Is ‘Joe vs. Carole’ a comedy?

Joe vs. Carole has been intensely anticipated by fans of Netflix’s smash hit Tiger King, with the dramatized series telling the story of the feud between Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, both of whom were made famous by the infamous docuseries that dominated the headlines in 2020. 

However, one of the most commonly asked questions about the show where it falls on the genre spectrum, with many wondering if Joe vs. Carol is a comedy. 

What Is Joe vs. Carole? 

Joe vs. Carole is a Peacock exclusive series that premiered on March 3, 2022. It stars Hedwig and the Angry Inch star John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic, with Saturday Night Live alumni Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin. Also featured is Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan, who plays Carole’s husband, Howard. 

The story follows Carole as she learns that Joe Exotic is breeding his big cats for profit, and treating them poorly, vowing to shut his operation down. However, this quickly spirals into a feud which takes a dark and violent turn. While this is going on, both Joe and Carole will try to manage their often complex lives and relationships, which only serves to add even more pressure to their personal and professional lives.

Is Joe vs. Carole A Comedy? 

Joe vs. Carole is not a comedy. It is a dramatic retelling of the real-life events covered in the Over My Dead Body podcast. 

In fact, if you go to Peacock’s page for the show, you’ll see that the series is listed as a drama and described as “a scripted adaptation of the 2019 Wondery podcast Joe Exotic: Tiger King, hosted and reported by Robert Moor.”

Why Are People Confused About Joe vs. Carole?

Also, many reviewers have argued that the show’s tone is hard to judge. Many critics have said that it feels more like a comedy than a drama, so it’s no wonder that viewers are also struggling to work out what Joe vs. Carole is trying to be. 

This is a recurring theme in many reviews of the series. In Daniel Fienberg’s review of the show for The Hollywood Reporter, he said that it “lacked consistency regarding how much the show wants us to laugh and whether those laughs are with or at the main characters.”

This review also touches on how the perception of McKinnon affects the tone, saying that “the idea of Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin is the stuff of a four-minute Saturday Night Live sketch.” This was echoed by Brian Tallerico, who summed it up by saying that “it never settles on a tone at all.”

It’s easy to see why people are confused about Joe vs. Carole’s genre. While Kate McKinnon has taken on dramatic roles before, she’s best known for her comedy performances, mainly due to her time as a cast member on SNL, in addition to her work in movies like The Spy Who Dumped Me and 2016’s Ghostbusters. So, it’s easy to understand why viewers presumed that a re-telling of the Tiger King story with McKinnon in the lead was a comedy.