The 2020 Netflix documentary series about a tiger owner that became a cultural phenomenon was Tiger King.
The series, officially titled Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, focuses on Joe Exotic, the flamboyant former owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. It also follows his bitter feud with Carole Baskin, founder of Big Cat Rescue, whose criticism of private big-cat ownership placed her at the center of the story.
Tiger King premiered on Netflix on March 20, 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many people sheltering at home, its bizarre personalities, murder-for-hire plot, exotic animals and dramatic twists quickly spread across social media. Nielsen estimated that 34.3 million people in the United States watched the first season within its first 10 days.
A common mix-up is calling Tiger King a film; it is a documentary television series. Its popularity also led to an aftershow hosted by Joel McHale and later seasons, although the original season had the strongest cultural impact.