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Dark Side of the Ring: Vice TV Franchise Expands to Football, The '90s

Vice TV is keeping their word. Earlier this year, Morgan Hertzan, Vice TV's EVP & General Manager, made it pretty clear: they wanted more seasons of Dark Side of the Ring, and they wanted to expand the franchise beyond professional wrestling. The first part was accomplished in October with the original series receiving a 14-episode, third season order (its largest episode order yet). On Tuesday, Vice TV took care of the second part with the announcement that the spinoff series Dark Side of the Football and Dark Side of the '90s were in production and would join the third season of Dark Side of the Ring in 2021 (Deadline Hollywood exclusively reporting).

Produced by Jailbirds producer 44 Blue Productions, Dark Side of the Football will shine a light on stories that live in the shadows of America's favorite sport. It will explore the sometimes-flawed men behind the masks; the coaches, teams and leagues who control their fates; and the untold story behind bizarre and tragic off-the-field events — facts that often have been hidden to shield fans from discovering unsettling truths about the game they love.

Produced by America's Top Dog producer Railsplitter Pictures and Battle of the Blades producer Insight Productions, Dark Side of the '90s will look at the most captivating pop-culture moments, trends and personalities of the decade through interviews with people who studied the time period. Each episode will dissect the nostalgia, uncovering the surprising dark truths underlying the glitz, the glamour and the headlines.

"We are thrilled to expand the Dark Side franchise and take a harder look at the untold stories of two our our favorite cultural touchstones: football and '90s nostalgia," said Hertzan. "Both topics are rich with controversial characters, subjects, and events that are ripe for investigation. 'Dark Side of the Ring' beautifully lifts the veil on the most gripping stories in wrestling, and I cannot wait for audiences to see what we uncover in our next iterations."

The second season of Vice's Dark Side of the Ring consisted of ten episodes and focused its investigative spotlight on a wide range of subjects, beginning with a two-part look into the life and tragics deaths of Chris Benoit, Nancy Benoit, and their son, Daniel. From there, the series looked into the murder of Dino Bravo, the WWF/WWE's "Brawl for All" tournament that led to career-ending injuries, the controversial career of ECW star New Jack and David Schultz's violent run-in with 20/20 reporter John Stossel. This season also examined the death of Nancy Argentino, Jimmy Snuka's girlfriend, the story of tag team wrestling legends Hawk and Animal: The Road Warriors, Herb Abrams' attempt to build a wrestling empire, and the story of Owen Hart's death during a WWE pay-per-view.

Some of the topics expected during the third season include Grizzly Smith, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Rockin' Robin, Sam Houston, the 1995 WCW/NJPW event "Collision in Korea" event, and the death of Brian Pillman. Along with serving as executive producers, Husney also serves as a writer with Eisener directing. Catherine Whyte, Naveen Prasad, and Vanessa Case also serve as executive producers, with Alex McIntosh producing. Tara Nadolny is the supervising executive for Vice TV, with the series produced by Vice Studios.

Dark Side of the Ring is produced by Vice Studios Canada and in partnership with Bell Media's Crave. Husney is the executive producer and writer for the series, with Eisener executive producing and directing. Vanessa Case, Catherine Whyte, and Lee Hoffman also executive produce, with Guillermo Garcia as the senior executive in charge of production and Barry Davis as the series producer, with Tara Nadolny as supervising executive.

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