Beloved Child Stars Subject of Disturbing New Documentary

During the 1990s and early 2000s, there were so many incredible and memorable tween shows that we remember fondly. This includes Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens, Hannah Montana, The Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and so many more. But Disney wasn’t the only network known for its great programming. Disney’s main competition during that time was Nickelodeon.

Some of Nickelodeon’s most memorable shows were All That, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Kenan & Kel, Victorious, Zoey 101, and iCarly. Many of Nickelodeon’s biggest shows were created by Dan Schneider — a game-changing writer and producer. There were so many young kids who would have loved to be a part of that experience, it just looked like so much fun.

Credit: Nickelodeon

Sadly, working under the rein of Dan Schneider was anything but. And a new Investigation Discovery documentary will explore the dark side of being a child star during that time.

Quiet on Set will delve into the terror encompassing many child actors during that time. Per Variety:

“Quiet on Set” sheds light on an allegedly “insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew,” featuring cast members, writers and crew from Schneider’s popular Nickelodeon shows. These include former “All That” cast members Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne and Katrina Johnson and director Virgil Fabian, as well as “The Amanda Show” writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton. Alexa Nikolas will also share her experience working on “Zoey 101.”

The series contains allegations that “shine a spotlight on these emotional accounts, chronicling a pattern of gross, abusive and manipulative behavior that unfolded across decades, as well as exclusive stories about child predators on set.” By combining interviews, archival footage, scenes from shows and social media commentary, “Quiet on Set” will re-contextualize moments from Schneider’s series.

Credit: Nickelodeon

Related: Disney+ Is Bringing Back a Fan Favorite From Nickelodeon’s 90s Cartoons

The documentary refers to Schneider as Nickelodeon’s “golden boy”, who could do no wrong. That is most likely why so many allegations against him were ignored for so long.

Schneider is considered responsible for launching the careers of notable Nick stars like Drake Bell (Drake & Josh), Josh Peck (Drake & Josh), Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly), Ariana Grande (Victorious), and Jamie Lynn Spears (Zoey 101).

Credit: Nickelodeon

Related: Is the Infamous Nick Hotel Returning to Orlando? Here’s What We Know

According to those who spoke in the documentary, parents often complained about the abuse their children suffered at the hands of Dan Schneider. Before Schneider left Nickelodeon in 2018, there were dozens of complaints lodged against him.

A report from The New York Times said that Schneider was only let go after ViacomCBS completed an investigation into allegations that he was abusive towards his coworkers.

Credit: Nickelodeon

Despite the disturbing allegations made against Schneider and the evidence, Schneider denies any and all the claims. A rep for Schneider said that the producer “cared about the kids on his shows even when sometimes their own families unfortunately did not.” The full statement reads,

“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.”

Credit: Nickelodeon

Quiet on Set premieres on Investigation Discovery on March 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The second half will air on March 18 at 9 p.m., and each episode will be two hours long.

Will you be watching Quiet on Set? Let us know in the comments.