Kate McKinnon transforms into ‘Tiger King’ star Carole Baskin in ‘Joe vs Carole’ trailer

By Michael Balderston
published

Kate McKinnon, John Cameron Mitchell offer a new look into the story of the two ‘Tiger King’ stars — Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic.

Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin in 'Joe vs Carole'
Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin in 'Joe vs Carole' (Image credit: Peacock)

If you thought you were done with Tiger King, perhaps Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin will entice you to head back into the world of big cats. McKinnon, along with John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic, headline the new Peacock original series Joe vs Carole, which has released its first trailer ahead of its March 3 debut.

Tiger King was one of the most talked about new shows in 2020 after premiering on Netflix, as it introduced the world to the stranger-than-fiction characters of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, big cat enthusiasts embroiled in a rivalry that saw Exotic eventually sentenced to prison for plotting to murder Baskin.

This Peacock limited series is based on the Wondery podcast, Joe Exotic, and dives further into the two characters’ backgrounds, how their rivalry began and the events that would put Exotic in jail.

Watch the brief trailer for Joe vs Carole right here:

While McKinnon is sure to have some fun playing Baskin and pulls off a pretty good resemblance, the big takeaway is how fantastic John Cameron Mitchell looks as Joe Exotic. Mitchell is best known for starring in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and more recently on Shrill, but he appears to embody the infamous Exotic in this quick look at the series.

Joining McKinnon (who is also an executive producer) and Mitchell in Joe vs Carole are Kyle MacLachlan as Howard Baskin, Dean Winters as Jeff Lowe, William Fichtner as Rick Kirkham, Brain Van Holt as John Reinke and Sam Keeley as John Finlay.

The big question will be if Joe vs Carole can reinvigorate the Tiger King fanbase that first discovered the series in 2020, or if the ship has sailed. Netflix released Tiger King 2 in November 2021, but it didn’t have nearly the kind of impact its predecessor did, topping out as the second most-viewed Netflix TV show in its first week of release and being out of the top 10 in general after its second week. 

Joe vs Carole will stream exclusively for Peacock Premium subscribers when it debuts on March 3. Peacock content is available to U.K. viewers via Sky and NOW TV.

Michael Balderston
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.