Is Joe vs Carole based on true events? All about show that inspired Peacock mini-series

Joe vs Carole is Peacock's new Tiger King-inspired series, scheduled to debut on March 3.

The show is based on the second season of Wondery's Over My Dead Body podcast. It recounts the real-life criminal case of Joe Exotic, a zookeeper convicted of a murder-for-hire plan against his self-sworn nemesis Carole Baskin.

On the other hand, Joe vs Carole appears to be treading familiar material after Netflix's two Tiger King episodes in 2020 and 2021 covered this story thoroughly.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinions.

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All about the show that inspired Joe vs Carole

Since Tiger King Season 1's overnight streaming success in March 2020, Joe vs Carole has been in the works. The Netflix series immediately became a significant talking point when many audiences were locked indoors during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, as 2020 progressed, audiences' enthusiasm for Tiger King began to diminish, as they realized how terrible the documentary's principal protagonists were.

In the eyes of the public, Joe Exotic went from being a meme-able, funny character to being loathed for his animal brutality and exploitation. In late 2021, Netflix's follow-up series, Tiger King 2, received far less attention than its predecessor, with much of the series' shock value eliminated.

The first season of Netflix's true-crime series Tiger King features multiple larger-than-life personalities and mysteries, making it an immediate draw for streaming consumers.

Tiger King was the term on most American households' lips in March 2020, with Joe Exotic's weird, gun-toting lifestyle startling the nation.

However, once the thrill of watching Joe Exotic scold Carole Baskin and converse with giant cats wore off, Tiger King began to lose its luster. People became more aware of Exotic and his cronies' heinous crimes against endangered animals.

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What about Peacock's upcoming show?

Peacock's decision to release the show in 2022, after the public's enthusiasm for the Tiger King story has died, appears odd.

Other streaming platforms are acutely aware of the lack of desire for additional Tiger King-centric content, with Amazon Prime Video canceling its own Joe Exotic series in July 2021, citing a lack of interest in the subject matter.

Since Tiger King 2 and The Doc Antle Story have failed to generate substantial attention or viewing numbers, even Netflix has virtually admitted that Tiger King's time has passed.

Finally, it appears that Joe vs Carole is intended for an audience that no longer exists in modern culture, implying that the Peacock original is doomed from the start.