Carole Baskin Is Getting Her Own Docu-Series

More than two years after she shot to internet stardom with the debut of Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, Carole Baskin is poised to make her return to the small screen in a new docu-series coming to discovery+. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Thursday morning that Baskin will star in and co-executive produce Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight for the streaming platform. The series does not yet have a premiere date.

While Tiger King largely delved into the murder-for-hire plot the landed Baskin’s rival Joe Exotic a 22-year prison sentence, Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight will investigate the treatment of big cats at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, the 16.4-acre property once owned by Exotic. In June 2020, a federal judge granted Baskin and her Big Cat Rescue ownership of the property. According to Amy Introcaso-Davis, executive VP development and production factual programming at Discovery, Carol Baskin’s Cage Fight will reveal Baskin’s “story in her own words” and allow viewers to see “this larger than life personality in the fight for her beloved big cat’s lives as she uncovers and stops the exploitation of these animals.”

The docuseries will document Baskin as she and her team investigate the property for lingering evidence of animal trafficking and abuse treatment. In addition to her husband Howard and retired homicide detective Griff Garrison, Baskin’s team will also be composed of Exotic’s niece, Chealsi, who previously worked at the animal park “and has first-hand knowledge of what went on behind the scenes” and can direct the team “to different areas around the zoo in pursuit of evidence such as animal remains. According to discovery+, per THR, the team will “get their hands dirty and investigate the treatment of big cats, often coming into direct confrontations with dangerous operators,” and the series will lead to “many shocking moments.” The series will also see Baskin and the others capturing evidence of illegal zoo tours and animal abuse at roadside zoos.

“This is a unique opportunity for audiences to come behind the scenes with us for an unfiltered look at how we expose the cub-petting exploiters and roadside zoos we feel are mistreating animals,” Baskin said. “This is our real-life work within a dangerous world, and viewers will see it comes with our people being threatened, guns pointed at us and the bad guys shooting at our drones.”

Baskin is of course best known for Tiger King, the mega-popular docuseries that premiered on Netflix back in March 2019. While the series ultimately launched Baskin into stardom, with her even landing a spot on Dancing With the Stars, Baskin has stated her displeasure with the show, dubbing it “salacious and sensational” and claiming producers pitched her a show “that would expose the misery caused by the rampant breeding of big cat cubs for cub petting exploitation and the awful life the cats lead in roadside zoos and back yards if they survive.” News of Carol Baskin’s Cage Fight comes amid the September news that Netflix will debut Tiger King 2, a sequel to the original docuseries that Baskin has since fired back against.