Tiger King might just be Netflix's craziest true-crime documentary yet
11 March 2020, 12:16
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is Netflix's latest true crime documentary, which follows Joseph Maldonado-Passage, who opens a roadside zoo of over 1,200 lions, tigers and bears, before it quickly spirals out of control, leading to murder, drug rings, and a cult.
If Netflix know how to do anything well, it's a true-crime documentary. And off the back of The Trials Of Gabriel Fernandez, Abducted in Plain Sight and Unbelievable, we give to you - Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
READ MORE: 14 of the best true crime series to watch on Netflix right now
Dubbed Netflix's wildest documentary yet, the creators of Fyre (remember, that one about the failed festival that loads of people got stranded at?) have come back with yet another bang, to tell the story about the rise and fall of Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as the Tiger King.
Up until 2017, Tiger King bred, killed and sold for profit the 1,200 big cats (mostly lions and tigers) he kept in his homemade roadside zoo (professionally known as Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park), and was known for his blonde mullet, outrageous personality and a show on YouTube documenting his crazy lifestyle.
By being so public, he opened himself up to a lot of criticism - his biggest being animal rights activist, Carole Baskin. When she tries to stand in the way of what he was doing, he attempts to hire a hitman to kill her, unsuccessfully, twice. Yikes.
The documentary also delves into Joe's personal life, and we see his polygamous all-pink marriage taking place to two other men, John and Travis, as well as one of his old female companions briefly discuss a cult he got her involved in. Totally normal.
While we don't know the extent of the cult's relevance, in the trailer, a woman speaks out about how she and the others were used for their beauty to lure people in.
She can be heard saying - "We were supposed to be sexy" as images flash up of them partying and riding in expensive cars. This is about to get messy AF and we're kind of into it.
It's also worth mentioning that this documentary all takes place in the deep deep South of America, because one of Joe's two husbands accidentally shoots himself in the head and dies, so he gets himself a new partner named Dillon.
When he's not hand-rearing endangered animals, Joe also has a music career, including an album, featuring songs and music videos about, you guessed it - tigers. We even get a sneak peak of one of his greatest hits: "I Saw A Tiger." Groundbreaking.
In the trailer, one of his friends also claims to be the inspiration for Scarface, and can be seen with an amount of cocaine that can only be described as an extremely cold winter, while a monkey crawls over his back. Good to know everyone on this show is in the same boat.
Joe is still fighting for his innocence after he was jailed for violating the Endangered Species Act after he killed five tigers, currently serving 22 years in prison, and maintains his stance that "This is my way of different and no one’s going to tell me any other way...you're going to have to kill me to shut me up."
We can't wait for this.
When does Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness come out?
Tiger King will be released on 20th March 2020.
Where can I watch Tiger King?
Tiger King will be streamed on Netflix. In the meantime, if you want to do some digging on Joe Exotic, head to YouTube to see his homemade clips featuring just some of his 1,200 animals.
Will there be a Tiger King season 2?
There's been no official confirmation yet, but we sure hope so, because this series is wild and we're going to need an update ASAP. Even if it's from behind bars. Popular podcast, Over My Dead Body have also dedicated entire episodes to him.
How many episodes are there of Tiger King?
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is a seven-part docuseries, with each episode running at an hour.
Where is Joe Exotic now?
Short answer: prison. He's currently serving 22 years for violating the Endangered Animals Act (and plotting to murder someone), but is still fighting for his innocence.
Good luck with that one, Joe.
