NBCUniversal has thrown out its original plans to air the scripted Joe Exotic series across all of its networks. Now, the Kate McKinnon-starring limited series will be available solely on SVOD via NBC’s streaming service Peacock. The decision reportedly came after content teams and execs saw the script and decided it would be better played out on a streaming service.
“Joe Exotic is shaping up to be a bold and provocative drama and perfectly suited for Peacock, where we can push the envelope and truly bring the story to life in a way that we would be unable to do on broadcast television,” said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “Moving Joe Exotic to Peacock exclusively is just one example of the strengths of our new structure, which gives us the ability to let the art dictate the platform and not the other way around.”
The limited series is based on the real-life story of Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic as depicted in Netflix’s hugely popular Tiger King series. Amazon Prime Video also has a series in the works with Nicolas Cage starring as the Tiger King himself. The project is based on the Texas Monthly article “Joe Exotic: A Dark Journey Into the World of a Man Gone Wild,” by Leif Reigstad. The story will focus on Joe Shreibvogel, the adventures that led him to become Joe Exotic, and his struggle to keep his exotic animal park up and running.