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The anticipated new docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is premiering this weekend. The limited series explores the harmful environment that flourished on the set of the most cherished children’s shows. To see Drake Bell and other former Nickelodeon cast members speak their truth, find out how to watch the Quiet on Set documentary live for free.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is the upcoming Investigation Discovery (ID) documentary that sheds light on the dangerous culture behind the most beloved children’s shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s. “Quiet On Set pulls back the curtain on an empire, built by creator Dan Schneider, that had an undeniable grip on popular culture. Series such as All That and The Amanda Show, among others, were obsessively consumed by children across the country and defined comedy for a generation,” according to ID.
The TV network continued, “But behind the upbeat onscreen presence on these shows with questionable jokes and over-the-top sketches, Quiet On Set reveals an insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew.” The docuseries was directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz and produced by Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television – Nonfiction in association with Business Insider.
Read on to learn how to watch the two-night docuseries Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV live without cable.
When does Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV air?
Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV on Sunday, March 17 and Monday, March 18, at 9 p.m. ET on Investigation Discovery.
How to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV for free
Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV airs on Investigation Discovery, which is available to stream live on services like DirecTV Stream, Philo, Fubo, and Sling. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial and starts at $79.99 per month after the trial ends. Philo offers a seven-day free trial and costs $25 per month after the free trial ends. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial, starts at $79.99 per month after the trial ends. Sling TV starts at $20 for your first month.
Best Overall Pick to Watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV: DirecTV Stream’s Free Trial
Direct TV is our best overall pick to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV for free for its free trial, price, and channel selection. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial. DirecTV offers four plans: Entertainment, which costs $79.99 per month; Choice, which costs $108.99 per month with the first two months at $83.99 per month; Ultimate, which costs $84.99 per month with the first two months at $94.99 per month; and Premiere, which costs $159.99 per month.
As for other differences between the plans, Entertainment includes more than 75 channels, the ability to stream on unlimited devices in your home, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and a special offer on premium channels. Choice, which is the most popular plan, includes more than 105 channels, regional sports networks, and everything included in Entertainment. Ultimate includes more than 140 channels and everything included in Entertainment and Choice. Premiere includes more than 150 channels including premium channels like HBO and Starz and everything included in Entertainment, Choice, and Premiere. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV with DirecTV Stream’s free trial.
- Visit streamtv.directv.com‘s packages page
- Click “Try It Free” for the plan of your choice
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for Investigation Discovery and start watching Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
Best Budget Pick to Watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV: Philo’s Free Trial
Philo is our best budget pick to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV for its price and free trial length. Philo offers a seven-day free trial and costs $25 per month after the trial ends. Along with Investigation Discovery, Philo also offers similar channels like Crime Investigation. As for what else it includes, Philo offers more than 70 channels, as well as an unlimited DVR service. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV with Philo’s free trial.
- Visit Philo.com
- Click “Start Free Trial”
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for Investigation Discovery and start watching Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
Best Budget Pick to Watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV: Sling TV
Sling TV is our best budget pick to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV for its channel selection. Sling TV offers three plans: Sling Orange for $40 per month; Sling Blue for $45 per month; and Sling Orange + Blue for $60 per month. Sling also has a current deal where subscribers can sign up for 50 percent off their first month, bringing Sling Orange’s price down to $20 for your first month; Sling Blue’s to $22.50 for your first month; and Sling Orange + Blue’s to $30 for your first month. All three plans include Investigation Discovery.
As for the differences between the plans, Sling Orange, which is most suited toward sports and family channels, includes 32 channels and the ability to stream on one device at a time. Sling Orange, which is most suited toward news and entertainment channels, includes 42 channels and the ability to stream on three devices at a time. Sling Orange + Blue includes all the channels offered on both Sling Orange and Sling Blue, as well as the ability to stream on three devices at a time. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV with Sling TV.
