What we learned from the bonus episode of ‘Quiet on the Set’
Investigation Discovery aired a new episode of its documentary “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” on Sunday night, featuring new interviews with several former Nickelodeon child stars and their reactions to the media firestorm caused by the series.
“Quiet on the Set,” which is also streaming on Max, has garnered a ton of attention since it debuted last month for its in-depth look at past working conditions on popular Nickelodeon shows. In particular, “Quiet on the Set” delves into claims against Dan Schneider, creator of hits including “The Amanda Show” and “iCarly,” with former staffers and actors coming forward to detail allegations of his misconduct behind the scenes and how they say he created an abusive environment for cast and crew members.
Drake Bell, star of the mid-2000s teen comedy “Drake & Josh,” is also featured in the documentary. Bell revealed that he was the victim of sexual abuse as a minor by Brian Peck, an actor and dialogue coach who had worked on several shows at Nickelodeon. Peck was convicted in 2004 for his abuse of Bell as a teen, receiving a 16-month prison sentence and orders to register as a sex offender.
The series was originally slated for just four episodes and has attracted more than 16 million viewers. Investigation Discovery announced the bonus fifth episode, titled “Breaking the Silence,” in March, tapping journalist Soledad O’Brien to host an intimate conversation with several of the documentary’s participants to explore the shocking revelations. As of now, Investigation Discovery hasn’t revealed whether any future installments of the series are in the works.
From reactions over the documentary’s impact to new claims, here’s everything we learned from episode five of “Quiet on the Set.”
‘All That’ cast member Shane Lyons claims Brian Peck made passes at him
While the new episode mostly features O’Brien revisiting the series with several of the documentary’s participants, the latest installment does include a new interview with Shane Lyons, who was a cast member on Nickelodeon’s “All That” from 2002 to 2004. Lyons opens up about his experiences on the show, including his time with Peck.
Lyons praised Bell for coming forward about Peck in the documentary, saying it was “very brave of him to go on national television” and tell his story. “The specificity of what Brian did was something nobody knew,” Lyons said. “It’s absolutely gut-wrenching.”
Lyons said that “there were certainly some passes” made by Peck in their past interactions, recalling an uncomfortable moment behind the scenes on “All That” when Peck asked him, alone backstage, what “blue balls” were when Lyons was just a young teen.
“I’m a kid, 13, 14,” Lyons told O’Brien, noting that he thought it was a term for racquet balls. “As I think back now, as an adult, as a 36-year-old, would I ever have a conversation with a 13-year-old boy like he had one with me? No.”
Drake Bell reacts to Dan Schneider allegations, talks response by ‘Boy Meets World’ stars
One of the biggest revelations during the series was that Peck had received a lot of support from several stars in Hollywood, who came to his defense during sentencing.
The “Quiet on the Set” team was able to get Peck’s letters of support unsealed, revealing that “X-Men” actor James Marsden, former “Saturday Night Live” comic Taran Killam, and “Boy Meets World” stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong were among those who wrote to the judge on his behalf.
Friedle, who was also in the courtroom sitting among several other stars on Peck’s side during his sentencing, shared his thoughts on the controversy during a recent episode of his “Pod Meets World” podcast.
“We’re sitting in that courtroom, on the wrong side of everything, of course having no idea of this,” Friedle said. “I just sat there wanting to die. It was like, what the hell am I doing here?”
Bell reacted to Friedle’s response during Sunday’s episode, saying that, while he appreciates that perspective now, it doesn’t change how he thinks about that moment in court.
“That day is so ingrained in my mind and there are so many people who, I mean, nobody’s reached out to me,” Bell told O’Brien. “Personally, no, not one person who’s written one of those letters has reached out to me.”
But prior to Sunday night’s episode, Bell took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal that he had now spoken with Strong and that they are “all healing together.”
“I have nothing but love and forgiveness for him,” Bell wrote.
During Sunday’s episode, Bell also reacted to the allegations against Schneider. Bell worked with the longtime producer and showrunner on “The Amanda Show” and “Drake & Josh.”
“I can just say that, during this time with Brian, Dan was really the only one from the network who even made an effort to help me and make sure I was OK,” Bell said.
‘All That’ stars weigh in on Dan Schneider’s response video, reveal recent phone call
“All That” cast members Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne returned for episode five of “Quiet on the Set,” opening up about the impact of the series. Samuels and Hearne also reacted to Schneider’s video response to the series, where he admitted to owing “some people a pretty strong apology,” but fell short of accepting responsibility for all of the allegations levied against him.
“If I could be candid, Dan was an actor before all of this, so I think that he brushed off some chops and gave us a nice performance,” Hearne said.
“Where was all this apologizing when Jennette McCurdy’s book came out?” he added, noting the former “iCarly” star’s 2022 tell-all memoir about her tumultuous time as a child actor.
Samuels also revealed that, prior to the documentary’s first airing, Schneider reached out to her to ask that she speak kindly on his behalf.
While Samuels said that Schneider knew she would be featured in “Quiet on the Set,” he thought she would offer some support since the former “All That” star came back to Nickelodeon in 2018 for an episode of “Henry Danger,” another Schneider-created show.
“I told him I was terrified of him,” Samuels said of her phone call with him. “I said, ‘You have the power to make people stars, and I was intimidated by you.’ ”