Topline
Investigation Discovery will release a bonus episode of “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” next month, the network announced Tuesday, following the popularity of its four-part docuseries that investigated the alleged toxic culture of kids shows on Nickelodeon in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Key Facts
The fifth episode of the series will be titled, “Breaking the Silence,” and will feature a discussion with Drake Bell—who revealed he was the victim of sexual abuse during his time at Nickelodeon for the first time in the docuseries—and other former child stars that will be moderated by journalist Soledad O’Brien, according to a release.
The new episode will build “off the revelations explored in the first four episodes” and O’Brien and the former stars will discuss “where the industry can go from here.”
At least one former child star who was not in the first four episodes—former “All That” cast member Shane Lyons—will be featured in the fifth episode.
The episode is scheduled to air on April 7.
Big Number
16 million. That’s at least how many viewers—across Investigation Discovery, Max and Discovery+—watched the first four episodes of the show, according to Investigation Discovery, meaning the show has the largest audience of any unscripted series since Max launched in May 2023.
Key Background
“Quiet on Set” looked at Nickelodeon shows that were created by producer Dan Schneider and sought to provide “the untold story of the toxic and abusive environment inside ‘90s kids’ TV.” Schneider was the mind behind hit shows like Amanda Bynes’ “The Amanda Show,” Jamie Lynn Spears’ “Zoey 101” and Miranda Cosgrove’s “iCarly.” The docuseries featured interviews with former child stars, writers and crew members who alleged Schnieder ran a toxic workplace for both the child actors and writers on his shows. After the four-episode series aired across two nights earlier this month, Schneider released a video in which he apologized for his behavior. The former Nickelodeon producer said he was “embarrassed” by how he ran a writers’ room and that there were times he “said things that went too far,” saying it was because he had been “inexperienced” and “immature.” The series also revealed allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct on the set of Nickelodeon shows and was the first place Bell openly spoke about his alleged abuse at the hands of former dialogue coach Brian Peck.
Further Reading
