Are you sure you didn’t forget about Tiger King? In the early days of the epidemic in 2020, the highly successful seven-episode Netflix series captivated audiences. A slew of spin-offs, remakes, sequels, and specials were announced following its success. Joe versus. Carole, starring Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon as Joe Exotic’s enemy Carole Baskin and John Cameron Mitchell as Joe, is one of the most memorable. Peacock released the first teaser for the series on Friday.
The teaser is brief and does not offer too much information. However, the Joe Exotic-Carole Baskin spat is well-known by now. Joe (actual name: Joseph Maldonado-Passage) used to operate an exotic-animal park in Oklahoma, and Baskin owns Big Cat Rescue, a Florida charity cat refuge. He’s currently doing a 22-year term for animal abuse and attempting to pay someone to murder Baskin. Baskin has a tumultuous background of her own. Don Lewis, her second husband, vanished in 1997 and was never recovered.
It’s unclear whether the Tiger King mania has peaked; the follow-up documentary Tiger King 2 premiered this year to little fanfare, but it’s entertaining to see McKinnon and Mitchell devouring the scenery tiger-style. But, of course, anything based on the gruesome events of Tiger King isn’t going to be subtle, so sit back and watch these two charismatic actors go at it. On March 3, the series will arrive at Peacock.