Given its astounding watch data and the fact that it continues to enjoy a level of cultural ubiquity three years after its release in 2020, it's fair to say that "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness" is Netflix's biggest docuseries to date (ironically dethroning "Making a Murder," another controversial true crime series from the streamer).
Admittedly, it's a bit difficult not to get swept up in the arrestingly operatic world of Joe Exotic, a large animal wrangler who once operated one of the most famous tiger enclosures in America, only to be brought down by an epic feud, multiple criminal investigations, and a failed plot to assassinate his biggest rival. That someone so larger than life can feel adequately contained on the small screen is a credit to the production team, and far be it from us to suggest that they shouldn't have humanized him so effectively.
However, it has been argued that the series fails to humanize Exotic's enemies as much — such as Carol Baskin, who was almost killed in Exotic's bleak murder-for-hire scheme (he is currently in jail, serving a 21-year prison sentence). Further, while emphasizing this feud, the series has been accused of deemphasizing the plight of Exotic's animals, many of whom were subjected to years of cruelty at his hands. The fact that there's any trace of a "Free Joe Exotic" movement is likely a sign that the series' priorities were out of focus.
