Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV aired this week, with the Nickelodeon documentary exploring some of the disturbing allegations against the people behind the channel's best known children's TV shows.
If you grew up in the 90s to 2000s you'll no doubt remember at least one of Nickelodeon's hit shows, from The Amanda Show to Drake & Josh and Zoey 101. But behind the success was allegedly an incredibly toxic work environment.
In the new four-part Investigation Discovery documentary, former show writers and child actors such as Drake Bell give an insight into the alleged abuse, sexism, racism and harassment that unfolded on the sets of the shows run by former Nickelodeon executive producer Dan Schneider. Schneider, responsible for creating some of Nickelodeon's biggest children's shows from iCarly to Drake & Josh is no stranger to scrutiny, having previously been accused of fostering a hostile work environment.
Dan Schneider, Drake Bell, Nickelodeon and Josh Peck responses to Quiet on Set
In the documentary, Drake Bell of Drake & Josh says he was abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck at the age of 15, a claim that Schneider says “devastated” him. Schneider has since responded to his own “regretful” behaviour via a statement at the end of the series which reads:
“Everything that happened on the shows I ran was carefully scrutinised by dozens of involved adults. All stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts. A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes. In addition, every day on set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching us rehearse and film.”
The documentary publicises the abuse and exploitation allegedly inflicted upon a generation of child stars.
Meanwhile, Nickelodeon released the following statement regarding the allegations from Quiet on Set:
“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviours from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”
(via Hollywood Reporter)
Other former Nickelodeon stars have since commented on the series, namely Drake Bell's costar Josh Peck, who said in a statement posted to Instagram:
“I finished the Quiet On Set documentary and took a few days to process it,” his post began. “I reached out to Drake privately, but wanted to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world. Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry.”
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The statement comes following Bell telling fans to “take it easy” on Peck who had received backlash for not commenting on the series.
Where can I watch Quiet on Set in the UK?
Quiet on Set will premiere on Discovery+ in the UK on Monday 25 March, with a subscription to the platform costing £3.99 per month or £39.99 annually.
Alternatively, if you have an Amazon account you can add a Discovery+ subscription to Prime Video, with the basic subscription costing £3.99 per month there too, or is free for any Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers.
I saw casual - and sometimes blatant - sexism at the highest levels on the show.
