Netflix’s Tiger King fans: this Louis Theroux documentary should be your next watch
- Posted by
- Hollie Richardson
- Published

In need of another bizarre but brilliant documentary like Tiger King? You might want to dig into the Louis Theroux archive, where you’ll find a surprise appearance from Joe Exotic.
For many of us, Netflix marathons are the only thing keeping us going while social distancing. From the newest drop of escapist Studio Ghibli films, to 30-minute feel-good comedies, there’s something to serve the full range of emotions that we’re all currently experiencing. And the Netflix Party app means that we don’t need to watch anything alone during lockdown.
But there’s one show what everyone seems to have connected with at this weird time, and it’s totally unexpected.
Tiger King is a seven-part documentary series that looks at rival big cat enclosures in the US. It follows Joseph Maldonado-Passage – aka Joe Exotic – and his Oklahoma exotic-animal park. What ensues is a bizarre and addictive story that leads to Exotic’s arrest in connection with murder-for-hire.
We won’t give any spoilers away, but strap yourself in for a bumpy ride if you’re yet to sit down and watch it.
The show is such a hit that it has been rated the most popular show right now on Rotten Tomatoes. So, chances are, you’ve already raced through it. The big question now is: what next? What show is going to feed your new obsession for the downright bizarre and dangerous?
Cue: Louis Theroux.
In his 2011 documentary, America’s Most Dangerous Pets, Theroux spends time with an Oklahoma man who has bred and collected over 150 tigers. And that man is Joe Exotic!
Theroux also visits the woman who privately owns one of America’s largest collections of chimpanzees and finds himself in uncomfortably close contact with a number of big cats and dangerous primates.
Watch the trailer for Louis Theroux: America’s Most Dangerous Pets
Basically: it’s a must for fans who are just looking to get Theroux this (sorry) during isolation.
And the best thing is that you can stream it for free on BBC iPlayer.
Images: Netflix