Dark Side of the 90s is a documentary television series created by Insight Productions and RailSplitter Pictures for Vice Studios that takes a look at popular culture of the 1990s.[3] It is a spinoff of Vice's Dark Side of the Ring series.[4] The first episode of Dark Side of the 90s aired on July 15, 2021.[5][6][7] The series is narrated by Mark McGrath.
| Dark Side of the 90s | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Developed by |
|
| Directed by | Richard Rotter |
| Narrated by | |
| Composer | Orin Isaacs |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 60 min. |
| Production company | Railsplitter Pictures/Insight Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Vice on TV |
| Release | July 15, 2021 – present |
Series overview
editEpisodes
editSeason 1 (2021)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Trash TV: Dirty & Deadly Talk" | The explosion of tabloid talk shows (including the critically derided yet popular ratings hit The Jerry Springer Show). | July 15, 2021 | N/A |
| 2 | 2 | "The Viper Room: Hollywood's Sanctuary" | Johnny Depp's The Viper Room and the death of River Phoenix.[8] | July 22, 2021 | 0.150[9] |
| 3 | 3 | "TV for Teens" | The conception of Fox Network and its hit show Beverly Hills, 90210, and other shows geared at teens (one being Party of Five). | July 29, 2021 | 0.108[10] |
| 4 | 4 | "Beanie Babies Go Bust" | The rise and fall of Beanie Babies' creator Ty Warner alongside the culture of collecting the successful toy line,[11] and the birth of E-commerce and eBay with 12th employee, Lina Trivedi | August 5, 2021 | 0.080[12] |
| 5 | 5 | "Grunge & The Seattle Sound" | Seattle, Sub Pop Records, and the start of the 1990s rock subgenre known as grunge. | August 12, 2021 | 0.081[13] |
| 6 | 6 | "Baywatch: Sex Sells" | The popular TV series Baywatch and the controversies surrounding it (especially Pamela Anderson's sex tape with Tommy Lee). | August 19, 2021 | 0.160[14] |
| 7 | 7 | "A Tale of Two Cults" | Coverage on both the Branch Davidians and Heaven's Gate cults. | August 26, 2021 | 0.086[15] |
| 8 | 8 | "Hip Hop: The East Vs. West Media War" | The infamous East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry and the tragic consequences of it (the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls). | September 2, 2021 | 0.099[16] |
| 9 | 9 | "Secrets of The Runway" | The international success of supermodels and the dark secrets behind the scenes. | September 9, 2021 | 0.065[17] |
| 10 | 10 | "Internet 1.0: Don't Believe the Hype" | The dot.com bubble during the Internet's early years. | September 16, 2021 | 0.077[18] |
Season 2 (2022)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Arseniooo Hall!" | The success of The Arsenio Hall Show to younger audiences before its downfall due to competition from Jay Leno and David Letterman alongside a controversial episode featuring Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan | June 14, 2022 | N/A |
| 12 | 2 | "MTV & The Real World" | MTV's 1992 debut of reality TV sensation The Real World and its impact on the channel | June 21, 2022 | N/A |
| 13 | 3 | "Cops: Bad Boys, Bad Boys" | The documentary TV show Cops featuring racial conflicts between white American police officers and lower class African-Americans.[19] | June 28, 2022 | N/A |
| 14 | 4 | "UFC Pt. 1: No Holds Barred" | The bloody "no rules" origin of Ultimate Fighting Championship. | July 5, 2022 | N/A |
| 15 | 5 | "UFC Pt. 2: To Live or Die in the Octagon" | UFC survives multiple attempts to ban it and becomes a mainstream sport. | July 5, 2022 | N/A |
| 16 | 6 | "Tabloid TV" | Tabloid journalism on television (Hard Copy and A Current Affair) and the salacious stories they uncovered (among them the Amy Fisher saga) | July 12, 2022 | N/A |
| 17 | 7 | "Black Sitcoms' Last Laugh" | The successes of African-American sitcoms (Living Single, Martin and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and In Living Color before falling into the pitfalls of fame. | July 19, 2022 | N/A |
| 18 | 8 | "The Rise of Rush Limbaugh" | Rush Limbaugh is conservative talk radio's first megastar, claiming to have talent on loan from God as he created a divide in America that is still unfolding 30 years on. | July 26, 2022 | N/A |
