In March 2020, Tiger King was exactly what I needed. Even as I think of it now, I am taken back to the conflicting feelings of confusion of early lockdown and delight at the climate-change induced heatwave. Tiger King gave us something new to watch, something new to talk about and something new to dress up as for Zoom drinks.
For Netflix, Tiger King was exactly what they needed: a huge success. Although normally rather precious about releasing their viewing figures, Netflix was happy to boast that Tiger King drew in 64 million viewers. If only they could do that again!
Well, that’s what they’re trying, with the release of Tiger King 2 today. However, I can’t help but notice a few things have changed since series one came out. Firstly, we are no longer locked inside. Great! The weather may be worse, but at least we can go outside and complain about it.
Secondly, Joe Exotic is no longer simply the eccentrically dressed, loud zookeeper of questionable character that he was to us when we first tuned in. No, Joe is now instead a convicted animal abuser and attempted murderer. That took a dark turn, didn’t it?
Normally, I can’t turn down a true-crime documentary. Especially one which suggests a miscarriage of justice, the possibility of never-before-seen facts and footage, and opens viewers eyes to the idea that the justice system can get it wrong.
But Tiger King was not, is not, and never will be Making A Murderer, however mind-blowing the viewing figures were. Instead, Tiger King provided a stage for a narcissist to perform on, and the stalls for us to sit and stare from in shock.
But I can’t be the only one that feels this isn’t right. Sure, Joe isn’t directly profiting from the series (or Netflix would be in some murky ethical water). But this is no longer an ‘innocent’ shock factor documentary about people who have exotic animals. This is a platform for a criminal who tried twice to hire hitmen online to kill his “rival”.
I’m not a publicist, so I can’t even imagine what it would cost to get Joe Exotic the publicity these series have given him. But I can make an educated guess.
Netflix insists in their trailer for Tiger King 2 that the first series “only scratched the surface”. But that’s a statement I find hard to believe. Viewers took to Tiger King with an FBI-esque zeal, and now a google search (rather than a seven-part documentary) can give you thousands of “Where are they now?” articles, and short spin-off documentaries that give you a decent picture of the Tiger King story.
I don’t want to have to watch Tiger King 2, and I don’t want to have to avoid it. What I do want is for Netflix to provide a platform for documentaries that can entertain and educate people on real issues – not just chasing figures.
Do you think Netflix is right or wrong to commission a second series? Have your say in the comments below
