Season 1 – Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story

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Dec 2021

Documentary

Crime

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5 Reviews

33%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Exploring allegations of sexual abuse, violence and misconduct by big cat zoo owner Bhagavan "Doc" Antle.

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Jordan Moreau

Variety

Dec 11, 2021

Tiger King once roared on Netflix. Now, the docuseries franchise about exotic animal collectors can barely muster a squeak.

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Ed Power

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Dec 10, 2021

2/5

Joe Exotic fans sitting down to Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story in anticipation of another true crime rollercoaster may soon wish they'd look elsewhere for their cheap thrills.

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Megan Schuster

The Ringer

Feb 27, 2023

Overall, the special episode was light on new substance. Instead, it served as a display of Tiger King’s continued popularity—and of our willingness to eat up any and all Joe Exotic content.

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Melissa Camacho

Common Sense Media

Jan 5, 2022

1/5

Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story is nothing more than a boring, muckraking spectacle designed to capitalize on whatever infamy the franchise has to offer.

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Erin Maxwell

L.A. Weekly

Dec 20, 2021

The final revelation is too little, too late. In the end, the only victims aren't Joe or anyone from his camp, but the many, many animals that were neglected.

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Krista G

@Gloverk 6 days ago

I actually really enjoyed this season, and returned to it more than once. I also recommended it to others. It is easy to binge length-wise, marries the world of Tiger King to (in some ways) one akin to the likes of Wild Wild Country or other cult docs recounting events from decades past. Lots of archival footage shows us Antle’s life, living in a guru’s yoga ‘palace’ of sorts, performing low budget magic and mysticism in the early 1980’s, and being exposed by the women from his past sharing his abusive repeat behavior. I was fascinated, and it surprises me to see such negative reviews on here.

NervousBunnyGaming T

@RT73503872 Jul 11, 2025

It’s definitely not as surprising or as “fun” as the original Tiger King first season, but it’s definitely better than the boring second season. I hope Doc Antle rots in jail, too. At the end of this season I truly feel terrible for the tigers and all the vulnerable people who got sucked up in this world of narcissistic big cat owners. They all deserve to sit in jail together and whine at each other.

Dec 28, 2021

This guy is somehow even worse than Exotic Joe and I am sure, with the insatiable appetite the original series created, many of these colorful criminals who participated in that docuseries are likely questioning that decision today.

dave d

@RT34924333 Dec 11, 2021

Tiger King: Beating a Dead Tiger... errrr or whatever it's called is a hit piece on a bad guy and it's so horrible you feel sympathy for the guy who is just a rotten dude, Doc Antle. Too much Tiger King! This comes off as a bitter ex GF gossip story, than a documentary. If he did do these crimes (murder, et all) they SHOULD be brought to the police, not told on camera. Are people trying to tell a story to be famous, some are likely genuine, but many others are not. I went through the pain so you don't have to!

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Rebecca Chaiklin

Executive Producer

Eric Goode

Executive Producer

Chris Smith

Executive Producer

Fisher Stevens

Executive Producer

Jeremy McBride

Executive Producer

Rebecca Chaiklin

Director

Episode 1

Aired Dec 10, 2021

What's Up, Doc?

Faces from Doc Antle's past discuss how he cultivated his charismatic, controlling persona in the early 1980s at a yoga ashram in rural Virginia.

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Episode 2

Aired Dec 10, 2021

The Great Escape

Ex-wife Radha Hirsch recalls entering into a relationship with Antle at age 14; an attempt to go Hollywood highlights alleged financial scams.

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Episode 3

Aired Dec 10, 2021

Don't Trust Bhagavan

Doc Antle's alleged involvement in drug trafficking and other shady deals leads to suspicion over his response to the 1989 death of employee Mark Topping.

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Director: Rebecca Chaiklin, Eric Goode
Executive Producer: Rebecca Chaiklin, Eric Goode, Chris Smith, Fisher Stevens, Jeremy McBride
Network: Netflix
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date: Dec 10, 2021

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Season 1 – Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story

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