Tiger King Under TMZ Microscope, Special Explores 'Strange Twists and Turns' of Joe Exotic's Story

One of the top investigative teams in Los Angeles is turning its focus to the wild and crazy world of Joe Exotic with "TMZ Investigates: Tiger King - What Really Went Down?"

The new one-hour Fox special, airing at 9 p.m. ET on Fox, offers a deeper exploration into some of the lingering questions left in viewers minds after Netflix's blockbuster "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness" docuseries.

TMZ head honcho Harvey Levin takes the lead in the new special which promises to peel back the layers of this twisted crime saga with more turns and surprises than a backwards blindfolded roller coaster ride.

"What Really Went Down?" promises in a press release to dig into the questions viewers still have, like "whether or not Joe Exotic is guilty" of a murder-for-hire plot against his arch-rival Carole Baskin, while also taking "an inside look into Carole Baskin's husband's disappearance and the current status of the new investigation."

"It was a really well-done docuseries and it clearly struck a chord," Levin told the New York Post on Friday. "Increasingly, we're seeing some of these streaming services roll out stories that not only are good TV, but that really start important conversations."

"As entertaining as the show was, there are some real issues that demand attention right now, and I think the show brought that to light," Levin continued. Even beyond the sordid stories of Exotic and Baskin are real-world issues like the state of exotic animal and big cat captivity in the United States.

According to the Post, Levin will get face-to-face with 15 individuals for this TMZ special, including some familiar faces from the Netflix series as well as some new ones as Levin takes a deep dive into the current status of the investigation into Baskin's long-missing first husband.

"Tiger King" floated the equally long-standing rumor that perhaps Baskin killed or had killed her first husband, even going so far as to feed his body to her tigers. Baskin has denied the rumors and come out against the series for perpetuating them.

Beyond that, Levin has a sheriff who believes Exotic was wrongly convicted. Exotic is currently spending 22 years in prison, and while he purportedly is enjoying his newfound fame thanks to "Tiger King," his husband Dillon Passage says he has not yet had a chance to see it for himself.

"It is a wildly entertaining show about tigers and people who are just really out-there," of the phenomenal success of the series. "America loves whodunits. Who's the bad guy here, who's the good guy here? We're trying to present a fair picture of it."

"TMZ Investigates: Tiger King - What Really Went Down?" airs Monday at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.

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