Back in 2020, when most people were stuck at home and looking for entertainment, we were introduced to the old but intriguing rivalry between big cat enthusiasts Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic. Every personality in the original Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is bizarrely eccentric and secretive, making the mystery that much more absorbing and sometimes humorous.
According to a Deadline article by Denise Petski, the miniseries gained 34.3 million views in the first ten days after its release. Eric Goode, the director and creator of the documentary was touring around, taking part in environmental efforts, when he stumbled upon the frenzied animal people in the Southern US. In a conversation with Young Kim of GQ, Goode admitted he was able to “speak the language” of these people and “get access into their worlds,” which were heavily guarded. In the beginning, Goode set out to produce a film that would spread awareness about the exploitation of exotic animals, but unexpectedly uncovered the terrifying world of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, Jeff Lowe, and Doc Antle.
The release of the 2022 fictional series Joe Vs. Carole now has followers of Tiger King asking which style presents a more enthralling story, documentary or fiction. So far, creator Eric Goode hasn’t voiced his opinion on the fictional series created by SNL’s Kate McKinnon and Etan Frankel. However, actor John Cameron Mitchell, who plays Joe Exotic, has revealed why he thinks the perspective of Joe Vs. Carole is needed. In an interview with Christina Radish of Collider, Mitchell says that the show makes an effort to pull back the “facade” of each character and tries to look at them as people. Obviously, the two shows present a true story is very different formats, but which presents the events better?
How Eric Goode Tells the Tiger King Story
What’s unique about Goode’s documentation of the characters surrounding exotic cats is that he was filming in real-time. Goode told GQ that the events were “contemporaneously unfolding while [they were] filming,” so he had no idea that one of his subjects would end up in a murder-for-hire investigation. At times, he wasn’t even sure that he was following the story. However, upon putting the footage together and recognizing that he was following a story, Goode knew exactly how to put it together.
Instead of organizing the events in chronological order, the creator hooked us with the fact that Joe Exotic was in prison for attempted murder and then focused on how he ended up there. Goode presents Joe Exotic as the protagonist, while Carole Baskin and Jeff Lowe are antagonists, and perhaps part of the delight of the show is experiencing the villain's perspective.
This structure, while appealing, can impact viewers' perception of the truth. Just as Cameron Shaw of ECG Productions comments, “framing Joe Exotic as the tragic protagonist of this narrative biases us against Carole Baskin.” Although the story is told in this way, it is essential for achieving Goode’s original goal: to raise awareness about the exploitation of exotic animals. He drew us in with the pathology of these big cat people and also managed to deliver his message.
How Joe vs. Carole Tells the Tiger King Story
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Just as Eric Goode’s project was a bit biased toward empathizing with Joe Exotic, Joe Vs. Carole leans more into Carole’s history, specifically her relationship with her current husband, Howard Baskin. The series offers a more sympathetic view of her background but doesn’t exclude her ruthless attitude while running the Big Cat Zoo. They mention the disappearance of her previous husband but do not fixate on it as heavily as Tiger King did.
Joe Exotic also has flashbacks and personal snippets, but again, not from the same angle as Eric Goode. Kate McKinnon, who plays Carole Baskin, tells Entertainment Weekly she felt that there was a lot “underneath” the original account that “deserved telling.” McKinnon expressed that many people had seen the “wacky and fun” part of Carole Baskin but Joe Vs. Carole was an opportunity to peel back the layers. The Rotten Tomatoes rating of Joe Vs. Carole isn’t so impressive, with a dismal total of 33%. The critical consensus of the series is a repeat of a tale that's already so oversaturated in popular culture. Sometimes, reality is stranger than fiction, and only a documentary can accurately capture that.
Which Tells the Truth of Tiger King Better?
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Truthfully, the answer is neither. Each project approaches the rivalry from a different perspective, but neither provides definitive answers nor absolute facts. However, what is good about Eric Goode’s original Netflix documentary Tiger King is that we were able to view all the relationships and events from an outside perspective. Goode obviously didn’t approve of what was occurring on any of the properties but much of the series still feels like observing and raising awareness about what is happening at these zoos. And this is what is important, awareness of the exploitation of exotic animals.
Joe Vs. Carole is currently available for streaming on Peacock.