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The Tiger King dropped on Netflix last month, quickly becoming a global phenomenon as audiences devoured the wild real-life story of Joe Exotic and the bizarre underworld of big cat breeding.

Joe’s feud with Carole Baskin played out in seven unbelievable episodes, with the documentary packed full with so many insane twists. And us cool cats and kittens just couldn’t switch off.

But why is Tiger King so addictive? Why can’t we get enough of the Carole and Joe saga?

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Accredited Business Psychologist & Media Psychologist Charlotte Armitage explained what’s got the planet so transfixed.




‘We are fascinated by behaviours which we deem as unusual because they are so far removed from our own societal and cultural norms,’ she told us.

‘The Tiger King series may be grabbing so much attention because it combines a whole range of compelling factors; crime, the fight between two opposing sides, larger than life personalities, shock and disbelief, beautiful animals, and the adorable cubs.

Netflix’s The Tiger King has become a global phenomenon (Picture: Netflix)

‘The kind of behaviour exhibited in the series might be deemed as perplexing which results in a fascination and curiosity to know and understand more, hence the compulsion to continue watching.’

Dr Charlotte added: ‘This combination of factors provides a captivating watch as well as a much needed distraction during this difficult time.’

Tiger King has been named one of Netflix’s most successful true-crime documentary’s of all time, and it looks like the story is set to continue.

Last week, Jeff Lowe revealed that filmmakers had been hard at work shooting a new episode which is set to land on the streaming platform later this week to further fuel our obsession.

Here’s hoping all of our questions are answered.

The Tiger King is available to stream on Netflix.

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