ID Docuseries Goes Inside Alleged 'Toxic Environment' of Kids TV Shows Under Dan Schneider
Nickelodeon cut ties with producer Dan Schneider amid allegations of abusive behavior, which Schneider has denied
An upcoming docuseries on ID alleges a pattern of abuse and toxic behavior on the sets of some of the most popular kids TV shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The four-part docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which premieres across two nights on ID starting March 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, explores shows produced by Dan Schneider, who Nickelodeon cut ties with in 2018 amid allegations of abusive behavior.
It features multiple interviews with former cast members, writers and crew from popular teen series All That, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly, Sam & Cat, Victorious and the game show Double Dare. (A trailer is shown below.)
“For 20 years, he shaped children’s entertainment and culture,” journalist Scaachi Koul said in the clip below about the Nickelodeon producer and creator. “But that marked one of the darkest chapters.”
“Working for Dan was like being in an abusive relationship,” former The Amanda Show writer Christy Stratton alleges in the docuseries.
According to the ID press release, the docuseries alleges an “insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew.”
Related: Nickelodeon Cuts Ties with 'Henry Danger' and 'iCarly' Creator Dan Schneider
“It was a toxic environment that made me trust people less,” said one of the people interviewed.
"Quiet on Set will shine a spotlight on these emotional accounts, chronicling a pattern of gross, abusive, and manipulative behavior that unfolded across decades, as well as exclusive stories about child predators on set," states the ID press release.
Schneider, who is described in the trailer as “Nickelodeon’s golden boy” began working at Nickelodeon in 1993 as an executive producer and writer for the sketch comedy series All That.
Related: Dan Schneider Addresses Nickelodeon Exit, Denies Acting Inappropriately: My Comedy 'Was Innocent'
In 1999, he became the showrunner for The Amanda Show, starring Amanda Bynes. He continued working with Bynes on the WB sitcom What I Like About You in 2002.
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Schneider returned to Nickelodeon in 2004 to create Drake & Josh with Drake Bell and Josh Peck. He followed that project with Zoey 101, starring Jamie Lynn Spears.
More hits followed with Victorious, starring Victoria Justice, iCarly with Miranda Cosgrove, and Sam & Cat with Ariana Grande. Other projects included Henry Danger, Game Shakers and The Adventures of Kid Danger
Nickelodeon parted ways with Schneider in March 2018 amid reports alleging he engaged in abusive behavior towards staff members on set, as well as speculation about tweets he posted showing the feet of some of the young actresses he worked with, Deadline reported at the time.
The Los Angeles Times reported that a ViacomCBS investigation found no evidence that Schneider had committed sexual misconduct, but alleged he had been verbally abusive to staff.
Schneider has denied allegations of wrongdoing.
A spokesperson for Schneider issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly about the ID docuseries, reading: "Dan cared about the kids on his shows even when sometimes their own families unfortunately did not. He understood what they were going through and he was their biggest champion. The fact is many of the kids on these shows are put in the untenable position of becoming the breadwinner for their family and the pressure that comes along with that."
The statement continued, "Add on top of that the difficulties of growing up and having to do so under the spotlight while working a demanding job, all as a child. That is why there are many levels of standards, executives, lawyers, teachers and parents everywhere, all the time, on every set, every day. However, it is still a hard place to be a kid and nobody knew that better than Dan.”
The docuseries, which is directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, also includes archival footage and interviews with former All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne and Katrina Johnson and director Virgil Fabian.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, premieres across two nights on ID from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT on March 17 and March 18.
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