Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, the four-part docuseries that exposes the alleged abuse on the sets of Nickelodeon’s most cherished shows from the late 1990s and early 2000s, premieres tonight (March 17) on Investigation Discovery. Find out how to watch Quiet On Set on cable and streaming below.
Directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, the Investigation Discovery (ID) docuseries Quiet On Set uncovers the “toxic and dangerous culture” behind shows created by Dan Schneider, including All That, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly, and more, which achieved immense popularity among children across the nation.
Beneath the “questionable jokes” and “over-the-top sketches” lurked “an insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew,” a press release for Quiet On Set reads. Featuring interviews, social media commentary, and archival footage, the docuseries aims to shed light on the “gross, abusive, and manipulative behavior that unfolded across decades” on Schneider’s shows.
Schneider, on his part, has denied the claims. “Everything that happened on the shows I ran was scrutinized by dozens of involved adults,” he said in a statement per Vanity Fair. “A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes.”
Ahead of the Quiet On Set premiere, Drake Bell (Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show) came forward as the victim who experienced sexual abuse at the hands of Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck. Peck was arrested in 2003 for Lewd Acts with a Child and was later convicted and sentenced to 16 months in prison.
“You know anytime I had an audition or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian’s house,” Bell says in the docuseries, according to People. “And it just got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse, and I was just trapped. I had no way out. The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal.”
Bell also reveals that Peck abused him multiple times. “I often look back at that time and wonder how in the world I survived,” he recalls in the series. “I remember all of the abusive events, but everything outside of that is very blurry to me, which is a bummer because I experienced a lot of great things in my life and my career during this time. But it was so overshadowed and ruined by what I was dealing with on the inside that it made it really hard for me.”
In addition to Bell, other child stars and crew members will share their stories in Quiet On Set, including All That’s Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne and Katrina Johnson, Zoey 101’s Alexa Nikolas, The Amanda Show writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton, and more.
Discover how to watch and stream Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV below.
When Does Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV Premiere?
Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV will air over two nights on Investigation Discovery. The first part premieres on Sunday, March 17 at 9 p.m. ET, while the second part drops on Monday, March 18 at 9 p.m. ET.
How To Watch And Stream Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV
You can watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV on the Investigation Discovery channel. If you don’t have cable, ID is available on cable streaming platforms like Philo, DirecTV, and Fubo — all of which offer free trials.
Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV will also be available to stream on Max and Amazon Prime Video.
Watch the trailer for Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV below.