Who would have thought, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we would all find solace in a gun-toting Oklahoma criminal with 180 pet tigers, eh? But that’s exactly what has happened: Netflix’s Tiger King – the docuseries about the larger-than-life Joe Exotic – has captivated the nation. Indeed, the show has been the platform’s most-streamed content for the past few weeks, across both the USA and UK.

So you can imagine how excited we were to learn that, as the government urges us all to stay indoors on this ultra-sunny Easter weekend, Netflix has confirmed that a brand-new, never-before-seen episode of Tiger King will land this Sunday 12 April.

That’s right: The Tiger King And I, a special aftershow hosted by comedian Joel McHale, will see many of the OG Tiger King’s main ‘characters’ interviewed about their reactions to the show.

This time around, and with the benefit of hindsight, the likes of John Reinke, Joshua Dial, John Finlay, Saff, Erik Cowie, Rick Kirkman, and Jeff and Lauren Lowe will have a chance to tell their story directly.

“I talk to a lot of people involved in the project,” promises McHale, “to see what’s happened in their lives since the release of the series.

“It’s eye-opening and, hopefully, funny.”

Check out the trailer for Netflix’s The Tiger King And I below:

Joe Exotic remains in prison, so is highly unlikely to feature much (if at all) in the spin-off. And Carole Baskin will not be involved in the project either, as she was incredibly unhappy with her portrayal as a “villain” in the original docuseries.

“There are no words for how disappointing it is to see that the series not only does not do any of that, but has had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers,” she wrote, in a post shared on her Big Cat Rescue website.

“As part of that, it has a segment devoted to suggesting, with lies and innuendos from people who are not credible, that I had a role in the disappearance of my husband Don in 1997.

“The series presents this without any regard for the truth or in most cases even giving me an opportunity before publication to rebut the absurd claims. They did not care about truth. The unsavoury lies are better for getting viewers. And there is no short, simple way to refute so many lies.”

It’s worth noting, though, that – despite Baskin’s displeasure over the OG Tiger King – she is set to become the focus of yet another true crime docuseries, this time almost entirely focused on her ex-husband’s disappearance.

The executive producers of The Tiger King and I are Joel Gallen and Rick Austin of Tenth Planet Productions, who most recently produced the IHeart Living Room Concert for America on Fox (you know, the one where Elton John hosted the show from his kitchen? That one!), Joel McHale, Boyd Vico, and Brad Stevens.

The Tiger King And I will be available to stream on Netflix from Sunday 12 April 2020.

Image: Netflix