"Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" Discussion Thread

[Fone Bone]

That's sort of adding gasoline to a fire, don't you think?

I'm allowed to pissed at the post. I'm not looking to stage a public intervention.

Like I said, if he is NOT a corporate apologist I will trust you on that. You have enough credibility banked with me for that. But that doesn't make me like the post any more.

 

[Light Lucario]

I was offended those were his main thoughts. Him supporting the actors seemed an afterthought in his statement. He attacked the documentarians first, even corporate stuff like David Zaslav they have no control over, before saying he supports the actors.

Like it or not, when you make a public statement about a topic this sensitive, where you lead off matters. He spent several paragraphs attacking the documentarians for stuff they either had no control over (like Investigation Discovery's reputation) or stuff that didn't matter (like pundits explaining the dirty jokes to viewers instead of asking the victims to relive every sordid detail when that would suffice.) If the guy did NOT want to be seen by me as a Nickelodeon apologist his first words would not be attacking the documentarians and questioning both their motives and their professionalism. And that is EXACTLY what he spent the first several paragraphs of the article doing. That is inarguable. And that is also something I feel I have a right to be upset about, especially after getting the context here that the victims opened up to the producers BECAUSE they were sensitive and cared. I am allowed to be angry and disgusted his first reaction was to accuse them of sinister motivations. That is not an overreaction on my end. That is how he chose to present himself and his argument. And it angers me.

If I was wrong, and everybody else did like Marc Summers, and claimed they were exploited, I'd do the Mea Culpa. The fact that his accusations against the project were FALSE makes me angrier instead. I won't apologize for THAT.

I think that you're still overreacting. Yes, this is a sensitive topic and given your experience, I can understand why it would upset you, but describing his issues with the docuseries or the channel is not the same thing as attacking the documentarians. Saying that he was accusing them of sinister motivations also feels like a bit much.

I don't think that starting off with his problems with the series negates what he said later in the statement. He still ultimately wanted people to take the right lessons away from the series and said that it was a difficult, yet important, watch. I think that saying all of that doesn't matter or that it isn't sincere because of how he started off the statement is pretty harsh. That's why I think you are overracting. You are judging a lot about one person just from one statement. I'm not saying that you have to agree with everything in the statement, but using it to judge someone who you couldn't even tell was a YouTuber and automatically dismissed them as a Nickelodeon apologist is both harsh and a huge misreading of their statement.

 

[Fone Bone]

I think that you're still overreacting. Yes, this is a sensitive topic and given your experience, I can understand why it would upset you, but describing his issues with the docuseries or the channel is not the same thing as attacking the documentarians. Saying that he was accusing them of sinister motivations also feels like a bit much.

I don't think that starting off with his problems with the series negates what he said later in the statement. He still ultimately wanted people to take the right lessons away from the series and said that it was a difficult, yet important, watch. I think that saying all of that doesn't matter or that it isn't sincere because of how he started off the statement is pretty harsh. That's why I think you are overracting. You are judging a lot about one person just from one statement. I'm not saying that you have to agree with everything in the statement, but using it to judge someone who you couldn't even tell was a YouTuber and automatically dismissed them as a Nickelodeon apologist is both harsh and a huge misreading of their statement.

I'll trust @John Pannozzi on this.

But I do want to correct a couple of things. I DID know he was a YouTuber. But I was under the impression Nick Knacks was a licensed thing. I may have made a wrong assumption about him based on the post. But you made some pretty wrong, and frankly hurtful, assumptions about ME based on my posts. The difference being that I never watched Nick Knacks and this was my first exposure to the host / creator. But you've seen me operate on this board for years, and you are a person I greatly respect. Hearing the idea that you think I complain for the sake of complaining really depressed and hurt me. Because nothing could be further from the truth. It bothers me because the totality of my posts, including my reviews, are about an equal measure of pop culture criticisms and praise.

I understand my criticisms are often pointed, and thus memorable. But to act like that's what I'm all about, and as if my very real praise for cartoons and projects I love and love to talk about doesn't exist really bothers and hurts me.

Maybe my topical complaints also register more because if I'm either pleased or neutral with news for a project I don't feel the need to chime in with a sentence long post to voice my approval simply to pad my post count. It takes a lot fewer words to praise news and I prefer in-depth posts that really delve into a discussion / debate. If you don't see me saying "Right on!" to every piece of positive casting news just assumed I'm either all right or pleased with it.

 

[Shiloh Otter]

As a devoted Nick Knacks viewer, I'll just say that it is merely a passion project that is funded mainly through Patreon subscriptions.

Also, Greg is absolutely not a Nickelodeon apologist and has discussed many difficult topics in the series with a lot of nuance, which is something that is needed when talking about a difficult topic.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Managed to watch Quiet on Set recently on Discovery+ and all I can say is that I am definitely furious at Schneider for the toxic environment that happened in the shows he either created or produced.

About his so-called apology video, I don't forgive him whatsoever, so there's that.

 

[Pooky]

No more posts about Nick Knacks in this thread please, be it criticism or praise. If they hear about our discussion here and wish to use their old account to discuss the points raised here, fair enough, but otherwise no need for any further posts on the matter as its at best tangential to the main topic of the thread.

 

[kanc]

TV Ratings for Sunday 7th April 2024 - Network Finals and Select Cable Numbers Posted

TV Ratings for Sunday 7th April 2024 - Network Finals and Select Cable Numbers Posted

www.spoilertv.com

Sun Apr 7 ratings for Quiet on Set bonus episode - 0.453

 

[Golden Geek]

Alexa Nikolas just went live with some pretty damning claims about the Quiet on Set production, claiming that she was coerced and harassed into participating, only for them to cut out her entire interview and keep the "goo pop" bit. Strong language warning, though I recommend her entire channel for anyone who would like to dive deep into the circles of industry predatory behavior.

 

[John Pannozzi]

Also, I just found this article covering similar subjects:

Are Industry Insiders Turning on Quiet on Set?

In recent days, four figures with ties to the docuseries or child stardom have criticized the project, accusing the filmmakers of misleading them into participating or profiting off of “trauma porn.”

www.vanityfair.com

 

[Light Lucario]

Alexa Nikolas just went live with some pretty damning claims about the Quiet on Set production, claiming that she was coerced and harassed into participating, only for them to cut out her entire interview and keep the "goo pop" bit. Strong language warning, though I recommend her entire channel for anyone who would like to dive deep into the circles of industry predatory behavior.

I'm not too surprised. Given how out spoken Alexa Nikolas has been with her own YouTube channel, it did feel a bit weird that she was only included briefly in the docuseries. I just figured that she had a shorter time on Zoey 101 and/or her time on the show was around the mid point of Dan's career at Nickelodeon. But given that they already mislead Marc Summers to include him briefly, doing something similar with Alexa doesn't feel like a huge stretch.

 

[Shiloh Otter]

Alexa Nikolas just went live with some pretty damning claims about the Quiet on Set production, claiming that she was coerced and harassed into participating, only for them to cut out her entire interview and keep the "goo pop" bit. Strong language warning, though I recommend her entire channel for anyone who would like to dive deep into the circles of industry predatory behavior.

Unfortunately, her experience is all too common with true crime documentaries and TV shows. It is sadly a very exploitative part of the industry. These shows and docs tend to carefully edit everything to present a certain narrative.

I've bitten my tongue about this one since it aired for fear of negative reactions, but now that she's said it, I won't anymore. I have always had negative vibes about how Quiet on Set was presented. It always came off to me as just as exploitative as other true crime series and not discussing the topic with any sort of nuance.

Sounds like i was correct.

EDIT:

I've gotten further into Alexa's video here and it seems like the producers also used clips of Amanda Bynes and Jennette McCurdy without the consent of either of them, which is very slimy in my opinion.

Amanda and Jennette declined to participate for a reason, they've been through enough already. They shouldn't be required to relive anything they've been through. So to use clips of them without permission is just wrong.

 

[JMTV]

Alexa Nikolas just went live with some pretty damning claims about the Quiet on Set production, claiming that she was coerced and harassed into participating, only for them to cut out her entire interview and keep the "goo pop" bit. Strong language warning, though I recommend her entire channel for anyone who would like to dive deep into the circles of industry predatory behavior.

(sighs) Yes... I do heard about Raquel Lee did criticized the doc in her video, but I didn't watch it because I feel uncomfortable talking about it. Same thing with Marc Summers (then again, his inclusion was weird to begin with). When I heard that Alexa Nikloas was going to do a livestream, I thought she was going to discuss the problems with doc, but at least had a good experience and the people behind the doc treated the victims with respect and dignity.

