ABSTRACT
This chapter serves as the Introduction to the collection, Tiger King: A Docalogue. It argues that “spectacle” is a productive lens for thinking through the immense popularity of Tiger King and its cultural impact in a time of global pandemic. Spectacle is built into the visual design of the series, but the historical circumstances of its release – government mandated stay-at-home orders combined with Netflix’s 167 million worldwide subscribers – also created the conditions for a spectacular audience response.
