Dark Side of the Ring’s Evan Husney on Reaction to Chris Benoit Episode, Telling David Benoit & Sandra Toffoloni’s Story

Speaking with Jeffrey Harris for the 411 Wrestling Interviews podcast, Dark Side of the Ring producer Evan Husney discussed the reaction so far to the Chris Benoit episode and more. The two-hour Benoit episode that kicked off season two premiered on Tuesday and was not only a huge hit for the network ratings-wise, it has received near-universal praise from critics and fans.

Husney, who created the docuseries with director Jason Eisener, discussed that positive reaction as well as one of the most praised aspects of the episode in how it tells the story of Chris’ surviving son David and Nancy’s sister Sandra Toffoloni, who make up a big portion of the episode’s emotional core. You can check out some highlights below, as well as the full audio:

On the reaction to the Benoit episode of Dark Side of the Ring: “Oh man, it’s been great. It’s been overwhelming, but overwhelmingly positive, you know, for us. Just to see the response the episode’s been getting, and to see a lot of people finding out new information about the story. And also it’s been great to see more people open up about the story and talk about it. And for me, that’s just been awesome to see.”

On How important it was to get David Benoit and Sandra Toffoloni’s story told for Dark Side of the Ring: “Oh yeah. For Jason and I it was incredibly important to have Sandra and David be a part of the piece. You know, from the beginning in trying to tell the story, we always wanted to approach it by telling the inner circle of the people closest to Chris Benoit. That was the way we wanted to approach the story, as we wanted to really get their point of view.

“And one of the things that we discovered while we were doing the interviews and talking to the subjects, is we found that through opening up with this that they were also victims in this story. Because they’re the ones left behind that have to come to terms with this, and try and process how, you know, in some cases your best friend, or your brother-in-law, or even your father was capable of these acts. And that to us was just really started to feel like, this was the area in which we wanted to approach the story, rather than bringing this all back up again and approaching it from a sensationalist point of view or like, an expose or anything. Because I think there’s a lot to look at though the lens of today, which wasn’t examined originally back in 2007.”

In the full interview, Husney talks about the reaction to the season two premiere, taking a different approach to the Chris Benoit episode, working with Martha Hart on the upcoming Owen Hart episode, if they have any ideas for season three episodes and more.

Dark Side of the Ring Season 2 is currently airing on Tuesday nights on VICE TV. The next episode, “The Life and Crimes of New Jack,” debuts on Tuesday, March 31.

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0:00: Introduction
0:15: On his reaction to the response to the Chris Benoit-focused season premiere
1:16: On how important it was to get David Benoit and Sandra Toffoloni’s story told in the Benoit episode
2:18: On the episode’s different approach to the Benoit story
3:53: On the presentation having a different feel in season two, making the Benoit episode feel more intimate
5:18: On David Benoit’s sister and mother not being in the episode
6:18: On not making the docuseries a hitpiece on professional wrestling while still taking an honest look at the industry
9:49: On whether they had any episodes that didn’t come together for season two that they’re considering for a possible third season
11:41: On getting Martha Hart to agree to work with them on the Owen Hart episode

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