| 19 | 9 | "Y2K: Paranoia Will Destroy Ya" | At the end of the decade, the fear of an apocalypse looms (even for far-right militias) as two men become the stars of the real-life action thriller known as the Y2K scare. | August 2, 2022 | N/A |
| 20 | 10 | "Morning Show Wars" | Morning TV is the profit center of the news divisions that produce them with The Today Show and Good Morning America battling for dominance where there's no room for failure. | August 9, 2022 | N/A |
Season 3 (2024)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Subject(s) | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "Tyson: The Rise and Fall of Kid Dynamite" | Mike Tyson reshaped boxing, became a pop culture sensation and was feared for his violence and seeming invincibility; but in the end, he'll face the greatest opponent of his life: himself. | July 16, 2024 | N/A |
| 22 | 2 | "Friends: The One About The TV Show" | Friends was in its heyday must-see TV but some of the cast struggle under the weight of sudden and massive fame with painfully public addictions, and at least one near-death experience. | July 23, 2024 | N/A |
| 23 | 3 | "NYPD Blue" | NYPD Blue forever changes TV with its use of nudity, violence and profanity but heavy scrutiny from special interest groups would nearly get it cancelled before it ever even aired. | July 30, 2024 | N/A |
| 24 | 4 | "Robert Downey Jr.: The Comeback Kid" | The turbulent life and times of Academy Award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. | August 6, 2024 | N/A |
| 25 | 5 | "SNL" | The legacy, tragedies and controversies behind the NBC comedy sketch series Saturday Night Live since its first airing in 1975. | August 13, 2024 | N/A |
| 26 | 6 | "Infomercials: Shams and Scams" | The competitive world of TV infomercials | August 20, 2024 | N/A |
| 27 | 7 | "Spice Girls" | The popular British girl group Spice Girls and the struggles behind the scenes | August 27, 2024 | N/A |
| 28 | 8 | "Agassi & '90s Tennis Prodigies" | The turmoil of tennis superstar Andre Agassi and the struggles of other pro tennis players | September 3, 2024 | N/A |
| 29 | 9 | "Scores Strip Club: Girls & Gambinos" | TBA | September 17, 2024 | N/A |
| 30 | 10 | "Rave Culture: Under the Influence" | Rave music and the club culture's dark underbelly | September 24, 2024 | N/A |
References
edit- ^ Sugar Ray Singer Mark McGrath Say 'Dark Side of the 90s' Has Secrets That Surprised Even Him|Showbiz Cheat Sheet
- ^ Why 'Dark Side of the 90s' Got Mark McGrath Emotional - TV Insider
- ^ Vice TV General Manager on Why the Network Is so Into the ’90s Right Now and Plans for a ‘Dark Side’ FAST Channel - Variety
- ^ 'Dark Side of the 90s' Season 2|Decider
- ^ Baysinger, Tim (December 8, 2020). "Vice TV Orders 'Dark Side' Spinoffs on Football and '90s Pop Culture". The Wrap.
- ^ Gonzalez, Shivani (July 12, 2021). "What's on TV This Week: 'Catch and Kill' and the MLB All-Star Game". The New York Times.
- ^ Schager, Nick (July 15, 2021). "Inside the '90s Haunt Where Young Hollywood Partied——and Died". The Daily Beast.
- ^ Inside the '90s Haunt Where Young Hollywood Partied——and Died - The Daily Beast
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 23, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 7.22.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 30, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 7.29.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Topel, Fred (August 5, 2021). "Beanie Babies Landed Some People in Jail According to 'Dark Side of the '90s' Episode". Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 6, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 8.5.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 13, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 8.12.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 20, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 8.19.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 27, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 8.26.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 3, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.2.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 10, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.9.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 17, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.16.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ When 'Cops' Forced Ugly Copaganda Down America's Throat - The Daily Beast