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Dark Side of Comedy - Episode Guide

Season 1

Chris Farley

Episode: 1x01 | Airdate: Aug 16, 2022

Chris Farley

Struggling with addiction and a low self-image, Chris Farley's friends at "Saturday Night Live" conspired to help save him.

Andrew Dice Clay

Episode: 1x02 | Airdate: Aug 23, 2022

Andrew Dice Clay

Andrew Dice Clay's controversial brand of comedy found a huge base with white men in America.

Roseanne Barr

Episode: 1x03 | Airdate: Aug 30, 2022

Roseanne Barr

Roseanne Barr made a name speaking her mind but her impulse may have cost her her career.

Artie Lange

Episode: 1x04 | Airdate: Sep 6, 2022

Artie Lange

Artie Lange enjoys mainstream success as a comedian, but his addiction to heroin, coupled with childhood traumas, threatens to thwart his ambition and life.

Richard Pryor

Episode: 1x05 | Airdate: Sep 13, 2022

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor confronts America with brutal honesty, but while he fights for a voice on stage, he is losing his own battle to drugs and family trauma.

Dustin Diamond

Episode: 1x06 | Airdate: Sep 20, 2022

Dustin Diamond

Dustin Diamond found fame but when it ended, Dustin was lost, descending into one tragic chapter after another.

Greg Giraldo

Episode: 1x07 | Airdate: Sep 27, 2022

Greg Giraldo

How comedian Greg Giraldo's career, and life, is sabotaged by a toxic mix of addiction and self-loathing.

Brett Butler

Episode: 1x08 | Airdate: Oct 5, 2022

Brett Butler

How Brett Butler gained everything, only to lose it all.

Freddie Prinze

Episode: 1x09 | Airdate: Oct 12, 2022

Freddie Prinze

A working class Peurto Rican kid, Freddie Prinze exploded onto the comedy scene but his overnight fame came to an abrupt end.

Maria Bamford

Episode: 1x10 | Airdate: Oct 19, 2022

Maria Bamford

How Maria Bamford channels her mental illness into comedy, and encourages others to do the same.

Season 2

Robin Williams

Episode: 2x01 | Airdate: Oct 17, 2023

Robin Williams

Robin Williams' suicide shocked the world. While he was one of the most successful comedians ever, he was struggling privately with crushing health and psychological issues.

Sam Kinison

Episode: 2x02 | Airdate: Oct 24, 2023

Sam Kinison

Sam Kinison revolutionized comedy with a vulgar, sexist act, but his appetite for cocaine and chaos would lead to a dramatic downfall at the height of his massive success.

Joan Rivers

Episode: 2x03 | Airdate: Oct 31, 2023

Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers' insults made her a comedy icon, but the pressures of a male-dominated industry led to eating disorders, self-loathing, and a deadly addiction to plastic surgery.

Carlos Mencia

Episode: 2x04 | Airdate: Nov 7, 2023

Carlos Mencia

Carlos Mencia was one of the biggest comics in America until accusations of joke theft led to one of the most dramatic downfalls in comedy history.

Phil Hartman

Episode: 2x05 | Airdate: Nov 14, 2023

Phil Hartman

Phil Hartman was a beloved SNL and Simpsons cast member, but his squeaky clean image was at odds with a toxic marriage that descended into a tragic murder-suicide.

Tracy Morgan

Episode: 2x06 | Airdate: Nov 21, 2023

Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan survived drug-dealing, hyper-competitive SNL, and substance abuse. But a brutal car accident and two-week coma made him finally confront his childhood demons.

Family Matters

Episode: 2x07 | Airdate: Nov 28, 2023

Family Matters

"Family Matters" is a wholesome sitcom of the 90s, but the success of the show led to issues for many cast members who still deal with trauma and addiction.

Ellen DeGeneres

Episode: 2x08 | Airdate: Dec 5, 2023

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres revolutionized TV with a unique brand of positive humor, but behind the scenes a massive controversy was brewing--one that would tarnish her image forever.

Norm MacDonald

Episode: 2x09 | Airdate: Dec 12, 2023

Norm MacDonald

On SNL and beyond, Norm MacDonald was legendary for his fearless comedy. But his controversial persona concealed a serious gambling problem and a secret that he took to his grave.

Gilda Radner

Episode: 2x10 | Airdate: Dec 19, 2023

Gilda Radner

Gilda Radner was SNL's first female star. But her pioneering success was plagued by trauma, eating disorders, heartbreak and cancer, all of which she turned into comedy material.

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