Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider is currently facing controversy after a five part docuseries reveals his past behaviors behind the scenes of some of the most popular children's shows of the early 2000’s.
The HBO MAX docuseries Quiet on set: The Dark Side of Childrens TV, was created to reveal the inner workings of Nickelodeon. Split into two parts, the first of which aired on March 17th and 18th. The second was a one episode bonus, which aired on April 7th, revealing some familiar faces who have come to light to share their stories for the world.
Co-directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, the two set out to reveal the truth about the alleged abuse and exploitation of children’s TV.
“One of the central questions we were looking at was this power dynamic, whether that’s a child being put in a work environment, whether that’s a parent trying to support their child, whether that’s the child relating to a showrunner who has the power to make or break their career, or their future as a star,” Robertson said to the Hollywood Reporter.
The series was meant to muckrake the realities of the child stars many young children looked up to on television. Famous child actors including Drake Bell, Katrina Johnson and Giovonnie Samuels were featured in the alarming docuseries, sharing what life was really like on the other side of the camera. These children faced discrimination, racism and body image issues as a result of the toxic working conditions of set life.
“You have the power to make people stars. And I was intimidated by you. I wanted to do a good job,” Giovonnie Samuels said to Dan Schneider.
For many of these child stars, they were the source for their entire family’s income, all year round. The expectations and stress that came along with this is the cause of many reaching their breaking point. They knew who was in charge on set, and who got them the screen time which made them their rent money.
Actress Jeannette McCurdy, who co-starred in Nickelodeon's hit show iCarly, published a memoir titled I’m Glad My Mom Died, showcasing her negative childhood experiences and speaking up about the toxicity of TV life.
While McCurdy was not directly featured on Quiet on Set, she, along with costar Ariana Grande are often referenced as the targets for oversexualized scenes in hit Nickelodeon series, Sam and Cat.
“I grew up watching Nickelodeon shows like iCarly, Sam and Cat and Zoey101. After watching Quiet On Set, I truly feel like my eyes have been opened to the horrifying, disturbing truth behind my favorite childhood shows,” Newtown High School junior Jenna Lagan said.
Similarly to Lagan’s feelings about the truth, actress Alexa Nikolas, who played Nicole on Nickelodeon’s Zoey101, has spoken out about what her trauma has done to her parenting style as she raises 2 young children. She says how she wouldn’t even let the thought cross her mind to put her children through acting after she lived through the horrifying truth of how children’s TV comes to life.
“That one time I was taught by a network studio to be boy crazy at 12 years old. Ladies don’t be boy crazy instead be you crazy and build your own empire. Kids networks need to stop sexualizing children. It’s creepy,” Nikolas said in a 2019 instagram post.
The issues of child fame life do not only lie behind the camera, but behind the scenes and between episodes. The thought of somebody choosing to manipulate their role is often discussed in the arts.
“I am disgusted by any adult who takes advantage of their role working with young people and it happens all too often. We have a privilege and an obligation to work with the youth, especially in the arts,” NHS Theatre Arts and Language Arts teacher, Janice Gabriel said.