Joe Exotic's insane adventures in Netflix's Tiger King have us asking many questions, including "wow, what can follow that?" The good news is that Netflix (and other streaming services) have a ton of the weirdest and wildest documentary films and mini-series specials, so you'll have an easy time deciding what to watch after Tiger King.
From a film about Joe's own producer to multiple docuseries shows about captivating leaders who bring their followers down a chaotic path, you could spend multiple weeks going through all of these shows. And it would still be a more sensible choice than ever considering employment from Joe, Carole Baskin or any of the other oddities from the hit Netflix show.
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Some of these specials tackle well-known catastrophes, such as the memey Fyre Festival, while others dig deeper into obscure stories you need to see to believe, such as a trio of identical brothers separated at birth.
And while we've got a great pallet cleanser that brings wholesome love to the animal kingdom, we've also picked up a couple of grizzly specials that investigate murders — because we're all wondering if Carole did it, right?
Here's what to watch after Tiger King, from crazy documentaries to wildlife-themed shows.
Cheer
When it comes to cults of bizarre personality, Navarro College's cheerleading program stands right up next to Joe Exotic's park that was made infamous by Tiger King. At the center of this pyramid of painful dismounts is the demanding coach Monica Aldama, who pushes students to their limits. Often, these pupils are a bit similar to the people attracted to the wildlife sanctuaries and parks, giving more of themselves than even seems right or logical, often because they don't have anything else. Cheer follows the team through a single season's quest to get to national competition, which is filled with heartache and broken bones. - Henry T. Casey
Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened
The Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park might have been a catastrophe, but at least it was running and functional. The same cannot be said for the Fyre Festival, a trainwreck of a music festival that was supposed to take place on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma. While this documentary was co-produced by the same firm that promoted Fyre, it's regarded as the better of the two (the other is on Hulu, and is worth watching) — plus it has a certain interview with Fyre Festival event producer Andy King, who said a line so instantly iconic and salacious that he begged the producers to drop it from the movie. Unfortunately, he became an instant meme, just like Joe Exotic. - Henry T. Casey
Wild Wild Country
Netflix is not short on charismatic leaders who bring crazy times to their followers. Wild Wild Country shines its spotlight on what happened when spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who moved his ashram from India to Oregon. But just like Tiger King, this story is as much about the followers as it is their leader. The biggest player in this story is Ma Anand Sheela, who was essentially Rajneesh's secretary, before taking over the day-to-day leadership when Rajneesh becomes reclusive. A provocateur who isn't afraid of being hyper-aggressive, Sheela will stick with audiences long after they finish Wild Wild Country. - Henry T. Casey
Three Identical Strangers
This incredible and engrossing tale of three identical triplets separated at birth and reunited as adults will leave you gasping with disbelief — then screaming in anger. The documentary begins with an enormous and life-altering coincidence: Bobby Shafran is confused when, on his first day at college, total strangers greeted him as Eddy. They meet and later find David, their other long-lost triplet. Filmmaker Tim Wardle begins investigating why the trio was separated and uncovers a social experiment that is both ethically troubling and thought-provoking on the age-old question of nature vs. nurture. — Kelly Woo
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator
Watch Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator after Tiger King for another tale of a niche community’s systemic abuse masked in plain sight. Rather than call attention to the world of big cat breeding, this film-length documentary unravels how Bikram Choudhury, the titular founder of harrowing hot yoga classes, cemented a cultish empire around his practice. In a single, lawless being, Choudhury captures Joe Exotic’s lust for the spotlight, Doc Antle’s complicated relationships with apprentices and Carol Baskin’s controversial standing in the public eye. Bikram is much, much more than a hot yoga practice, and not for the better. - Kate Kozuch
Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox has more or less faded from infamy, but her self-titled documentary remains her unfiltered assertion of innocence in the case of a slain student studying abroad. Italy put Knox on trial between 2009 and 2015 for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher, subjecting the Seatle native to the foriegn county’s unrelenting criminal justice system. Hear Knox attempt to reclaim the narrative that the media sensationalized, and decide for yourself which estate found her guilty. - Kate Kozuch
Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
Looking for another dark, feline-filled documentary? Unlike Tiger King, Don’t F*** With Cats is less focused on animal abuse and more engulfed in a very real murder. The suspect is an internet-savvy, serial-killer-in-training who toys with an enraged Facebook community using gruesome video messages and bogus profiles. Follow online pen pals as they track down a cat torturer and launch a risky, worldwide manhunt from the depths of the dark web’s underbelly. - Kate Kozuch
McMillions
Do you remember the Monopoly game that McDonald’s ran through the late ‘80s and ‘90s? The fast food chain ran a sales promotion based on the iconic board game; customers received little game pieces corresponding to properties in Monopoly. Collect certain pieces and you could win $1 million. But as this HBO documentary shows, winning the big prizes was nearly impossible because the game was corrupted by fraud. - Kelly Woo
Dark Side of the Ring
If you only watched the documentaries that WWE produces, you'd have no idea how dark the world of pro wrestling gets. This is why the Vice series Dark Side of the Ring — which analyzes the industry's tragic figures — is so important. In its first season, audiences got to hear wrestlers explain the complicated real-life relationship of Randy "Macho Man" Savage and Miss Elizabeth and also learn about the crazy situations that surrounded the deaths of wrestlers Bruiser Brody and "Gorgeous" Gino Hernandez. We even heard both sides of the controversial legacy left behind by iconic women's wrestler The Fabulous Moolah.
Season 2, currently airing, is tackling even larger stories: Chris Benoit's suicide and murder of his wife and son, and the extremely controversial New Jack. Later this season, the show will investigate the death of Owen Hart (above). - Henry T. Casey
The Crocodile Hunter
The Tiger King is all about the dark side of caring for wildlife. If you prefer to remind yourself about why we love getting up close and personal with animals in the first place, look no further than The Crocodile Hunter. This documentary series starred the incomparable Steve and Terri Irwin: a husband-and-wife team of zookeepers, adventurers and wildlife advocates. Along with their fearless dog Sui, Steve and Terri traveled all around the world to showcase the most incredible animals they could find. Steve's infectious enthusiasm wasn't reserved for cuddly wombats and majestic whales; he appreciated venomous snakes, deadly spiders and ornery crocodiles just as much. While Steve sadly left us in 2006, his adventures in The Crocodile Hunter live on, and show us why loving animals and treating them with respect can make the world a better place. - Marshall Honorof
TV Junkie
In Tiger King, Rick Kirkham appeared as a reality show producer hired by Joe Exotic to make his online videos. It was clear Kirkham had been through some stuff in his past, and his self-made documentary about himself illustrates just what kind of stuff. Before working with Exotic, Kirkham was a reporter on Inside Edition known for his wild stunts, like setting himself on fire. Over several decades, Kirkham kept video diaries totaling more than 3,200 hours of footage. Co-directors Michael Cain and co-director Matt Radecki took that footage and turned it into a harrowing look at Kirkham’s battle with crack cocaine addiction. The documentary won the special jury prize at Sundance in 2006. Kirkham himself put it up on YouTube in early March, in anticipation of the sensation that Tiger King eventually became. — Kelly Woo
