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''Dark Side of the Ring'' is a Canadian
documentary television series Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. *Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...
produced by Vice Studios. The series focuses on controversial subjects and events within the realm of
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
.


Series overview


Episodes


Season 1 (2019)


Season 2 (2020)


Season 3 (2021)


Release

The series premiered on
Viceland Viceland (stylized in all caps), and Vice TV in the United States, are brands used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016, with two branded cable channels; the American version (rebra ...
on April 10, 2019. On July 23, 2019, ''Dark Side of the Ring'' was renewed for a second season of 10 episodes, which premiered on March 24, 2020. For season 2, the series became a co-production with Canadian streaming service Crave (as part of owner
Bell Media Bell Media Inc. ( French: ) is a Canadian company formed by the amalgamation of several companies. Establishment (2011–13) On December 9, 2011, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan announced the sale of its majority stake in Maple Leaf Sports ...
's distribution pact with Vice). An
aftershow An aftershow or after-show is a genre of television talk show whose topic is another television program. An aftershow is typically broadcast immediately after a new episode of its corresponding program to help retain the audience, and to provide ad ...
hosted by Chris Gethard, ''Dark Side of the Ring: After Dark'', was also added. On October 19, 2020, ''Dark Side of the Ring'' was renewed for a third season of 14 episodes, which premiered on May 6, 2021. All 3 seasons of ''Dark Side of the Ring'' were made available on the streaming service
Discovery+ Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...
in 2021.


Reception

''Dark Side of the Ring'' was Viceland's highest-rated series premiere among viewers in the
key demographic The key demographic or target demographic is a term in commercial broadcasting that refers to the most desirable demographic group to a given advertiser. Key demographics vary by outlet, time of day, and programming type, but they are generally co ...
. The first season won the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' Award for Best Pro Wrestling DVD/Streaming Documentary of 2019, and the second season episode "The Final Days of Owen Hart" won the same award for 2020. Season 2 brought larger viewership numbers, with the season finale profiling the
death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
of
Owen Hart Owen James Hart (May 7, 1965 – May 23, 1999) was a Canadian-American professional wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wres ...
becoming the highest-rated program in Vice network history, at 626,000 viewers.


Spin-offs

In December 2020, Vice ordered two spin-off series: '' Dark Side of Football'' and '' Dark Side of the 90's'', which premiered on May 13 and July 15, 2021 respectively. In 2022, the network ordered an additional spin-off '' Dark Side of Comedy''. 'Dark Side of Comedy' Ordered at Vice - Variety
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See also

*''
Beyond the Mat ''Beyond the Mat'' is a 1999 American documentary film directed, written, produced and narrated by Barry W. Blaustein. The film focuses on the lives of professional wrestlers outside of the ring, primarily Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake Rober ...
'' *'' Biography: WWE Legends'' *''
Bloodstained Memoirs ''Bloodstained Memoirs'' is a professional wrestling documentary released online via an official stream in 2009. It is compiled by interviews featuring wrestlers synonymous with different eras in wrestling (1970s to 2000s) and different wrestling ...
'' *'' Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows'' *'' The Life and Death of Owen Hart'' *''
The Wrestler The Wrestler may refer to: * ''The Wrestler'' (1974 film), an American film directed by James A. Westman * ''The Wrestler'' (2008 film), an American film directed by Darren Aronofsky * "The Wrestler" (song), a song from the 2008 film written and ...
'' *''
Tales From The Territories Tales may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Tales'' (album), a 1995 album by Marcus Miller * ''Tales'' (film), a 2014 Iranian film * ''Tales'' (TV series), an American television series * ''Tales'' (video game), a 2016 point-and-click adventure ...
''


References


External links

* * * {{VICE Media 2010s Canadian documentary television series 2019 Canadian television series debuts Professional wrestling controversies Professional wrestling documentaries True crime television series Viceland original programming