The Netflix docu-series Tiger King follows three main players; Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and Doc Antle. The series covers their insane and unique lives as they run zoos and wildlife preserves of exotic animals. The docu-series has become an instant hit since its release as it seems that almost everyone has heard of it and most people have seen it.
Most of its audience appreciates the entertainment value of the docu-series, but there are serious issues with the docu-series that some have overlooked. There are a lot of great things about this entertaining docu-series, but also some things that prove it isn't as great as it might seem.
Great: Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
The true events depicted in the docu-series has the viewer constantly questioning if this could all be real because it's insane and it must be fake. Every episode is packed with new players being introduced from an eccentric and opinionated gay zookeeper to a self-proclaimed animal rights activist who might have killed her husband to a pony-tailed wildlife zookeeper who might be the head of a cult.
So many realistic and crazy theories, stories, and players are introduced it gives the audience a delightful whiplash and allows them to escape into this insane world.
Awful: Surface Level Entertainment
Although the documentary tries to bring the plight of wildlife breeding and care in America to light with the end credits it's still surface entertainment and information that doesn't delve deep enough.
If this was their angle from the start it should have been more evident throughout instead of using the people in the story for pure entertainment value. It looses its ethical footing throughout in favor of entertainment.
Great: Bringing Stories To Light
Even though it might not be enough to get the audience to care, it has been enough to get conversations about aspects of the story.
After it aired, there have been discussions about solving the case of Carole Baskin's husband's disappearance and the issues of wildlife breeding and care in America. Hopefully, these discussions generated from the show will turn into action due to the popularity of the series.
Awful: Tragic Stories With No Time To Reflect
The documentary tries to pack in the entirety of the story, covering every single shocking moment, instead of taking time to give meaning, true reaction, and weight serious moments deserve.
In particular, in episode five one of Joe's husbands, Travis accidentally shoots and kills himself. The documentary glides over this tragedy and misses an opportunity to slow down and give much-needed weight to the moment.
Great: Extensive Interviews
The series does interview everyone and edit together their own words to create a compelling story. Everyone has a chance to tell their story in their own words and give their opinion on the events that unfold.
It's a good approach, even if some are upset with how they're portrayed, and it's entertaining and beneficial to match faces with names and hear from each player in the story.
Awful: Choosing The Least Evil
There are no heroes in Tiger King, but due to the feuding nature between Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and Doc Antle, the documentary seems to prompt the audience to choose who is the best out of the three main players.
Although documentaries don't condone or condemn the actions of its subjects, it is concerning that some terrible actions of the players are dismissed due to it not being as bad relative to the other players.
Great: Pop Culture Phenomenon
Most everyone has at least heard of Tiger King or binge-watched it immediately when it came out on Netflix or out of curiosity when they kept constantly hearing about it.
Few documentaries have taken hold and captured the masses' attention this quickly. This shared knowledge between so many after watching this show is rare and a great sign of success.
Awful: Not Giving The Full Story
Although no documentary or series can give the viewer the full story, Tiger King certainly doesn't give the full story and doesn't have a clear focus or message to tell throughout the series.
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Instead, it chooses to share a lot of information that might fool the audience into thinking they have all the facts and the whole story, which isn't the case. The documentary chooses to share a lot about each player's life, but never gives the full story, and tends to avoid discussing animal cruelty in depth.
Great: Current Events
Although recent documentaries are handling current events more often, a lot of documentaries cover past events or events that have recently ended.
Everything in Tiger King is still on-going and the story has new developments every day. This makes the story more engaging as the audience can learn about the story through the docu-series and follow it as real-time developments are reported.
Awful: No Clear Focus
Although the people in this story are entertaining and it was probably the best move for entertainment value it is still a confusing storyline and the documentary doesn't try to focus on any one thing, instead, it throws as much insane information at the viewer as possible.
Although it is nice to see a documentary that seems to be unbiased, it doesn't have much of a focus. The end slide that informs the audience of the issues of big cat breeding in America falls flat on the impact they seem to have wanted to make due to focusing on the insane lives of the people portrayed.