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 shows from iCarly to Drake & Josh is no stranger to scrutiny, having been accused of fostering a hostile work environment previously.
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 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.”
Meanwhile, Nickelodeon released the following statement regarding the allegations from Quiet on Set: