Forget the Lannisters and the Starks — the next epic feud to take over the Emmys may be Joe Exotic vs. Carole Baskin. That’s right, Gold Derby has learned exclusively that Netflix will submit its blockbuster doc “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” for Emmy consideration in the category of Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Was there ever a doubt?
If you’ve been living under a rock this past month, “Tiger King” debuted on Netflix on March 20, 2020 and lifts the veil on private zoos in America. Much of the original seven episodes focus on bad blood between zoo owner Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Exotic) and animal rights activist Baskin, including name-calling, threats, defamatory videos and lawsuits. Their story ends rather dramatically with Exotic going to jail after he allegedly hires someone to murder Baskin.
The true-crime series has become such a viral hit for Netflix that it seems you can’t go on social media anymore without seeing a slew of “Tiger King” memes. My personal favorite? A photo mock-up depicting Baskin and Exotic in yet another epic feud for the ages: Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump. To paraphrase a famous cartoon tiger, It’s Grrrreat!
The internet wins again #TigerKing pic.twitter.com/6BSQQexhSj
— Marcus James Dixon (@marcusdixon) April 6, 2020
“Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” was so popular that Netflix commissioned an eighth episode, titled “The Tiger King and I,” to serve as an after-show with updated interviews with its eccentric cast of characters. Joel McHale hosted the special (from the safety of his home) that streamed April 12, 2020, citing “Tiger King fever” as the reason for the special.
Netflix is no stranger to the Best Documentary or Nonfiction Series race at the Emmys. In 2016, its crime doc “Making a Murderer” about an unsolved murder case in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin won a whopping four Emmy Awards (series, writing, directing, editing). “Wild Wild Country” claimed the series category in 2018 for its intimate look at the Rajneeshpuram community in Wasco County, Oregon. And just last year nature documentary “Our Planet” took home trophies for series and narrator (David Attenborough).
Be sure to make your Emmy nominations predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before the nominees are announced on July 28. And join in the thrilling debate over the 2020 Emmy Awards taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our TV forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
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