Joe Exotic: Dean Winters to play Jeff Lowe in Peacock limited series

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Dean Winters, an actor known for playing some truly despicable characters in film and television, is set to play Joe Exotic's partner-turned-enemy in Peacock's upcoming limited series, titled Joe Exotic. He joins Kate McKinnon, who plays Carole Baskin, and John Cameron Mitchell as Joe “Exotic” Schreibvogel. Other stars include Dennis Quaid as Rick Kirkham, Brian Van Holt as John Reinke, Nat Wolff as Travis Maldonado, Sam Keeley as John Finlay, and Lex Mayson as Saff.

Based on the Wondery Podcast of the same name, Joe Exotic centers on Carole Baskin (McKinnon), a big cat enthusiast, who learns that fellow exotic animal lover Joe “Exotic” Schreibvogel (Mitchell) is breeding and using his big cats for profit. She sets out to shut down his venture, inciting a quickly escalating rivalry. But Carole has a checkered past of her own and when the claws come out, Joe will stop at nothing to expose what he sees as her hypocrisy. The results prove dangerous.

The outrageous tale of Joe Exotic and those who entered his orbit took the world by storm in March 2020 on Netflix. Presented as a true-crime documentary, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness bared its claws on the streamer just as the pandemic kicked into high gear all across the globe. With its bizarre premise and distorted look into the seedy underbelly of big cat captivity, Tiger King quickly became the binge du jour of the season. Now, it's time to focus on Baskin's side of the story, which is just as strange and mysterious as she is.

Winters is recurring in Peacock’s comedy series Girls5eva as Sara Bareilles’ brother, Nick. He also plays several unforgettable characters across a variety of television series like Rescue Me, American Gods, Law and Order: SVU, Divorce, Wayne, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Nine-Nine fans will know Winters as The Vulture, a character who loves himself almost as much as he loves sticking it to the Nine-Nine crew. KA-KAW!