Vice’s ‘Dark Side’ Franchise Expands With ‘Dark Side of Comedy’ Spinoff (EXCLUSIVE)
Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterVice TV is adding another “Dark Side” series to its growing fan-favorite franchise with spinoff “Dark Side of Comedy,” Variety has learned exclusively.The cabler describes the new show as “a fresh look at an art form that has long shined a light on significant cultural issues, and the artists who have managed to create light in times of darkness.”Joining a “Dark Side” lineup that currently includes “Dark Side of the Ring,” “Dark Side of Football” and “Dark Side of the ’90s,” “Dark Side of Comedy” is a series that “examines the internal battles, unexpected fame and societal pressures that are ever-present in the comedy world; as well as the lasting legacy of the women and men who allow us to see the world through their eyes.” The first season of the show, which is narrated by Dave Foley, will consist of 10 episodes focused on these comics: Andrew Dice Clay, Chris Farley, Freddie Prinze, Artie Lange, Roseanne Barr, Dustin Diamond, Greg Giraldo, Brett Butler, Richard Pryor and Maria Bamford.It features comics like Patton Oswalt, Godfrey, the late Gilbert Gottfried, Maria Bamford and more weighing in on these stories.Per Vice’s logline for “Dark Side of Comedy,” “Comedy has entered a new golden age. Podcasts, social media, and streaming services have all created new life and new laughs for comics living and dead — comics who were once relegated to smoky nightclubs and finite network TV time slots.