Quiet on Set: The harrowing docuseries detailing the toxic culture at Nickelodeon

Content warning: there are mentions of sexual abuse throughout.

Examining the toxic workplace environment that Nickelodeon cultivated during the 90s, 2000s and 2010s, Investigation Discovery’s new docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV largely centres on Dan Schneider who created and executive produced shows like The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, iCarly and Zoey 101. 

First accused of misconduct in 2018, allegations began swirling amidst the sandstorm kicked up by the #MeToo movement. According to reports at the time, Schneider was alleged to have “terrorised” staff for years with many claiming he had “on-set anger issues”. 

Two years ago, former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy made waves when her book, I’m Glad My Mom Died, came out. Detailing the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, it also contained many concerning comments about someone she referred to as ‘The Creator.’ ‘The Creator’ is never mentioned by name in the book but her allegations renewed public interest in Schneider, the force behind iCarly and Sam & Cat, two shows McCurdy starred on during that time.

McCurdy says that Nickelodeon offered her $300,000 in “hush money” to keep quiet. She declined. “This is a network with shows made for children. Shouldn’t they have some sort of moral compass? Shouldn’t they at least try to report to some sort of ethical standard?” she writes in her book.  

More recently, Drake & Josh’s Drake Bell alleged that he was sexually abused as a child star by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck – he had chosen to remain anonymous as the minor in the case until now. In the documentary, Bell opens up about Peck allegedly abusing him when he was 15 years old. 

Now the topic of a new four-part Investigation Discovery docuseries, Quiet on Set brings all of the damning allegations against Schneider, Peck and Nickelodeon to the forefront. As per Vulture, crew members alleged gender discrimination and harassment, specifically recalling moments when Schneider asked them for massages in the middle of the work day. 

Schneider has consistently denied the claims. “Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinised by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network,” a spokesperson for the disgraced TV producer and screenwriter told The Hollywood Reporter.

“Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny. Remember, 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 every set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching filming and rehearsals.” 

The docuseries features interviews interwoven with archival footage (some of which has never been broadcast), scenes from the shows and social media commentary. Writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton expose allegations of a toxic and sexist environment in The Amanda Show writer’s room. Alexa Nikolas offers insight into being a part of Zoey 101 while additional cast and crew from iCarly, Sam & Cat and Victorious also share their experiences. The series also includes testimony from parents of cast members who attempted to advocate for their children on these sets.

Nickelodeon parted ways with Schneider in 2018 after an internal investigation prompted by multiple complaints of abusive behaviour from members of his staff.

In a 2021 interview with The New York Times, Schneider said if he was found to be difficult by some people, it was because he has “high standards”. “I’m very willing to defend creative things that I believe in,” he commented. Schneider also told the Times that he never acted inappropriately with people he worked with. “I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many reputable people if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors.”

Russell Hicks, the network’s former president of content and production, previously referred to Schneider as “one of the most prolific producers of hit television in the kids and family entertainment business.” 

Here are just a few of the most shocking allegations: 

There were registered sex offenders and paedophiles working on set

Jason Handy was a production assistant on All That and The Amanda Show in the early 2000s. MJ, the mother of a former Amanda Show performer, said she initially thought Handy was a very welcoming presence so didn’t think twice about exchanging email addresses and phone numbers. “You thought, ‘Oh, I could be friends with this person,” she said. 

That perception quickly changed when she discovered an email he had sent to her 11-year-old daughter. “It was a picture of him naked masturbating, and he said he had sent it to her because he wanted her to see that he was thinking of her.” Her daughter, Brandi, left the entertainment industry after the email. 

Handy was arrested in 2003 after police received a tip about him. When they raided his home, they found more than 10,000 images of children, over 1,700 images of young girls in erotic poses and seven videos on CD files of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The doc also claimed that Handy admitted to being a paedophile in his personal diaries, writing “I am a paedophile, full-blown,” “I really have been giving into my desire for little girls these past few weeks,” and “I even struggle on a day-to-day basis of how I can find a victim to rape if I have to.”

