Investigation Discovery greenlit a new, fifth episode of docuseries QUIET ON SET: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDS TV titled Breaking the Silence that will delve deeper into the toxic and dangerous culture behind some of the most iconic children’s television shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including allegations of abuse, sexism, and racism. Premiering Sunday, April 7 @ 8PM/7c on ID, Breaking the Silence will feature former Nickelodeon child stars from the early 2000s, including Drake Bell. Some reunite for the first time to share their reactions to QUIET ON SET: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDS TV, which has been watched by more than 16 million viewers, continues to bring in new viewers across ID and Max/discovery+ and has the largest audience of an unscripted series since the launch of Max. Building off the revelations explored in the first four episodes, award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien will lead the conversation in the new episode to discuss where the industry can go from here.
“With Breaking the Silence, we’re digging deeper into the crucial conversations the docuseries ignited and exploring the lingering questions left in their wake to provide further insight from the brave voices who’ve spoken out previously and those who are coming forward again,” said Jason Sarlanis, President, TNT, TBS, TruTV, ID & HLN, Linear and Streaming.
Participants previously featured in QUIET ON SET, including Drake Bell, All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, Hearne’s mother, Tracey Brown, as well as new voices including former All That cast member Shane Lyons, will come together with Soledad O’Brien for an important discussion about the industry, then and now.
ID’s QUIET ON SET: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDS TV pulled back the curtain on an empire, built by creator Dan Schneider, that had an undeniable grip on popular culture. Over its four-parts, the docuseries which first premiered on Sunday, March 17th @ 9PM offered unprecedented access to key cast members, writers, and crew spanning Schneider’s popular series at Nickelodeon and spotlighted their emotional accounts. It also chronicles a pattern of gross, emotionally, and verbally abusive, and manipulative behavior that unfolds across decades and recounts stories about child predators on set. QUIET ON SET featured former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell, sharing publicly, for the first time ever, the abuse he suffered at the hands of Brian Peck – his former dialogue coach who was convicted in 2004 for crimes against Drake and ordered to register as a sex offender.
QUIET ON SET: THE DARK SIDE OF KIDS TV is directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz and produced by Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television – Nonfiction in association with Business Insider.
About Soledad O’Brien
Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author, philanthropist, and founder of Soledad O’Brien Productions, a media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues. She anchors and produces “Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien,” a Hearst political magazine program seen in 95% of the country. She was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of fame in May 2023. O’Brien’s work has been recognized with four Emmy® awards, three times with the George Foster Peabody Award, four times with the Gracie Award, which honors women in media, twice with Cine Awards for her work in documentary films, and with an Alfred I. DuPont Award.
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Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV |
| Network: Investigation DiscoveryGenre: DocumentarySeasons: 1Episodes: 5 | |
OverviewDiscover the untold story of the toxic and abusive environment inside '90s kids' TV. Hear harrowing accounts from former child stars and crew who probe the balance of power in the industry and reveal an era that inflicted lasting wounds still felt today. |
