Dark Side of the 90's Episode Rating Graph

Infomercials mark the Golden Age of the Con Job. These shameless 90's scam artist vie to become top dog in a cut throat industry--leaving a trail of misery in their wake.

Arsenio carves out a niche in the white, late-night world by showcasing hip hop artists and emerging talent. Despite his success, Arsenio becomes a casualty in the late-night wars.

Friends is 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.

Scores attracts celebrities, the Gambino crime family, and eventually the FBI.

MTV’s The Real World is television with something to say--with a soap opera twist. But when MTV gets rich from reality TV, they trade in realness for fart jokes and hot tubs.

Tyson reshaped boxing, becoming a pop culture sensation, feared for his violence and seeming invincibility; but in the end, he'll face the greatest opponent of his life: himself.

Ken Shamrock and the UFC are joined at the knuckle. Dubbed "human cockfighting," the UFC will fight senators and scandals in a battle that almost ends the sport before it begins.

Rave culture is a euphoric cocktail of electronic dance music, synthetic party drugs and optimism. But where there are drugs there is also exploitation, violence, and moral panic.

90's parents and kids bonded over collecting playful plush toys known as Beanie Babies until the toy's creator, Ty Warner, used the internet's power to create a frenzied market.

Black comedies explode in the 90s, with sitcoms written and produced by Black creators, featuring Black casts. But no culture is immune to the toxicity of fame and power.

Morning TV is the profit center of the news divisions that produce them. Today and Good Morning America battle for dominance where there’s no room for failure.

Rush Limbaugh is conservative radio’s first megastar, claiming to have "talent on loan from God." He creates a divide in America that we see unfolding today.

NYPD Blue forever changes TV with its use of nudity, violence and profanity. Heavy scrutiny from special interest groups will nearly get it cancelled before it ever even airs.

At the end of the decade, the fear of an apocalypse looms. Two men become the stars of the real-life action thriller known as the Y2K scare.

Robert Downey Jr. turns his troubled backstory into a superpower. While battling a string of addictions, Downey reinvents himself into one of the most celebrated actors today.

SubPop's classic 90's indie ethos was tested when they chased mainstream money. The story of grunge told through the eyes of the little label that started it all.

In the 90’s, the surge of internet-exclusive companies captured the dreams and greed of American investors. In its wake, one beloved mascot was killed — the Pets.com puppet.

The story of how the upstart Fox Network forever changed television.