Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV

American television producer and screenwriter, Dan Schneider, has come under scrutiny following the release of a new Nickelodeon Documentary, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. Popularly known for his work on several big hit shows like iCarly, Zoey 101, Drake and Josh, Victorious, and many more, Schneider has faced many accusations of misconduct and curating uncomfortable work environments for kid actors in his time in the industry. The documentary highlights the aspects of toxic culture and abuse that went on behind the scenes of some of Nickelodeon’s hit shows. Former stars of the shows were extensively interviewed in the documentary series and numerous actors shared their experiences with sexism, racism, and verbal abuse that were all occurring during production. The series is set to be a limited five-part series.

The topic on social media continued to increase following the series release on March 17th, 2024. The topic reached its peak of conversation on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Overall, there was a reach of 3 billion and 324.29 k mentions across social media channels. The most popular social media channels that hosted conversation on the documentary were X, Reddit, and News Sources. 

Dan Schneider has spoken out following the release of the series and the responses from viewers have largely been negative. 

The cause of another peak in conversation on March 21st, 2024 came from a post by Steve Burns, former actor on Blue’s Clues, when he posted a video following the release of the series and his abrupt departure from the show. 

An additional topic of conversation on social media is pertaining to Drake Bell and his involvement in the series. During the third episode, Bell announced for the first time that he was the suspect involved in the Brian Peck trial for child sexual abuse that ultimately sent Peck to prison in 2004. Peck was a dialogue and acting coach for Nickelodeon. Further commentary came when fans took to Bell’s side defending him or ridiculing him for his more recent behavior of pleading guilty to attempted child endangerment. 

Additional commentary occurred with Matthew Underwood when he spoke out following the docuseries. Viewers are criticizing those asking for victims to come forward, indicating how difficult it is for the actors to share their stories. 

The fifth episode of the docuseries is set to be released on April 7th, 2024. Many viewers are awaiting the episode as it has created so much commentary and awareness on the difficult topics. 

Author: Lexi Merriman