Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV

A look at the documentary which uncovers the disturbing secrets behind some of your favorite childhood shows.

Image c/o Max/HBO

By Madison Sciba
Editor-in-Chief

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The Nickelodeon channel was a staple in many childhoods for those who are younger millennials and older Gen Z. Shows like iCarly, Drake and Josh, Zoey 101, and All That dominated the world of children’s television. Shows on Nickelodeon were targeted solely towards kids ranging from age 6 to mid teens, and were comedies that did not hold back from being goofy and outrageous. Unlike the shows that aired on the Disney channel, Nickelodeon’s comedies were not centered around a plot where the main character learns some kind of life lesson. Instead, Nickelodeon shows were purely meant to entertain making audiences laugh. However, the facade of Nickelodeon crumbled as the new Max docuseries, Quiet on Set, revealed the dark hidden secrets and scandals that surrounded the famous children’s television studio. 

While a lot of famous names were brought up in the documentary, most noted were Drake Bell and Amanda Bynes. Both were major stars on the channel and have since had very public issues with the law and mental health. The Max docuseries revealed that Bell was sexually abused as a young teen by an acting coach who was working on the set of The Amanda Show. While this may have been the most shocking revelation to come out of Quiet on Set, it was seemingly not the focus of the miniseries. 

Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider and his questionable actions on sets were the primary focal point of the series. Schneider was responsible for creating some of Nickelodeon’s most popular shows like iCarly, Victorious, Zoey 101, and Drake and Josh. Not only did Quiet on Set reveal that Schneider acted inappropriately to coworkers and subordinates on sets. Former female writers for The Amanda Show recalled how poorly they were treated and how they received a significantly smaller salary compared to the other male writers on the show. 

Quiet on Set’s main criticism of Schneider is his history of having child actors, specifically female child actors, perform scenes and actions which were considered sexual in nature. Having a teenaged Ariana Grande grunt while squeezing a potato and a whole skit on iCarly actors Miranda Cosgrove and Jeanette McCurdy’s toes. One most notable was a character on The Amanda Show, Penelope Taint, played by the young Amanda Bynes. All references that would not make sense to Nickelodeon’s targeted younger audience but deemed highly inappropriate by a more mature audience.

The reason that Quiet on Set has become such a talked about topic on social media is because of how shocking it is that this kind of behavior has been allowed in areas which were supposed to be focused on children. Quiet on Set exposes the dark side of the children’s entertainment industry and the inappropriate actions of a showrunner who was seemingly given complete power over those more vulnerable at Nickelodeon. 

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