Following the unprecedented success of Netflix’s Tiger King in 2020, director Eric Goode has produced another wild animal documentary on HBO.
There are few modern streaming service success stories as well-known as Tiger King. Arriving in the midst of the global pandemic, Netflix subscribers found themselves hooked on the baffling and addicting stories of wild cat owners.
The true crime documentary was directed by Eric Goode, who has now turned his attention to another controversial pet with his new HBO series, Chimp Crazy.
The show primarily follows the self-proclaimed “Dolly Parton of chimps,” Tonia Haddix. A former nurse-turned-exotic animal owner, Tonia cares for animals in captivity, including one particularly beloved chimpanzee.
When animal activists and authorities become involved, it turns into yet another case in the continued debate of whether humans should own exotic pets.
It also includes testimonies from other “chimp moms,” who fight for their bonds created with these highly intelligent (and yet unpredictable) animals.
The story of chimps (and other such creatures) in captivity isn’t an undiscovered one, with documentarians such as Louis Theroux opting to cover the large number of wild animal owners across the US in the past.
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However, Chimp Crazy is already proving to be one of the wildest new TV shows of the year, and based on fan reactions, it might just be the perfect follow up to the prolific Tiger King.
As one X user wrote: “Chimp Crazy on HBO is the most batsh*t crazy thing I’ve seen since Tiger King. How does this dude strike gold TWICE?”
Another said: “Run don’t walk to Chimp Crazy on HBO. You want Queen of Versailles meets Tiger King? Done. It’s out. Two eps so far. It’s beyond nuts. I love it.”
“Hey so chimp crazy on HBO is literally just Tiger King 2.0 and more people should be talking about it,” wrote a third.
The first two episodes of Chimp Crazy are available to stream on Max now, with more episodes releasing every Sunday until September 8.
For more of the best documentaries and true stories, check out our guide to the 5 disturbing details you need to know about the Menendez case. You can also learn more about the Face to Face doc, as well as the best serial killer documentaries to watch now.