- Visit Sling.com
- Click “Try Us Today”
- Create an account
- Select your plan
- Enter your payment information and check out
- Search for Investigation Discovery and start watching Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
Best Upgrade Pick to Watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV: Fubo’s Free Trial
Fubo is our best free trial pick to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV live for free. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial (two days longer than DirecTV Stream) and offers two plans: Pro, which costs $79.99 per month; and Elite, which costs $89.99 per month. Investigation Discovery is available on both plans. Fubo also has a current deal, where users can sign up for $20 off their first month.
As for the difference between the plans, Pro includes 180 channels, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 screens at once. Elite includes everything in Pro, as well as a total of 256 channels and 4K resolution. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV with Fubo’s free trial.
- Visit Fubo.TV
- Click “Start Free Trial”
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for Investigation Discovery and start watching Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
What is Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV about?
What is Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV about? The four-part series will spotlight the pattern of abusive and manipulative behavior that occurred on Dan Schneider’s popular Nickelodeon series over decades. The documentary includes social media commentary, archival footage, and interviews with key cast members, writers, and crew who worked on Schneider’s kids shows.
Quiet on Set will “recontextualize many moments within these series that may have seemed silly or off when first aired but now carry a much darker undertone, offering a powerful reframing of these beloved shows,” ID’s description reads.
After two decades, Nickelodeon parted ways with Schneider in 2018 following a ViacomCBS investigation in late 2017 and early 2018 into Schneider’s “alleged sexual behavior.” Although the investigation found no evidence of sexual misconduct, the report concluded that Schneider was verbally abusive on set, according to the Los Angeles Times.
In an interview with The New York Times in 2021, Schneider denied all allegations of misconduct. “I couldn’t and I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many reputable people if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors,” he said.
Who appears in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV?
Who appears in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV? In addition to Drake Bell, the docuseries will feature All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne, and Katrina Johnson, and director Virgil Fabian, who will “pull back the curtain on the culture on the set of the beloved teen sketch series.”
Additionally, writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton will “expose allegations of a toxic and sexist environment in The Amanda Show.” Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas will offer “insight” into being involved with the popular teen show, while additional cast and crew from iCarly, Sam & Cat, Victorious, and more will also appear. The series will also provide testimony from parents of cast members who tried to advocate for their children on set.
What happened to Drake Bell on Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV?
What happened to Drake Bell on Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV? In the documentary, the former Nickelodeon child star revealed that he was the unnamed minor in the 2004 sexual assault conviction of Nickelodeon Dialogue Coach Brian Peck.
The sexual abuse occurred when Bell was a 15-year-old cast member on The Amanda Show. According to a Los Angeles Police Department release published in 2003, 43-year-old Brian Peck was arrested for having lewd acts with a minor. He pleaded no contest to lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older and oral copulation of a person under 16. The court ultimately found him guilty on both charges, and Peck served more than a year in jail and had to register as a sex offender.
“Brian and I became really close because we had a lot of the same interests, which looking back, I think that was probably a little calculated,” Bell said in the docuseries. Bell first starred on Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show in 1999 and the following year, he met Peck, a dialogue coach who would invite him to his house for acting lessons, according to People.
“I was sleeping on the couch where I usually sleep and I woke up to him… I opened my eyes and I woke up and he was…he was sexually assaulting me,” Bell, who was 15 at the time, recalled. “And I froze, and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react.”
“You know anytime I had an audition or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian’s house,” Bell continued. “And it just got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse, and I was just trapped. I had no way out. The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal.”
Bell said the abuse happened more than once. “I often look back at that time and wonder how in the world I survived,” he explained. “I remember all of the abusive events, but everything outside of that is very blurry to me, which is a bummer because I experienced a lot of great things in my life and my career during this time. But it was so overshadowed and ruined by what I was dealing with on the inside that it made it really hard for me.”
Nickelodeon recently released a statement in response to Bell coming forward. “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward,” the channel said, according to Deadline.
Watch the teaser for Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV below.