Peacock has released the full trailer for their scripted take on the “Tiger King” saga, titled “Joe vs. Carole,” bringing to light just how this new show attempts to tell more of the story behind the Netflix hit.
“Saturday Night Live” star Kate McKinnon plays Carole Baskin while John Cameron Mitchell (of Hulu’s “Shrill”) fills the role of Joe Exotic, and as the title suggests the series aims to provide a dimensional take on each side of the war between these two big cat enthusiasts. Allusions are made to Baskin’s tragic past, while the Joe Exotic side of things gets deeper into his struggle as a gay man living in Oklahoma. But there are also explosions, blow-up dolls and jokes about Baskin’s cat allergy, revealing a tone more in line with a dark comedy than a straight drama.
The new trailer also covers the Netflix documentary crew filming the participants of what would become one of the streaming service’s most buzzworthy hits.
“’Joe vs. Carole’ is a wild ride,” creator and showrunner Etan Frankel said in a statement. “It’s a fun and rich journey into the story of people who live very extreme lives. When I took on this project a year and a half ago, I found Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin to be utterly fascinating, and this crazy tale about two big cat lovers quickly became an important story for me to tell. I hope that when people watch ‘Joe vs. Carole’ just maybe they’ll see these people that they thought they knew in a brand-new way.”
The limited series is based on the Wondery podcast “Joe Exotic: Tiger King” and consists of eight one-hour episodes. The ensemble cast also includes Kye MacLachlan, Brian Van Holt, Sam Keeley, Nat Wolff, Marlo Kelly, William Fichtner, Dean Winters and David Wenham.
Watch the “Joe vs. Carole” trailer in the video above. The series premieres on Peacock March 3.
In addition to Frankel, who is writing under his overall deal with Universal Studio Group’s UCP, McKinnon will also executive produce alongside Alex Katsnelson and Wondery’s Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy and Aaron Hart.
Justin Tipping, another executive producer, directed Episodes 1-4 and 8. Natalie Bailey directed Episodes 5-7.
