Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is a four-part docuseries that premiered on 17 March 2024, on Investigation Discovery (ID). Episode names for the true crime cable network series include Hidden in Plain Sight and The Darkest Secret, with each installment exposing the alleged toxic work environment on showrunner Dan Schneider's popular coming-of-age and teen series including The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly and Sam & Cat.
These 1990s to 2000s Nickelodeon favourites were where famous actors such as Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell and Josh Peck got their starts. Viewers can watch on Stream on Max or ID.
In the 5 March teaser about the docuseries, Investigation Discovery revealed that former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell would be "sharing publicly, for the first time, the story of the abuse he suffered at the hands of Brian Peck." And the recently aired series delivered on that claim and far more, including many other allegations of abuse, made by writers, producers and others on TV sets led by Daniel Schneider.
"From producers accused of fat shaming kids to alleged racist sketches, the first two episodes were shocking, but episode three is heartbreaking. It is the third episode that brought me to tears," says Raquel 'Rocky' Harris, a writer for TheWrap. "Watching Drake Bell, someone I grew up seeing and loving as an actor, watching him being funny and lively on screen - to see him detail how brutally he was sexually assaulted was terrible."
In addition to Bell's allegations, some of the bombshells delivered during the docuseries include claims of female writers being forced to split a salary, the allegedly innapropriate relationship between Schneider and then-rising star Amanda Bynes, and of Schneider's penchant for putting R-rated jokes into the scripts of shows that were meant for young viewers.
In the new docuseries, Bell is poised to go public with abuse allegations from his time on The Amanda Show (Credit: Getty Images)
Jared Drake Bell captivated audiences as the voice of Timmy Turner on The Fairly OddParents and as the character Drake Parker on Drake & Josh. He even co-wrote the Drake & Josh theme song, Found a Way.
Bell later faced controversy over his relationship with former co-star Josh Peck (no relation to Brian Peck): In a March 2022 BFF Podcast episode, Josh Peck said he and Bell had grown apart since the show ended, but hard feelings solidified when Bell took to Twitter to complain about not getting an invite to Peck’s 2017 wedding. Bell’s name also hit the media in 2021, when Bell pled guilty to endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to a juvenile, charges that reportedly stem from his alleged interactions with a 15-year-old girl.
Fast-forward to the just released docuseries and Bell tells-all about being sexually abused behind the scenes of The Amanda Show by Brian Peck, who was a dialogue coach and on-camera talent.
"We see Drake Bell come forward after years of keeping private about being a victim of Brian Peck," says Harris. "We knew it would be discussed, as it was mentioned in a sneak peek preview of the show prior to the series’ release. But now we see him detailing these sexual assaults and how Brian Peck preyed on him from the beginning of their relationship when Peck joined the second season of ‘The Amanda Show’ as a dialogue coach. From finding ways to touch Bell to popping up at most of Bell’s music concerts to convincing him to drop his father from his management team, Bell shared that Peck found ways to integrate himself into Bell's life.”
Peck was arrested in 2003 on 11 charges of child sexual abuse and sentenced to 16 months in prison.
More like this:
In 2023, former child actor Alexa Nikolas called out Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider for alleged abuse (Credit: Getty Images)
Beyond Bell's heartbreaking revelations, the docuseries includes a long list of additional jawdropping moments.
Masturbation photosThe second installment of The Dark Side of Kids TV claims that John Handy, a production assistant, sent photos of himself masturbating to a child star. When the child's mother became aware of the photo, the child allegedly explained that Handy had sent the image to her to express that he had been "thinking of her."
In 2003, a police raid of Handy's home turned up more than 10,000 images of children and 1,768 images of young girls in erotic poses, along with 238 mages of young girls in sexually explicit poses. There were also some pictures of girls in bondage and a CD with videos of young girls taking part in sexually explicit activity.
Female writers forced to split salariesThe docuseries also revealed how female writers Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen were hired onto the show but allegedly had to split their salaries with one another. Kilgen described their hiring as “getting two for the price of one," says Harris.
"They learn later through the Writer's Guild that that was not something that could be done and one of the writers later sued," explains Harris. "Which she said ended up being detrimental for her career."
BBC Culture reached out to Nickelodeon for comment, and the network responded stating that Nickelodeon "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."
Racist sketchesBryan Christopher Hearne, who appears in Season 7 and Season 8 of All That, says he was forced to participate in racist sketches.
Harris claims in her review for The Wrap that one character that Hearne was required to play was “Little Fetus,” the “youngest rapper of all time." The character was a fetus in an embryo and while getting fitted for the character, "he said someone said the costume’s skin tone should be the color of “charcoal.” Hearne never repeated that incident to his mother out of fear that she would "raise hell."
"He was also put in racist sketches where he was the black kid sellng cookies but it was coded for selling drugs," adds Harris.
Schneider later provided statements explaining that these were sketches were approved by Nickelodeon executives on both coasts, Harris adds. He also pointed to the fact that today these shows are still being aired and are able to be watched. "So, I guess in his mind if this were a problem, these shows would be removed."
Jennette McCurdy, best known for roles on Scheider shows Sam & Cat and iCarly, also alleged abuse (Credit: Getty Images)
Melissa Adeyemo, film producer and CEO at Ominira Studios, says that a lot of research goes into producing stories like this docuseries, and she predicts that, now that Drake Bell’s allegations of abuse have become public, other child actors and even crew members may come forward in the featured interviews.
"Some of these predators are so convincing," Adeyemo tells BBC Culture. "And the more you have enough people coming up with these accusations, I think more and more people are like, 'okay, once is one thing. Twice? Maybe. But three times, a fire one does smell.'"
Michelle Brady from Apocalypse in Review and the Third Wheel Network agrees: "I'm not surprised when new allegations are coming out of the woodwork, especially when recent studies show that 93% of child abuse victims know their perpetrator, and [that person] will usually be an acquaintance or family member."
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is not the first such exposé of adults causing harm on kids' TV shows (Credit: Getty Images)
The docuseries delves into many sensitive and disturbing topics related to abuse, misconduct, bullying and toxic relationships. Viewer discretion is advised. "These [kinds of] documentaries shed light on how predators will typically put themselves in positions where they will have access to the people they want to target and abuse," says Brady.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is not the first such exposé of adults causing harm on kids' TV shows. A year ago, a YouTuber who goes by Paper Will shared a video titled The Ugly Side of Kids TV, which got nearly 3 million views. While that video does not include interviews, Paper Will chronicles accusations of abuse in a wide range of popular children's television shows, including Sesame Street.
As for the revelations from Quiet on Set, "the biggest thing about these documentaries is the personal vindication and healing that comes with seeing your accusers being convicted, or at least vilified for their abuse, and the healing that comes from no longer hiding and being vindicated," says Adeyemo. "We're starting with the villain and actually talking to the heroes. And there's a catharsis in seeing some of these people – not all of these people – get their justice."
A version of this story was originally published on 8 March, 2024.
If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news delivered to your inbox every Friday.
If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.