Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (7 Eps)
Where the world might be falling apart, the terrible events happening worldwide created the perfect storm for something like Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness to take over. Joe Exotic first gained national attention when John Oliver aired a short clip as part of Exotic's 2016 Presidential campaign on his popular show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Exotic immediately sucked viewers in with his over the top persona seeming like a strange yet innocent man perfect for some comedic relief. Unknown to most audiences, not only would Joe Exotic find himself getting mainstream media attention again but when he did it would be a much darker look at the man. What on the outside seems like a feud over animal rights between Exotic and owner of Big Cat Rescue Carole Baskin quickly turns into a series of conspiracy theories and dark plots including murder. With charismatic characters, multiple twists and turns, and a well-constructed mixture of absurdity and legitimate drama; it is easy to see why Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has taken the world over by storm with just about everyone singing its praises.
Easily the best thing about the series is the absolute madness around every corner. From the larger than life personalities to the dark and twisted stories and allegations around every turn, Tiger King is a very easy show to get sucked into binge just because of how engaging the world is. If it wasn't a documentary series, Tiger King easily might be criticized for being too over the top with too many twists and turns but with it being based in reality, it instead grips audiences and shocks. Taking the focus of being a spectacle over a legitimate investigation of these various situations and claims, Tiger King lets the story ramble on not concerning itself with giving the audience much factual context which might come off as entertaining but ultimately shallow. Everyone featured in the series has a clear motive for pushing the narrative in a certain way, even in some of the basic conversations within the series such as cub petting, it is never even discussed why they are bad. Tiger King is one of those shows that required google searching and investigating by the audience after the show is over to truly understand the situations and allegations within the series which does come off a bit frustrating. The series even tries by the end to wrap itself up as a story about animal abuse, but similar to the characters being explored, that focus on the animals is lost in the chaos of the humans in the story.
That isn't to say that there is nothing of value to Tiger King, it has bigger messages about everyone having blood on their hands in some sorts, regret, and the potential consequences of what someone puts online; but to say that Tiger King's main focus on the conservation of animals is a stretch. Looking past the deeper aspirations that the series held, just as a look at the chaos of these individuals it works perfectly well. With an incredible catalog of footage and interviews, the series is able to feel engaging and relevant being able to show the audience the various events play out rather than just telling about them. The 7 episode layout feels well-paced and structured naturally moving the story along in segments that both are perfect for binge-watching but also perfectly fine to take breaks between episodes.
Overall Tiger King is a perfectly solid viewing experience with an engaging and surprising story, but its attempts to be more end up falling short. Where the absolute madness of the story made the series worth checking out, nothing it is going to be sticking out in a few months from now as far as emotional impact or message. Tiger King is a fun series which is an easy recommendation for audiences who's watchlist is looking really short but it also isn't something so incredible that it should take priority to other shows which do hold legitimate substantial value.
Overall Tiger King is a perfectly solid viewing experience with an engaging and surprising story, but its attempts to be more end up falling short. Where the absolute madness of the story made the series worth checking out, nothing it is going to be sticking out in a few months from now as far as emotional impact or message. Tiger King is a fun series which is an easy recommendation for audiences who's watchlist is looking really short but it also isn't something so incredible that it should take priority to other shows which do hold legitimate substantial value.