But, little did I know......, it wasn't like that at all.

After watching the livestream, I was left annoyed, infuriated, and disappointed. Honestly, keep thinking about this, I don't know which one is worse: the doc about how gross Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon was...or the people behind the doc being very sketchy and disingenuous towards the victims and re-traumatized them? I honestly had no idea.

What makes this whole situation even more disappointing that this doc could create change for the industry to protect child actors from predatory behavior and abuse. But nope, it was nothing more than just corporately manufactured tabloid "Must See TV" spread disguise as a docuseries.

Granted, this doc still doesn't taken away the victims' stories, but the documentarians has their own sticks up their asses thinking they could create change, but ends up continuing the cycle of abuse, leaving the victims even more vulnerable. It's so irritating!

Sometimes, I always think to myself, "am I a gullible sucker for even invested into it in the first place?" I was a bit giddy about Quiet on Set because I want Dan and Nick to be expose for their gross treatment towards their child actors. For a while, this is what I got from this. Now, after all of this happened, it really does make me question the producers' morality and myself for getting emotionally invested.

You know what makes this even crazier? I heard people on social media ,that I love, are very skeptical about the doc from the beginning because they did tried very hard to push the "Dan bad" narrative, and tried make the gross scenes look worse than it already is. Don't get me wrong, Dan can get bent, and yes, the scenes are gross and inappropriate, but the fact that the producers pushing that narrative rather than focusing on the actual important issues is so gross and manipulative than the actual scenes themselves. Frankly, I don't blame them for being skeptical about the doc, and I feel like an idiot for even defending this.

Honestly, this whole situation about Quiet on Set for the past month have been such a mess. Going from people who have their childhoods being ruined, to dumb-ass conspiracy theories, misinformation being spread like wildfire, child actors getting death threats for not speaking out, to now shady producers coercing the victims to the point of re-traumatizing them. Oh, and add on to the fact that they using clips of child actors that wasn't featured in the doc without their consent. Absolutely atrocious!

Honestly, after this whole Quiet on Set BS, I'm not going to talk about this anymore. I am so over this garbage! It has become so mentally taxing that it just frustrating for everybody, both the victims and the fans who grew up with Dan Schneider shows. I honestly feel bad for Alexa and Raquel because the industry screwed them over again! All for the purpose of clicks, clout, and cash, and don't even care about the victims at all. The victims deserved so much better.

And to the people who made the doc (I think their names are Emma and Mary, or whatever) should really be ashamed of themselves for not even treating the victims with dignity and respect. And no, just because I called out the producers of the doc, that doesn't mean that Dan and Nick are completely off the hook. They're not, but I'm also blaming the producers for their very sketchy practices, leaving the victims thrown under the bus afterwards. It's disgusting.

For now on, I'm washing my hands clean on Quiet on Set. I want nothing to do with this. I don't want to be part of this, nor engage with it. All it does it completely wasting my time, breath, and energy that should've been used for other things.

I'm done.

 

[Fone Bone]

This sucks. What a crappy situation. No good guys here.

I'm furious actually. I look so foolish for defending them.

Edit:

I apologize to everyone in the thread I argued with. You were right and I was wrong. As was the Nick Knacks reviewer I was hectoring. Mea Culpa.

Edit

Special apology to @Light Lucario . I am so sorry.

 

[Light Lucario]

Given what Raquel Lee Bolleau experienced, it does make the fifth episode look an even worse rushed job. Including her and getting her permission to use that unseen footage about her experience wouldn't have fixed all of the issues with these producers, but it would have been something. I certainly can't blame her for getting upset when it does make the producers come off as pretty underhanded.

I'm not surprised that they used footage of Amanda Bynes and Jennette McCurdy without their permission. Given their experiences both on and off the set, I don't think that they'd be able to make this docuseries without their footage. That of course does not justify their actions. It's still pretty bad to use their footage without their permission, especially when they've both have dealt with far too much in the industry.

It's a real shame because despite being on a trashy true crime channel, I thought that the series was well edited and that the people behind it came off as compassionate, especially with Drake Bell's interview. It's incredibly important for people to tell their stories in the hope that some real change can be made to better protect children in the entertainment industry. It hopefully can lead to some healing for the victims like Drake Bell or Bryan with his mother. Not to mention both Dan Schnedier and Nickelodeon still deserve to have their reputation forever tarnished for what they did for decades.

