‘Quiet on Set’ Filmmakers React to Dan Schneider Apology and Tease “Unanswered Questions” in New Episode

It’s not often that documentarians get stopped in their tracks by adoring fans. But the blockbuster docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which exposes abuse and exploitation at the kids’ network Nickelodeon, has proved an exception to the rule. Speaking to Vanity Fair, filmmaker Emma Schwartz recalls grabbing a meal with three of the former child actors who participated in the documentary while shooting its latest episode. “Two people came up to us at the table and said, ‘Oh, I just watched the documentary. It was so powerful.’ And it just showed the magnitude of the impact—that you could be sitting in a random pizza joint in New York City and somebody walks up to you about this show.”

Since premiering on Investigation Discovery, then streaming on Max in mid-March, reactions have poured in from viewers and former child actors alike—including onetime Nickelodeon stars like Kenan Thompson and Melissa Joan Hart, as well as Kirsten Dunst and Jerry O’Connell. (“Watching you tonight, was one of the bravest things I have seen in my 40-years of this insane business,” the latter tweeted to series subject Drake Bell.) Upon its debut, the documentary was the number one streaming show across all platforms and has now been seen by more than 20 million people, with the largest audience of any unscripted series since the launch of Max last May, according to ID and Max/Discovery+.

“So many people grew up watching these shows, and that which we watch during our childhood imprints on us in a deep manner,” says filmmaker Mary Robertson, who, alongside Schwartz, worked with Business Insider journalist Kate Taylor to build on the investigation into misconduct allegations at Nickelodeon that Taylor published in 2022. “In recent years, of course, there were montages of clips from these shows that were swirling around the internet, and there was speculation and some conspiracy,” Robertson continued. “It was clear that there was an appetite, a desire to understand what was really happening behind the scenes, on the sets that Dan Schneider presided over.”

Schwartz says that the series’ runaway success is also a salient “reminder of how much more there is to unearth and explore in this space, both in terms of the questions that have been coming out from smart journalists, as well as former child actors and people in the industry.”

That continued conversation is explored in an upcoming fifth episode of the series titled “Breaking the Silence,” which premieres on Sunday, April 7 at 8 p.m. ET. Soledad O’Brien leads a conversation with All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, as well as Hearne’s mother, Tracey Brown. The mother and son “have repaired a relationship that had been ruptured since the broadcast of the documentary,” says Robertson. The episode, which came together in under a month, also features never-before-seen footage, as well as new testimony from former All That cast member Shane Lyons.

Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne speak to Soledad O’Brien in Quiet on Set’s “Breaking the Silence” episode.Stephanie Diani

Tracey Brown and Bryan Hearne in Quiet on Set’s “Breaking the Silence” episode.Stephanie Diani

In the first four episodes, Drake Bell revealed the sexual abuse he endured at the hands of former Nickelodeon vocal coach Brian Peck, who in October 2004 was convicted on sexual abuse charges, sentenced to 16 months in prison, and ordered to register as a sex offender. Bell reemerges in the next episode to update viewers on what life has been like since his emotional disclosure. “We’re in touch all the time, just checking in, seeing how he’s doing,” says Schwartz. “It’s been a long journey to this point to share something that you’ve kept secret for 20 years, and then experiencing that hitting the public. I think he’s definitely felt like a weight has been lifted.”

Quiet on Set doesn’t shirk away from Bell’s own legal case involving a minor. (Bell pleaded guilty to attempted child endangerment in 2021 after exchanging inappropriate text messages with an underage fan. He was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service.) The filmmakers were committed to acknowledging the controversy while also creating space for Bell to tell his own story of abuse. “A lot of our focus is really in understanding the experience of child actors on the sets during this era at Nickelodeon, whether it was Drake, Amanda [Bynes], Katrina Johnson, Giovonnie, everyone,” Schwartz explains. “And clearly the experiences that people had as child actors had a long shadow in terms of how it affected their life.”

Elsewhere in the new episode, Bell confronts those who wrote letters of support for his abuser in regards to his sentencing—from Boy Meets World cast members Rider Strong and Will Friedle, who declined to participate in the docuseries but apologized on their podcast for supporting Peck, to those who have remained silent on the subject like Taran Killam and James Marsden. “When it comes to the letters of support, we continue to have a lot of questions about the circumstances under which they were written,” says Schwartz.

The follow-up allowed the filmmakers an opportunity to examine other facets of the documentary’s aftermath, including an apology video that former Nickelodeon mega-producer Dan Schneider released regarding some of the allegations of racism and sexism against him. (In a statement, Schneider previously told VF that he “would absolutely do some things differently. I’ve learned a lot over the years about how to be a better boss.”) Both Robertson and Schwartz have seen Schneider’s remarks. “We reached out to him in the process of creating our project. We offered him a chance to sit for an interview, which he declined, and had sent him some written questions,” says Schwartz. “It certainly speaks to the power of the project when people respond to it. For some of our participants, it impacted them heavily. They speak to that in the upcoming episode, as well as the current state of their relationships with Dan.”

Days after the series premiered, actors from Nickelodeon’s Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide appeared to be making light of some of the doc’s more devastating allegations on social media, something for which they’ve since apologized. “When something is as popular as Quiet On Set is, there’s bound to be some negative reaction,” says Robertson, “but we’ve been overwhelmed by the extent of the positive impact that the film has had on the people who participated.”

The series has even emboldened some former child performers, including Zoey 101’s Matthew Underwood, to come forward about abuse they faced in their adolescence. “It’s obviously really disturbing to hear further traumatic accounts, but it’s also heartening to feel that people feel safe in starting to share their stories,” says Schwartz. “I can say with certainty there’s definitely a lot of other people who are processing what they went through.”

While the series may have created a haven for some to detail their traumatic experiences, it has also led to problematic social media demand for ex-Nickelodeon stars like Ariana Grande and Josh Peck to address the allegations. “One thing we’ve heard from people who have been in the public eye is that even if they’re not saying something publicly right now, it doesn’t mean they’re not processing,” says Robertson. Adds ID executive Jason Sarlanis, “One of the key things of our series is about giving survivors agency and empowering them to use their voice—when and how they’re ready to do it.”

And the Quiet on Set team is committed to telling those stories as they materialize. “We would love to continue this line of reporting and investigation,” says Robertson. “Clearly, there are so many unanswered questions and a passion for these stories, and we absolutely want to be the home for them going forward.”

This could mean making additional installments of the original docuseries, or another project entirely, says Sarlanis. “It’s really more about the mission than the specific episode count or title that takes. As long as people directly impacted by this part of pop culture history want a platform, we are committed to find ways to do that.”

Nickelodeon previously said in a statement to VF that it “investigates all complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace” and has “adopted numerous safeguards over the years.” But the Quiet on Set team is glad the documentary has opened up a space to discuss industry-wide reform for child actors, including requiring background checks of those working where children are present, mental health resources on set, and even federal legislation concerning the safety of young performers—who have now infiltrated YouTube and TikTok. “I hope our documentary serves as a cautionary tale for future emerging platforms that utilize children in this space of entertainment, many in the social digital sphere that have zero regulation or oversight,” says Sarlanis.

“Our documentary, I believe, sparked a movement,” he tells VF. “I was speaking to the team members of a former child star, who I won’t name, but they said that their reaction to this was just the word ‘Finally.’”

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