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Review: Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024)
This was a documentary about the abuse that occurred on the sets of Nickelodeon kids’ shows. It’d blown up recently and that was how I heard about it. I thought it was a decent documentary that reminded us both of how vulnerable kids are when you put them in positions of employment, and also the importance of tone at the top and top executives in setting an example.
Episodes
The original documentary was four episodes, and there was an extra episode that was recorded after the documentary blew up. The first episode was an introduction to Dan Schneider, and it covered how Schneider created a toxic work environment even for adults, particularly women. The second episode covered a bit of Amanda Bynes’ career, and also covered a couple of the pedophiles that had worked on Nickelodeon sets. The third episode was a deep dive into Drake Bell’s abuse at the hands of Brian Peck. The final episode came back to the actors who had worked on Nickelodeon shows and what the felt about the work environment at Nickelodeon.
As you may see from this brief description, some of the episodes were more focused than others. I think the episode on Bell and Peck felt more focused because it was a specific case, whereas the episodes about Schneider were more about him setting a poor tone at the top that enabled others to treat child acors poorly, such as the victims of pedophiles, the child actors who were pressured to do things they didn’t want to do, or being put in situations where they didn’t understand the implications of their acting. But overall I think the documentary still painted a vivid picture of the work environment at Nickelodeon.
The final episode didn’t fit in style with the rest of the documentary on account of it being a special episode that was meant to cover the fallout. I appreciate the victims having a platform to say more, perhaps respond on some of the commentary. One of the actresses had mentioned that she had seen comments where people said they were grieving the loss of innocence, that they couldn’t see Nickelodeon the same anymore knowing the actors they watched were going through so much. I didn’t grow up watching Nickelodeon so this documentary didn’t hit me the same way that it probably hit other viewers and it was likely because of Nickelodeon meaning something special to those viewers that this documentary blew up.
Production
This documentary was mostly presented in interviews with victims as well as some journalists. Most evidence weas presented as testimonies from the victims. Of course most video evidence was just the final product, the Nickelodeon shows or public appearances. We were never going to get any behind the scenes footage. The extent of those were the ‘goofy’ footages that were likely approved by Schneider himself.
Themes
The message behind this documentary isn’t simply just that Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon need to be taken down. Of course, it’s important that they be forced to confront their actions. However, it’s important to recognize that child entertainers around the world are all in vulnerable positions and adult employees on sets with children have an extra important responsibility to create a safe environment for children, as well as a safe environment so that children (and employees) don’t feel afraid to speak up.
Overall
A good documentary. I think it got to the point and presented evidence that supported the narrative effectively.
Episodes
The original documentary was four episodes, and there was an extra episode that was recorded after the documentary blew up. The first episode was an introduction to Dan Schneider, and it covered how Schneider created a toxic work environment even for adults, particularly women. The second episode covered a bit of Amanda Bynes’ career, and also covered a couple of the pedophiles that had worked on Nickelodeon sets. The third episode was a deep dive into Drake Bell’s abuse at the hands of Brian Peck. The final episode came back to the actors who had worked on Nickelodeon shows and what the felt about the work environment at Nickelodeon.
As you may see from this brief description, some of the episodes were more focused than others. I think the episode on Bell and Peck felt more focused because it was a specific case, whereas the episodes about Schneider were more about him setting a poor tone at the top that enabled others to treat child acors poorly, such as the victims of pedophiles, the child actors who were pressured to do things they didn’t want to do, or being put in situations where they didn’t understand the implications of their acting. But overall I think the documentary still painted a vivid picture of the work environment at Nickelodeon.
The final episode didn’t fit in style with the rest of the documentary on account of it being a special episode that was meant to cover the fallout. I appreciate the victims having a platform to say more, perhaps respond on some of the commentary. One of the actresses had mentioned that she had seen comments where people said they were grieving the loss of innocence, that they couldn’t see Nickelodeon the same anymore knowing the actors they watched were going through so much. I didn’t grow up watching Nickelodeon so this documentary didn’t hit me the same way that it probably hit other viewers and it was likely because of Nickelodeon meaning something special to those viewers that this documentary blew up.
Production
This documentary was mostly presented in interviews with victims as well as some journalists. Most evidence weas presented as testimonies from the victims. Of course most video evidence was just the final product, the Nickelodeon shows or public appearances. We were never going to get any behind the scenes footage. The extent of those were the ‘goofy’ footages that were likely approved by Schneider himself.
Themes
The message behind this documentary isn’t simply just that Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon need to be taken down. Of course, it’s important that they be forced to confront their actions. However, it’s important to recognize that child entertainers around the world are all in vulnerable positions and adult employees on sets with children have an extra important responsibility to create a safe environment for children, as well as a safe environment so that children (and employees) don’t feel afraid to speak up.
Overall
A good documentary. I think it got to the point and presented evidence that supported the narrative effectively.