Dark Side of the 90s

Dark Side of the 90s
GenreDocumentary
Developed by
Directed byRichard Rotter
Narrated by
ComposerOrin Isaacs
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes30
Production
Producers
  • Vanessa Hill
  • Matthew Ginsburg
  • Tim Healy
Running time60 min.
Production companyRailsplitter Pictures/Insight Productions
Original release
NetworkVice on TV
ReleaseJuly 15, 2021 (2021-07-15) –
present (present)

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.

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110July 15, 2021 (2021-07-15)September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16)
210June 14, 2022 (2022-06-14)August 9, 2022 (2022-08-09)
310July 16, 2024 (2024-07-16)September 24, 2024 (2024-09-24)

Episodes

Season 1 (2021)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleSubject(s)Original air date Viewers
(millions)
11"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 (2021-07-15)N/A
22"The Viper Room: Hollywood's Sanctuary"Johnny Depp's The Viper Room and the death of River Phoenix.[8]July 22, 2021 (2021-07-22)0.150[9]
33"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 (2021-07-29)0.108[10]
44"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 TrivediAugust 5, 2021 (2021-08-05)0.080[12]
55"Grunge & The Seattle Sound"Seattle, Sub Pop Records, and the start of the 1990s rock subgenre known as grunge.August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12)0.081[13]
66"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 (2021-08-19)0.160[14]
77"A Tale of Two Cults"Coverage on both the Branch Davidians and Heaven's Gate cults.August 26, 2021 (2021-08-26)0.086[15]
88"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 (2021-09-02)0.099[16]
99"Secrets of The Runway"The international success of supermodels and the dark secrets behind the scenes.September 9, 2021 (2021-09-09)0.065[17]
1010"Internet 1.0: Don't Believe the Hype"The dot.com bubble during the Internet's early years.September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16)0.077[18]

Season 2 (2022)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleSubject(s)Original air date Viewers
(millions)
111"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 FarrakhanJune 14, 2022 (2022-06-14)N/A
122"MTV & The Real World"MTV's 1992 debut of reality TV sensation The Real World and its impact on the channelJune 21, 2022 (2022-06-21)N/A
133"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 (2022-06-28)N/A
144"UFC Pt. 1: No Holds Barred"The bloody "no rules" origin of Ultimate Fighting Championship.July 5, 2022 (2022-07-05)N/A
155"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 (2022-07-05)N/A
166"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 (2022-07-12)N/A
177"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 (2022-07-19)N/A
188"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 (2022-07-26)N/A
199"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 (2022-08-02)N/A
2010"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 (2022-08-09)N/A

Season 3 (2024)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleSubject(s)Original air date Viewers
(millions)
211"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 (2024-07-16)N/A
222"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 (2024-07-23)N/A
233"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 (2024-07-30)N/A
244"Robert Downey Jr.: The Comeback Kid"The turbulent life and times of Academy Award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr.August 6, 2024 (2024-08-06)N/A
255"SNL"The legacy, tragedies and controversies behind the NBC comedy sketch series Saturday Night Live since its first airing in 1975.August 13, 2024 (2024-08-13)N/A
266"Infomercials: Shams and Scams"The competitive world of TV infomercialsAugust 20, 2024 (2024-08-20)N/A
277"Spice Girls"The popular British girl group Spice Girls and the struggles behind the scenesAugust 27, 2024 (2024-08-27)N/A
288"Agassi & '90s Tennis Prodigies"The turmoil of tennis superstar Andre Agassi and the struggles of other pro tennis playersSeptember 3, 2024 (2024-09-03)N/A
299"Scores Strip Club: Girls & Gambinos"TBASeptember 17, 2024 (2024-09-17)N/A
3010"Rave Culture: Under the Influence"Rave music and the club culture's dark underbellySeptember 24, 2024 (2024-09-24)N/A

References

  1. ^ Sugar Ray Singer Mark McGrath Say 'Dark Side of the 90s' Has Secrets That Surprised Even Him|Showbiz Cheat Sheet
  2. ^ Why 'Dark Side of the 90s' Got Mark McGrath Emotional - TV Insider
  3. ^ Vice TV General Manager on Why the Network Is so Into the ’90s Right Now and Plans for a ‘Dark Side’ FAST Channel - Variety
  4. ^ 'Dark Side of the 90s' Season 2|Decider
  5. ^ Baysinger, Tim (December 8, 2020). "Vice TV Orders 'Dark Side' Spinoffs on Football and '90s Pop Culture". The Wrap.
  6. ^ Gonzalez, Shivani (July 12, 2021). "What's on TV This Week: 'Catch and Kill' and the MLB All-Star Game". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Schager, Nick (July 15, 2021). "Inside the '90s Haunt Where Young Hollywood Partied——and Died". The Daily Beast.
  8. ^ Inside the '90s Haunt Where Young Hollywood Partied——and Died - The Daily Beast
  9. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 23, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 7.22.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 30, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 7.29.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  11. ^ Topel, Fred (August 5, 2021). "Beanie Babies Landed Some People in Jail According to 'Dark Side of the '90s' Episode". Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
  12. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 6, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 8.5.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  13. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 13, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 8.12.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 20, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 8.19.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  15. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 27, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 8.26.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  16. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 3, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.2.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  17. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 10, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.9.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  18. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 17, 2021). "Showbuzzdaily's Thursday 9.16.2021 Top 150 cable originals & Network finals updated". showbuzzdaily. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  19. ^ When 'Cops' Forced Ugly Copaganda Down America's Throat - The Daily Beast