Released on March 20 this year, “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” is probably the most talked about mini-series on Netflix right now, even in Nepal. The crime-based documentary can compete against the best fictional series and holds so much grit that the 5h 17min runtime (divided into 8 episodes) is as enjoyable as watching an hour and a half-long action movie.

Tiger King is essentially about the life of Joe Exotic—owner of the Oklahoma based G.W. Zoo, who breeds, raises, and trades in big cats—and his arch-nemesis Carole Baskin, an animal activist and owner of Big Cat Rescue. There are colorful casts of real-life characters on both the sides—including drug dealers, conmen, cult leaders, and ex-convicts. The war between them over whether big cats can be kept as pets starts with harmless banters, and culminates in a murder-for-hire plot.

Joe Exotic, after whom the documentary series is named, is a character deserving of the title of Tiger King. Born Joseph Allen Schreibvogel, who then changed his name to Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, Joe Exotic is a charismatic figure who runs his roadside zoo with a team of renegades like convicted felons and drug abusers. He thinks he is helping them fit into the society. And the under-paid, over-worked staff are more than happy to raise hundreds of exotic animals like tigers, ligers, lions, leopards, and alligators, to name a few.

These animals are then smuggled across the country and even cross-border to be sold to private zoo owners and wealthy collectors. Joe also used to organize traveling shows across the country, displaying exotic animals and giving people photo ops with them for money.

Carole Baskin, on the other hand, runs a volunteer organization that rescues the animals owned by private zoos, which she claims abuse the animals and treat them inhumanely. Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue has a huge team of activists who not only raise awareness and stage protests against animal breeding, but also spy on the activities of animal breeders to gather evidence of abuse.

Shot over five years by directors Rebecca Chaiklin and Eric Goode, Tiger King gives the audience a glimpse into the lives of these two main characters and also a host of equally interesting supporting ones who playing themselves—characters like (gay) Joe’s husbands John Finlay and Dillion Passage; Bhagavan Antle, the owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari; Jeff Lowe, businessman and Joe’s partner who runs him out of the business; Howard Baskin, Carole’s husband and co-owner of the Big Cat Rescue; among others.

What makes Tiger King more interesting than your regular documentary series is that the filmmakers have spent real time with the characters and made them comfortable enough to spill their worst beans. With real life footages that give insights into the lives of the principle characters, the documentary proves that truth can be stranger than fiction. It does not judge the characters, but leaves it up to the audience to decide.

Joe—a king in his own world who is confident enough to run for the President of the United States in 2016, and for the Governor of Oklahoma in 2018 representing the Libertarian party—is a gun-wielding, mullet-bearing, rough-mouthed, arrogant and shrewd businessman.

At the opposite extreme is Carole, the savior of the big cats, who is gentle, friendly and calm on the outside. But Joe and the family suspect foul play behind the disappearance of Carole’s deceased husband Don Lewis. Carole inherits millions after Don is pronounced legally dead in 2002 when he fails to turn up for over five years, raising suspicions. So, ultimately, it is again the audience that gets to apportion blame.

Who should watch it?

With controversies and talks of lawsuits already haunting the documentary makers as well as Netflix, anyone interested in the docu-series should definitely do a marathon-run of Tiger King. It might vanish anytime. Also, big cat lovers will also enjoy the mini-series that documents the lives of these exotic animals in captivity.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Crime, Documentary

Run time: 5h 17 min (8 episodes)

Director: Rebecca Chaiklin, Eric Goode

Actors: Joe Exotic, Carole Baskins, John Finlay