From the creator of Tiger King comes another four-part docuseries that veers wildly between the farcical and the tragic. The show premieres on HBO on August 18 and can be streamed on Max, but don't worry if you’re away from home, because you can watch Chimp Crazy from anywhere with a VPN.
Release date: Sunday, August 18
US: HBO (& live TV streaming) | Max
AU: Binge (free trial)
Watch abroad with a VPN
Chimp Crazy unwraps exotic pet breeder Tonia Haddix's "chimp mom" relationship with Tonka, a beloved 32-year-old retired Hollywood star, whose death Haddix faked as part of a harebrained, years-long scheme to evade retribution from animal welfare groups.
Tonka, who featured in George of the Jungle and Buddy, is one of seven chimpanzees that Haddix holds captive at her home. Not only does she treat them like humans, she professes that she loves them more than her own kids – and the "Dolly Parton of chimps" isn't unique in this regard.
Somewhat incredibly, however, there are no laws against what Haddix and other self-appointed "chimp parents" are doing, but PETA and AWI are among several animal welfare organizations that are on her case, and campaigning for the Captive Primate Safety Act, which would outlaw the private ownership of all primates. Alan Cumming, who worked with Tonka on Buddy, is another of those on Haddix' trail.
And it's as much for the good of the humans involved as the animals. As director Eric Goode sets forth, when chimpanzees aren't being cute and cuddly, they can be shockingly dangerous.
Here's how to watch Chimp Crazy online from anywhere in the world. We've got all the information you need below.
How to watch Chimp Crazy in the US
You can watch Chimp Crazy in two ways: streaming online, or on cable.
Let's start with the latter: the docuseries will debut on HBO on Sunday, August 18 at 10 pm ET/PT, as well as on HBO Latino, and it'll repeat on both channels at multiple times over the next few days.
Each new episode will air at the same time weekly.
You may already have HBO as part of your cable plan but if not, several live TV streaming services offer it as add-on packages. Sling TV, DirecTV and YouTube TV offer it, if you pay a little more each month.
If you don't need to watch Chimp Crazy live, then you can catch it on demand using the streaming service Max, which costs $9.99 per month for its basic tier or $16.99 per month for its ad-free one.
Each episode of Chimp Crazy will hit Max after it airs on HBO.
Can you watch Chimp Crazy in the UK?
At the time of publication, there's no word on when or if Chimp Crazy will come to UK screens.
For now, US or Australian citizens currently visiting the UK will need a VPN to watch Chimp Crazy. We've got all the details you need for that below.
How to watch Chimp Crazy in Australia
In order to watch Chimp Crazy in Australia, you'll need to sign up for the streaming service Binge. Episodes will drop every Monday, beginning August 19.
Binge costs $10 per month for its most basic plan, but this only lets you watch in SD. Standard costs $18 per month and has HD streaming, and there's also Premium at $22.
Binge does have a free trial for new customers, though you need Australian contact information to sign up.
Alternatively, episodes will go out weekly on Famous at 8.30 pm AEST on Mondays, with the channel available via Foxtel and Hubbl.
How to watch Chimp Crazy everywhere else
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch Chimp Crazy, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite shows, sports or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at NordVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
