episode of Series 1.
Same here, I couldn’t even make it through three episodes.
Same. Hard pass from me.
I regret the hours I spent watching season one. Hard pass on season two.
Same same.
Proud to say I didn’t even watch the first season. It seems like it’s about a bunch of garbage humans and I have no interest in that.
Big no for me.
Skip for sure. The first one was absolutely bonkers and the people were terrible plus I think it will just bring me back to the beginning of the pandemic and I can’t go back.
I’ll be skipping it. I already needed the world’s most scalding hot shower after watching the first one.
Barely made it through the first ep of the first season, so that’s a ‘no’ from me.
I don’t know if i’ll watch this. The first one was BSC in so many ways, but it was also kind of just what I think we needed at the start of the pandemic – just something so BSC that it took our minds off the fear and lockdowns and everything. I don’t need that right now .
I’ll watch. I didn’t think there was much more to say after the first series.
This is where I am on this too.
I might watch. A lot has happened since the first one. I believe the feds busted that crazy guy with the harem, Doc something or other? And didn’t Carole get Joe’s zoo and shut it down?
No no no no no
The hardest of passes.
Anyone know why Trump changed his mind on Joe Exotics pardon,it was so sad ,he had a limo and people waiting for him outside the prison.
Trump only does things where he gets a payoff. What’s in it for him to pardon that nut? He doesn’t need Joe Exotics support and since he lost the election Trump didn’t need the publicity. So, sorry Joe, no can do.
Well he even pardoned Kodak Black,what is he getting from that?But i think the pardons he did where at the eleventh hour and once it set in he wasnt winning he couldnt be bothered.
Absolutely no. Will never support private ownership of big cats or other wild animals. Same reason I didn’t watch the first season. Can’t believe this abuse is still allowed in the US. We need a federal law against this. This also includes orcas, dolphins, and other sea mammals.
Nope I could hardly get through the first one. All those Lions, Tigers, Leopards , and Chimps in small little cages. The guy that took over after Joe went to jail was putting baby tiggers in suitcases so he could let tourist in Las Vegas take pictures with them in hotel rooms. I want the Feds to shut them all down F these yokels and their drama. Leave wild animals alone
i can’t stop saying “Tinder Swindler” to myself in my head now.
i will probably attempt to hatewatch the Tiger King sequel, but only because i’m stuck at home due to chronic health problems and have a lot of time to kill where i’m not very able-bodied. if i was able to fill my time more productively, nope, pass.
i’m still living the lockdown life basically, and i think lockdown was the perfect storm which contributed to the show’s cultural popularity.
I’m going to skip this. I watched the first one, but the thought of such awful people having absolutely no care for animals, having more cats than they could possible feed properly, killing them when they got to adult age once they’d aged out of cute pictures was disgusting. All of those people were disgusting and should all be in jail for animal abuse. Barely even people.
I will skip as well. I watched it with mouth wide open for the first few episodes just like everyone else, but when that poor young kid shot himself in front of the other guy by mistake, I couldn’t believe how many people still laughed at the show and thought of it as entertainment. I can’t get that scene out of my head and I don’t know how any of them ever got over it. It makes me so so terribly sad.
Not to mention the animal cruelty and that horrible guy with the harem of women he was abusing as well. AWFUL. None of this should be glorified for entertainment.
I love your style CB! I’m not sure who writes behind this name but I thought they wrote about coming back recently? Idk. If so, well done.
I’ll be watching it just to enjoy that he’s in jail and catch up on these other people. I do hope they address animal cruelty, but honestly by not addressing it and just showing it, they did a lot to raise awareness.
Carole Baskin’s organization is a nonprofit. The “workers” are volunteers.
I don’t get how Carole Baskin is able to get away with what she’s been doing for decades. Her business model – masquerading as a nonprofit – is no better than what Joe Exotic was doing. She is still very much exploiting both animals and people for a lot of money. Major hypocrite. I’m curious enough about where all these people are at these days that I will give the show a watch.
I’ll be watching.. just curious and nosey. I do think that Carole got rid of her husband, where is he??
There is no way I’d ever give this production higher numbers. I think it’s gross on every level, and I still can’t believe how many watched this trashy crap.
I’m a teacher so that spring of the shutdown is a distant nightmare. I barely slept, ate, showered, I worked myself to the BONE trying to keep learning happening virtually making and uploading daily videos for EACH lesson AND grading virtual assignments, AND Zooming students AND fielding parents’ questions AND missing just being WITH my people the first year I was teaching 1st grade. I am likely in the minority of teachers who was glad to do all the mitigating efforts to get back in the classroom and had THE BEST year of my CAREER back in person last year! It was phenomenal and I really don’t think there’ll be another like it. Believe me when I say virtual teaching was PURE soul-crushing CHAOS!
All that to say when people described this garbage show that I just HAD to watch because it was such unbelievable trashy filth I watched one trailer and thought that nonsense was beyond where the pandemic had dragged me and a highly unappealing way to spend what little moments of calm and sanity I could grasp on my slow crawl from teaching Hades. The only binge watching I made time for during spring and summer 2020 was Grand Hotel, High Seas, and The Umbrella Academy on Netflix. It just seems like this is a show for the insanity of the dawn of a pandemic and we’re past that point now. But I understand not everyone has gotten this far unscathed or back to some semblance of normalcy yet. Stay sane and stay kind y’all!