If you are looking to watch something equal parts entertaining, crazy, and just plain ridiculous, well Tiger King is absolutely for you. This show had me saying “What the…” probably every 5 minutes, and it kept me absolutely hooked until the very end. I could not believe these were real people, and that these were real problems that they had while running some of the most exotic and crazy private zoos in the US.

As I am sure you must have watched this show already, (and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?? Seriously!), you know that the story has a totally unexpected ending, which you may or may not agree with. But here are some fun facts that I learned as a result of this show going viral. First, they are re-opening the case of the disappearance of Carol Baskin’s first husband. Second, the creators of this show actually meant to trace the underground world of the snake trade, but just stumbled upon the man in the first scene who had a tiger in a cage in the back of his truck and decided to change their show’s trajectory. And third, which I think is the most crazy, is that the filmmakers were actually filming as the whole story unfolded, and were following the trials and sueings in live time, so they could not have predicted how the show was going to end either!

My favorite part about this mini-series was definitely all of the crazy characters. I could not believe how ridiculous some of them were, from the girl who continued to work at the zoo after her arm was bitten off by a tiger (and went back after only 5 days in the hospital!) to the man who willingly admitted, on camera, that he had been asked and had agreed to assassinate one of the zoo owners’ rivals. I could not believe some of the side stories and anecdotes they were telling with an absolutely straight face, and I was aghast at some of the goings-on at these zoos that was not good for the animals or the people working there. However it is amazing the kind of power that several of the zoo owners seemed to hold over their employees that just kept them working there even though it sounded like an absolute madhouse or sounded like there was no way it could be enjoyable.

Despite all of the human drama, the tigers were absolutely beautiful and majestic. I especially loved the shots of the little ones, who were so cute just scampering around and being played with by the people on screen. I was amazed at how calm some of the zoo workers were around these giant beasts which sometimes were much larger than their handlers. I also loved all of the other animals featured, including lions, elephants, apes, and monkeys.

While I would not recommend this show to anyone who is an absolute animal lover, because there is some very sad animal abuse, I would say this was one of the most intriguing shows I have watched in a while. And now that the show has been released, even more fantastic and wild information is being uncovered about the people who star in it and their lives now. So its like the tv show never ends, which is both a little scary and very exciting to follow!

When I first heard of a new figure skating-based Netflix drama called “Spinning Out,” I knew I needed to watch it. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for sports TV shows and movies, for better and for worse. Growing up, I watched Olympic figure skating religiously. So “Spinning Out” was an easy choice to binge, and it was one I didn’t regret.

The premise of “Spinning Out” is similar to many other figure skating books, movies and TV shows I’ve seen. Kat (Kaya Scodelario) is a 20-something figure skater who was training for the Olympics before an injury gave her the yips, a psychological condition where she is unable to complete her jumps. An eccentric Russian coach, Dasha (Svetlana Efremova) encourages Kat to try pairs skating instead with Justin (Evan Roderick), a spoiled — but hot — fellow skater who can’t keep a partner. A significant subplot includes Kat’s relationship with her bipolar mom and sister, Serena (Willow Shields) who has taken Kat’s place as the skating star of the family.

Though the storyline is cliché, Spinning Out has a surprising amount of depth on many issues relevant to society today, including mental illness, self harm, infertility, sexual assault, racism, family pressure, sports injuries, infidelity and homosexuality. While the first few episodes were a bit hard to get into due to the formulaic nature of this storyline, the depth of the show and the characters increased as the season went on and dove into Kat’s relationship with her family, friends and coaches. Several of these storylines were very compelling; I especially enjoyed the characters of Marcus (Mitchell Edwards), Kat’s co-worker, and Dasha.

The main thread of the show was the trauma that Kat is dealing with in the way her singles career ended, especially as someone struggling with bipolar disorder. Kat conceals her disorder from everyone except her family due in large part to the insular nature of the figure skating world — it’s not just about how you skate, but how you look. Kat believes she would be ostracized if she reveals her illness, but concealing it of course leads to more problems.

Kat’s relationship with Serena is also layered and complex. Serena has become the new golden child, a title she has a complex relationship with. The sisters love each other, but their relationship is strained due to their mom’s toxicity. As someone with a sister, though one I’ve always been close to, this storyline really resonated emotionally.

As for the skating itself, the technique wasn’t Olympic-level, but I’m saying that as someone who regularly watches Olympic figure skating, and getting multiple stunt doubles who can actually skate at that level is impractical, so I was willing to let it slip. Other than that, the portrayal of the sport was decently accurate and better than many other sports-themed TV shows or movies I’ve seen.

By the end of the season, I couldn’t put my laptop down, and I even cried a little. At the beginning I wasn’t sure about this show, but it pulled me in and by the end I was sold. The worst part of Spinning Out is that it was canceled by Netflix after one season and I agonized over the season-ending cliffhanger for nothing.

Alas, Spinning Out is still worth watching for anyone who enjoys sports-themed dramas that hit surprisingly hard.

If you haven’t heard of this show, or mentions of Carol Baskin and her dead husband, you must be sleeping under a rock! The mini-series on Netflix was released on March 20th, and is only 7 episodes long, which are each about 45 minutes. It follows several very eccentric exotic animal owners, especially big cat owners, and their interactions with each other and with other people in their communities. Every person filmed is a real person, and they all contribute to the wacky story that unfolds.

Watch now on Netflix!