But having the people behind the scene do some pretty slimy underhanded stuff really paints the docuseries in a much worse light. And I have heard about other actors being threatened to tell their stories, which is such a horrible takeaway from hearing other victims speaking out. I wish I could say that surprised me, but people send threats over ships online and I've heard of people doing something similar with pressuring people to tell their stories. I still hope that the docuseries bringing attention to how terrible the entertainment industry can be for children and that there can be real change going forward, but the people not being as kind as I had hoped is really disappointing to say the least. It does make me wish that another channel had picked up this story. I don't know if being on ABC or CNN would have prevented something like this, but they might have been a bit more respectful towards those who did not want to be involved and probably wouldn't have rushed out a fifth episode as fast as Investigation Discovery did.

 

[AngusTinMan16]

I watched everything from this documentary.

There's a lot I want to say but this is all I have: I'm sad. I'm heartbroken. Almost nothing from the events covered is good.

Here's to all the former Nickelodeon child actors. Hope you all have better lives elsewhere.

 

[John Pannozzi]

Even if this docuseries was made with cynical intentions, I still hope and pray, God willing, that it will help inspire real change in the entertainment industry.

 

[Fone Bone]

Absorbed some more of this. And I'm gonna step back a little and think about how we got here.

People are horrified that former Nick cast members are getting threatened for refusing to tell their stories. People are like "Why do we have to live in such a politically toxic age?" Let me offer you a cynical opinion you will not thank me for. If the divisive politics we currently suffer from never happened, or if it was stopped in its tracks in 2016, after this doc aired Nick actors who refused to speak up would still get death threats.

The online and political climate have nothing to do with it. It's good old-fashioned mob mentality. The producers of the doc showed us a bad and disgusting thing, and many of us (me included) reflexively refused to hear anything against the doc or its producers because we were so angered by it.

I will only own that SO much though. At least personally. I don't feel I was ever a part of the mob out for blood there. If I saw somebody moved by the doc who was bullying or threatening Nick actors uncomfortable with all this, I'd tear them a new bunghole. That's not even a question. As irrational as the doc made me, I was never a part of the mob.

But being on the same SIDE as the mob makes me feel like crap anyways. It doesn't matter that I would never go that far, and it doesn't even matter if I'd step in if I saw someone else who did. Me agreeing with that side is giving it tacit approval. And when mobs get tacit approval from the public, they don't tend to show restraint, do they?

I don't feel guilty for joining the mob. Because I didn't. I feel guilty I didn't recognize it was a mob to begin with. Which helped it. And I should have recognized it. But the issue is SO horrible and serious, it's not easy to have a fair-minded opinion about it.

Just for the record, in case any of you are wondering if Crank Matt is being retired from this subject, let me assure you I held (the admittedly insane) position that child acting should be outlawed LONG before Quiet On Set came along. It turning out to be hot garbage does not alter that specific insane opinion of mine. Crank Matt is here to stay.

 

[harry580]

wow, this documentary is basically seaworld's blackfish of nickelodeon, I felt bad for the child actors who suffered all the terrible things, I felt like they should also expose people like John kricfalusi & chris savino too

 

[Daikun]

IndieWire provides further experiences from how the cast were treated during and after filming the docuseries.

‘Quiet on Set’ Survivors Say Docuseries Exploited Their Trauma, Then Shut Them Out

'Quiet on Set' survivors Raquel Lee Bolleau and Alexa Nikolas say the series got facts wrong and further exploited their childhood abuse.

www.indiewire.com

 

[Classic Speedy]

It is disheartening to read these recent stories about the methods the filmmakers used to get what they wanted, but is this an "the end justifies the means" situation? And by "end" I mean, hopefully, systemic change in Hollywood on keeping kids/teens safe from abuse (and adults from their bad bosses, for that matter)? I would tentatively argue it does, but there's no denying that if nothing comes of this, it will feel like people opening up was all for nought, because they had to get re-traumatized and for what? Some high ratings for Max? Doesn't sit well with me.

And to Fone's point, absolutely. Nobody should feel obligated to join a mob if they don't want to, and sending death threats is always uncalled for. ALWAYS.