In 2004, Handy was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted on two felony counts, one of lewd acts on a child and one of distributing sexually explicit material by email, as well as on a misdemeanour charge related to sexual exploitation of a child.

Another Nickelodeon employee, Ezel Channel, was convicted of bringing an underage boy to the Burbank lot where he worked and abusing him there. Channel already had a prior conviction and was a registered sex offender. 

There were only two female writers who both allege sexual harassment

Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton, two writers on the first season of The Amanda Show were interviewed separately for the documentary. Both describe patterns of allegedly distressing behaviour from Dan Schneider claiming that he openly said he didn’t think women were funny. 

“Dan got worse and worse as the season got on,” Kilgen said. “Because I was a first-time writer, I didn’t know what was acceptable and not acceptable. And so Christy and I both did things that were uncomfortable.” She also alleges that Dan showed her porn on his computer and asked her to massage him “several times”.  “He would always present it like a joke, and he would be laughing while he said it. But you always felt like disagreeing with Dan or standing up for yourself could result in you getting fired.”

In another incident, Schneider made Stratton recount a story while leaning over a table pretending to be sodomised. The two women were also asked to “split a salary” when they were initially hired. Kilgen alleges that Schneider called her into his office and repeatedly asked her if she had ever performed phone sex. “I hired a lawyer and started blowing whistles.”

A spokesperson for Schneider told EW that Dan is “extremely sorry for his behaviour”, that he has “grown a lot since then” and “would never act that way again.”

Brian Peck sexually abused Drake Bell as a teenager

In the docuseries, Bell recounts the abuse he suffered at the hands of Brian Peck as a teenager, detailing how the dialogue coach also manipulated him into severing ties with his father/manager. Bell said the abuse persisted until his then-girlfriend’s mother realised something wasn’t right and took the actor to their family therapist. Bell eventually detailed the abuse to his own mother, who called the police.

As part of the subsequent investigation, Bell called Peck on the phone to try and get a confession. In 2003, Peck was arrested and pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act against a 14- or 15-year-old and oral copulation with a minor under the age of 16. Peck was ultimately convicted, sentenced to 16 months in prison, and was ordered to register as a sex offender in 2004. 

Bell has had a turbulent few years himself, having pleaded guilty to charges of attempted child endangerment and sending inappropriate messages to a 15-year-old girl. In 2021, he was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service. “I took responsibility for that, you know, I did what was asked of me, but the media grabbed ahold of so much misinformation, and it absolutely destroyed me,” he admits in Quiet on Set.

Mental health, self-esteem and/or substance abuse are recurrent issues

Every child actor interviewed as part of the docuseries cited serious issues as a result of their time working at Nickelodeon. 

“Being a child star hurt me mentally and somewhat physically,” Leon Frierson commented, adding that he believes his alcoholism is a “direct connection” to feelings he had after leaving the industry and not being able to maintain a certain level of success. 

Actor Raquel Lee Bolleau said being let go from The Amanda Show “broke” her confidence. “That was a very young lesson to learn in my career, is that everyone is replaceable. And it sent me down a really dark path. I had to really pick myself back up and keep it moving in an industry that showed me very early on that it has no love for me at all.”

Kyle Sullivan said his time at the network gave him “trust issues”. “It was a toxic environment” while Bryan Christopher Hearne admitted that “there’s a dark underbelly to child stardom”. 

Many scenes were inspired by sexual body parts and lewd acts, while child actors often had to wear costumes and perform acts they were uncomfortable with. There were also many racist moments on set. “Dan had a nicer relationship with some of the white kids,” said Hearne. “My time on Nickelodeon played a big part in how I dealt and still deal with racial issues.”

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV was produced by Rebecca Kent and Lisa Kalikow. All four episodes are available to stream on HBO Max, however, an Irish release date has yet to be announced. 

You can watch the trailer below. 

Feature image via @mirandacosgrove.

You can contact the Rape Crisis Centre National 24-Hour Helpline at 1800 778 888, at any time of day or night. They offer a free and confidential listening and support service for anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted, sexually harassed or sexually abused at any time in their lives.