At 8 hours, this dramatized version of The Tiger King is an hour longer than Netflix’s documentary hit. John Cameron Mitchell channels Joe Exotic with such mulleted gusto that it’s almost shocking. Despite all the crazy, he occasionally lets us see the man’s tender side. At first, Kate McKinnon, who plays his nemesis Carole Baskin, is bordering on one of her less-wacky SNL characters, but looking back at Baskin on Netflix, she’s effectively capturing the woman’s dogged determination and eccentric style. Everyone in the cast is superb and sometimes surprisingly accurate to the real people. Standouts are Brian Van Holt as Exotic’s main lover and Kyle MacLachlan as Baskin’s patiently-supportive hubby (although if he were a bit more bland it might have helped). The series takes its time before it becomes involving, but as it delves more deeply into the dueling duo’s lives, the drama grows. The final episode gives all of the main players a big moment, all of which are truly touching. If you’d seen the original doc, you may question whether this is worth the effort and there are certainly “Oh Yea” moments as highlights are played out. For those who wish to go deeper, it certainly delivers with more detail and notable performances. 
(3.5 / 5)
