The second and third seasons in contrast received mostly negative reviews from fans and critics, and the former was subject of a lawsuit by Carole and Howard Baskin over footage used in the series.

Zoo in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, and follows his bitter years-long feud with Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.

[12][13] The series' primary subject in the third season is Mahamayavi Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, a rival of Exotic's and Baskin's, exploring his cult of employment.

The site's critics consensus reads: "A bizarre true crime story you have to see to believe, Tiger King is a messy and captivating portrait of obsession gone terribly wrong.

[15] Variety magazine's Caroline Framke called the season "messy yet compelling" and that for "those who love Netflix's particular flavor of true crime and docuseries, [...] Tiger King will undoubtedly scratch a particular itch.

"[16] Joshua Rivera at The Verge said that "[e]very minute of Tiger King yields some new surprise, an unbelievable turn or charismatic stranger with incredible stories to tell.

"[26] In a review in The Times, Liam Fay noted the season suffered from the lack of participation from Carole Baskin, saying that "her contributions are taken from her YouTube channel, an eerily stilted production in which she reads her diaries directly to camera", and: "Almost every theory ever concocted about Lewis's fate is explored at length.

[28] Jordan Moreau of Variety wrote that "despite its serious subject matter, 'The Doc Antle Story' can't match the inherent, attention-grabbing, plot-twisty nature of the first [season].

[32] At an April press conference regarding COVID-19, then-U.S. President Donald Trump was questioned about the possibility of pardoning the series' key subject, Joe Exotic.

Representatives from Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wide Fund for Nature, Panthera Corporation and National Geographic criticized the show for its equivocation of the unregulated private breeding with captive breeding for species reintroduction, highlighting that the latter is strictly controlled by the Species Survival Plan and only takes place in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

[6] Elle noted that Baskin was portrayed as hypocritical for keeping the tigers in captivity instead of releasing them, without explaining that doing so was not an option—being captive-bred from mixed stock, as well as in-effect domesticated, meant they were unsuited to either survive in the wild or rebuild regional populations.

Michael Webber, director of The Elephant in the Living Room, also criticized the parallels drawn between the private zoos and Big Cat Rescue.

[40] "Goode brings to Tiger King the intellectual rigor and social responsibility of ... a nightclub and hotel developer", Peter Frick-Wright, who had produced Cat People, a podcast series covering the American big-cat industry, wrote in Outside.

He found the first season particularly unfair to Baskin, pointing out that in focusing on her husband's disappearance so much it failed to distinguish her from Exotic and Antle, barely mentioning that Big Cat Rescue only accepts tigers confiscated by law enforcement or from owners who could no longer handle them—owners who had to sign a contract with heavy financial penalties if they owned another big cat or were even photographed with one, a provision not mentioned in the first season.

Blackfish led to a severe drop in ticket sales at SeaWorld and reduced support for cetaceans in captivity, eventually leading to changes in legislation and practices.

Karl Ammann, a photographer and documentarian specializing in the illegal wildlife trade who was approached to be interviewed by the filmmakers of Tiger King, similarly expressed disappointment at the lack of conservation message in the first season, saying "to totally ignore such key aspects was a real missed opportunity".

[6] PETA and the Humane Society of the United States, both of which had previously investigated and campaigned against the animal abuse of Exotic and other private breeders featured in the show, responded more positively to Tiger King for raising the profile of the issue of big cats in captivity.

[42][43] However, PETA noted the first season "largely skips over serious issues of animal welfare, including the horrors of cub trafficking and the problems with commercial cub-petting attractions".

[50] As a result of the unilateral seizure of his zoo and other assets, Joe has authorized the creation of a cryptocurrency by the name of Tiger King Coin, to raise a fighting fund to finance the efforts of a dedicated legal team, led by John M Phillips, to overturn his conviction, which has been progressing since July 2021.

[53] In a post on the Big Cat Rescue website, Baskin said that the show "has a segment [in the third episode] 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 21 years ago" and that the first season "presents this without any regard for the truth".

On November 5, a federal judge denied Baskin's motion for a temporary restraining order that would block Netflix and Royal Goode Productions from using footage of her, her husband, and their Big Cat Rescue sanctuary in Season 2 of Tiger King.

[61][62] The Federal Court in Tampa Bay also denied a preliminary injunction on November 15, 2021, just two days before the shows' premiere, after defense attorneys for Netflix said a delay would "hurt marketing momentum" and violate the First Amendment, which in this case would fall under freedom of the press.

This is a salacious, outrageous ride through a television show produced to create drama, to just tie you in to some crazy train wreck of a story between the feud of Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic.

"[66] On April 8, 2020, Deadline Hollywood reported that Ryan Murphy is in talks to produce a film or limited series for Netflix with Rob Lowe starring as Joe Exotic.

The production featured former RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Kim Chi, Willam, and Heidi N Closet portraying Baskin, Joe Exotic, and a tiger, respectively.

[80] A limited series adaptation headed by Universal Content Productions, is based on a podcast[81] Joe Exotic: Tiger King[82] by Robert Moor, [83] with Kate McKinnon as executive producer and starring as Carole Baskin.