Former Nickelodeon child stars detail trauma and alleged abuse in ID series
Giovonnie Samuels in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
Warner Bros Discovery-owned true crime network Investigation Discovery (ID) is preparing a series claiming to uncover the “toxic and dangerous culture” behind some of Nickelodeon and prolific creator Dan Schneider’s best-known children’s shows.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV features allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate dynamics with underage stars and crew on US television producer, screenwriter and actor Dan Schneider’s various Nickelodeon series during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Airing across two nights on March 17 and March 18, the four-part docuseries promises to feature unprecedented access to key cast members, writers and crew spanning Schneider’s series at Nickelodeon, which had a 25-year working relationship with the creator.
Among the contributors are former All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne and Katrina Johnson, plus director Virgil Fabian; The Amanda Show writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton; and Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas. It will also feature additional cast and crew from iCarly, Sam & Cat, Victorious and Double Dare.
Over the course of its four parts, Quiet on Set will chronicle a pattern of gross, abusive and manipulative behaviour that unfolded across decades, as well as exclusive stories about child predators on set, according to ID.
Interviews woven with archival footage, some of which has never been broadcast, will recontextualise many moments within these series that may have seemed silly or off when first aired but now carry a much darker undertone, offering a powerful reframing of these beloved shows, ID said.
The series is directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz and produced by Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television’s non-fiction arm in association with Business Insider.
It comes after Nickelodeon announced it would not be extending its production deal with Schneider and his company Schneider’s Bakery in 2018 following damaging reports emerged about the showrunner’s behaviour.
After the release of the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV trailer yesterday, a spokesperson for Schneider supplied the following statement to US media.
“Dan cared about the kids on his shows even when sometimes their own families unfortunately did not. He understood what they were going through and he was their biggest champion.
“The fact is many of the kids on these shows are put in the untenable position of becoming the breadwinner for their family and the pressure that comes along with that. Add on top of that the difficulties of growing up and having to do so under the spotlight while working a demanding job, all as a child.
“That is why there are many levels of standards, executives, lawyers, teachers and parents everywhere, all the time, on every set, every day. However, it is still a hard place to be a kid and nobody knew that better than Dan.”
