Tiger King 2 Trailer Teases Fallout From Season 1 | Screen Rant
Well all you cool cats and kittens, Tiger King is back. Netflix just released a trailer for season 2, to be released November 19th, teasing the return of all the colorful characters and crazy stories that made the original such a hit. Released in March of 2020, Tiger King followed the life and crimes of Joe Exotic, owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, which featured many exotic animals such as tigers and lions, on display. Exotic had a rivalry with Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin, and in 2019 was convicted of hiring two men in a failed assassination plot against her, resulting in him being imprisoned to this day.
Tiger King season 2 not only follows Exotic's legal battles but promises follow-ups to the first season's unanswered questions, such as the ongoing investigation into Baskin's first husband Don Lewis, who disappeared in August 1997. The new season will also show how the participants of the first season's lives have changed since its release, with many of its subjects considerably wealthier. There's also the lingering question of what happened to all of Exotic's rare animals after his arrest, including giraffes and crocodiles as well as big cats.
Netflix's Tiger King season 2 trailer starts with the thesis statement, "When you think you've seen it all, you haven't quite seen it all." This statement shows a lean-in to the outlandish stories that made the first season so memorable. Following is Exotic calling from prison, confirming his involvement in the making of season 2. Throughout the rest of the trailer, first season participants Baskin, Doc Antle, Jeff, and Lauren Lowe are shown to be returning, as well as plenty of glamour shots to emphasize the theme of excess that permeated the first season.
Though seeming rushed after the five-year-long process of making the first season, Tiger King 2 will serve as a reflection on the cultural zeitgeist that formed around it. Releasing days into the COVID-19 shutdown, Tiger King served as the ultimate escapism, going way beyond the true crime niche it was marketed towards. In the trailer, there are depictions of people campaigning for the release of Exotic, proving once again how American society finds the celebrity criminal to be utterly fascinating.
With all the cultural attention the show received, and with all the attention on its subjects, it's easy for the animal rights themes to be lost in all the flash and noise. Season 2 is already showing that it means to continue as it started, letting the larger-than-life humans and sensationalist approach overshadow the real-life consequences of Exotic's actions. With movie and tv adaptations of the series getting greenlit left and right, the series is an inarguable cultural touchstone that helped many people in the early days of the pandemic, but the legacy of Tiger King and its continuation will likely be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Tiger King 2 releases on Netflix on November 19th.
Source: Netflix