Netflix’s hit docuseries Tiger King returned earlier this week with a brand new second season, which unsurprisingly shot to the streamer’s number one slot shortly after dropping.
The five new episodes check back in with Joe Exotic and the Tiger King cast after the events of season one, with Exotic serving time in jail after being convicted of a murder-for-hire plot against rival Carole Baskin, while Jeff Lowe and Tim Stark take over his the G.W Zoo.
If you’ve already binged the new season, then you’re probably wondering: firstly, what did I just watch? And secondly, will Tiger King be back for a third season?
Here’s everything we know so far about Tiger King and whether it’ll be returning.
Will Tiger King return for season 3?
Netflix has not yet announced whether Tiger King will be back for a third season, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Joe Exotic were to return to our screens in one way or another.
Tiger King’s first season became one of the biggest shows for Netflix over lockdown in 2020 and the season two is currently ranking at number one on the streamer, so it’s likely there would be demand for the docuseries if it were to return for round three.
Tiger King season 3 release date rumours
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Season three has not yet been greenlit so we have no idea if and when it would hit our screens, however season two dropped on Netflix a year and a half after its predecessor, so the earliest we can expect Tiger King 3 is sometime in 2023.
Of course, whether we get a third season all depends on whether there’s any story left to tell, especially since Joe Exotic is still in prison and while his sentence has been vacated, his convictions still stand for now.
It took the Tiger King crew from April 2020 until September 2021 to film season two, with producer Rebecca Chaiklin saying: “Most of it was shot during the height of the pandemic to boot.
“And filming in a way that was safe for both our crews and subjects proved to be quite a challenge at times.”
Producer Eric Good added: “It was complicated, but we didn’t stop and we filmed for 20 months, with over 265 on set or remote shoot days…in states that didn’t recognise the pandemic, no less.”
Tiger King season 3 cast
If Tiger King were to return for a third season, it would most likely feature Joe Exotic, who appeared in season two via Zoom from prison, for sure – but as for other cast members, it’s hard to know who will agree to be filmed.
Jeff Lowe and Allen Glover may be back for a third season but considering what they spoke about at the end of Tiger King 2, they may choose to avoid season three.
If any new revelations about the disappearance of Don Lewis come to light over the next year, then it’s possible Lewis’s family could be back for a third season – however, we know for certain that Carole Baskin won’t be taking part in any future series of Tiger King.
The Big Cat Rescue founder told RadioTimes.com earlier this year that she’d refused to appear in season two, revealing she’d told producers to “lose [her] number” after season one.
“They took so many things out of context and allowed people who know nothing about my history or about the relationship that I had with my former husband Don Lewis, just a bunch of animal abusers out there saying things about me that they said for years but nobody ever paid them any attention,” she said.
What will happen in Tiger King season 3?
If Tiger King were to return for a third season, it would most likely continue to look at Joe Exotic’s attempts to appeal his conviction for a murder-for-hire plot against Carole Baskin – however, it’s hard to predict what the show would look at this early on.