Back at the start of the pandemic, Netflix dropped what turned out to be the perfect bit of entertainment for the millions around the world stuck indoors – namely, Tiger King, with the zoo-themed true-crime series turning into a global phenomenon. Around a year and a half later, we’ve now got our first glimpse at its follow-up season as the streaming giant released the trailer for season 2 this Wednesday morning.
“We thought we’d seen it all — but we’d only scratched the surface,” reads the season 2 tagline. Sure enough, the trailer – which you can find above – promises even more wild times ahead for everyone connected to Joe Exotic, who is currently in prison serving out a 22-year sentence after arranging a murder-for-hire plot against his chief rival Carole Baskin. As the synopsis for the new season puts it:
“With Joe Exotic behind bars and Carole Baskin closing in on ownership of his disreputable zoo, the Emmy-nominated saga continues its twisted course with Tiger King 2 as newfound revelations emerge on the motivations, backstories, and secrets of America’s most notorious big cat owners. Old enemies and frenemies, including Jeff Lowe, Tim Stark, Ailen Glover, and James Garretson return for another season of murder, mayhem, and madness. Thought you knew the whole story? Just you wait.”
Note that Baskin is not listed among those returning for season 2 as she has publicly distanced herself from the show following its release last March. Baskin has noted that she felt “betrayed” by the filmmakers in the first season, as she was told the series would focus on animal rights and not her rivalry with Exotic (also known as Schreibvogel). Although they apparently reached out to her with ambitions to “clear the air” in season 2, Baskin turned down the opportunity to contribute.
Remember, Netflix has also got Ryan Murphy working on a dramatization of the events of Tiger King, with Rob Lowe attached to play Exotic. Amazon Prime likewise announced they were developing a movie with Nicolas Cage in the same role, though that was later shelved. In fact, at this stage, it’s unclear if the Murphy-Lowe project is still happening, either. But maybe more news will follow once Tiger King 2 reunites the fervor for it when it lands on Netflix this November 17.
