Chimp Crazy on HBO Max: Is it worth watching? 

The creators of Tiger King are back with another wild docuseries, Chimp Crazy. Coming from filmmaker Eric Goode, it follows Tonia Haddix, who cares for chimpanzees in captivity, the series made its premiere on the HBO streaming platform Max on August 18, 2024.

Haddix is a former nurse-turned-exotic-animal-broker who refers to herself as the “Dolly Parton of chimps” and spends her days caring for animals in captivity. But her affection towards one chimpanzee leads to an issue with authorities and an animal rights group.

Chimp Crazy explores the experiences of Tonia and other “chimp moms,” the bonds between owners and their highly intelligent great ape pets and the risks they have to take when they raise these animals as family.

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Chimp Crazy is an unsettling story of a controversial relationship

Chimp Crazy follows Haddix's story over four episodes, exploring how the longtime animal lover from Florida met some chimps at Connie Casey’s Missouri Primate Foundation and became obsessed with them to the point that she eventually devoted her life to work in the chimp habitat.

The series follows how Haddix bonds with Tonka, a former Hollywood ape who starred in movies like 1997's Buddy, with Alan Cumming, and how a relationship developed between them, like the one between a mother and son.

However, trouble arrives when an employee at the complex contacts People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights group, over concerns about the living conditions of the chimps, and they swiftly take action to have the apes removed.

That triggers a longstanding battle between Haddix and PETA in the courts, for which she's significantly outmatched. Tonia Haddix and the other pet chimpanzee owners come off as deeply unwell, obsessed and potentially delusional about their pets.

Not to mention, as experts explain, the chimpanzees are small and manageable till they are five years old. These wild animals grow up to weigh 200 pounds and more, so keeping them in tight quarters among humans who aren't trained to handle them could lead to dangerous attacks.

However, Haddix and other chimp parents like her believe that humans can connect as equals with these wild creatures.

HBO's Chimp Crazy explores similar stories from pet owners like Sandra and Jerome Herold, who raised a chimp named Travis as their own child, teaching him how to use a microwave and steer a car.

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Is the HBO docuseries worth a watch?

Chimp Crazy is not a wildlife or nature documentary. It's more of a work of investigative journalism but with a touch of craziness.

While the show doesn't sensationalize the relationship between the chimps and humans, it's arranged for entertainment and showcases unusual circumstances and characters, bringing some out-of-the-world stories about human-animal relationships.

Following the template of true-crime documentaries, the docuseries is a story that isn't just unsettling but also deeply tragic. Chimp Crazy makes clear its argument against treating wild animals as pets, children or a source of income.

However, it also gives space to perspectives like Haddix's, who's convinced of the rightness of her feelings and her cause. That adds complexity and depth to the show, unlike the usual fact-based works of investigative journalism that seek to uncover a truth.

As the plot becomes stranger, it becomes tough to consume. That makes it difficult to conclude whether the docuseries is worth a watch. The show can be best described as upsetting and unsettling, but the narrative pull that it brings makes it difficult to drop out in the middle.

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HBO Documentary Films' Chimp Crazy, is a Goode Films Production hailed by director Eric Goode. Catch the docuseries now on HBO Max.