Investigation Discovery’s Quiet On Set rocked the entertainment industry with a 4 part documentary series about child abuse in children’s programming.
For a time, this was largely an open secret. Nickelodeon profited from popular series such as All That, The Amanda Show, and iCarly, all of which were born from the mind of Dan Schneider. However, there was a dark side and Schneider was known for inappropriate behavior behind the scenes.
In episode 5 of Quiet On Set, entitled, “Breaking the Silence,” Soledad O’Brien reunites several of the central figures of the documentary for the first time since the original episodes aired. There, she interviews Drake & Josh star Drake Bell and All That cast members Giovannie Samuels and Bryan Hearne. These performers address the reaction to the documentary and how it’s impacted them. The resulting 40 minutes was a moving retreading of heartbreaking material that was a satisfying wrap-up to the series.
Will there be an episode 6 of Quiet On Set?
Episode 5 of Quiet On Set was a natural progression of the series. The dark secrets of Nickelodeon were so harrowing that there had to be some response. Schneider released a 19-minute apology video that largely fell on deaf ears. For many, it was too little too late. And in any case, time shouldn’t be yielded to the person who spent years profiting from the pain of children. Episode 5 lets these stars have their time to discuss the ramifications of their experiences. Investigation Discovery head, Jason Sarlanis, opened up to The Hollywood Reporter that before the first episode aired, they were inclined to do a follow-up.
“In terms of specifically extending Quiet on Set in its first series to an episode that captured some of the aftermath, I think we first started talking to [executive producers] Mary [Robertson] and Emma [Schwartz] right after the trailer dropped. And we worked together with them mostly to be able to produce this additional episode after the show itself had been seen so that we could create this platform for our incredibly brave contributors to join in the very conversation that we were alluding to. There have been hundreds of media outlets and content creators who have evolved this story. We wanted to give that platform back the a very people whose story it really is.”
However, it is unclear if Investigation Discovery will release more content regarding these concepts. No plans for episode 6 have been made public as of yet. Sarlanis intimated to the outlet that they did not believe Quiet On Set was definitively over, either.
“The themes that Mary and Emma are tackling with Quiet on Set are something that we are committed to continuing to shine a light on, whether or not it’s more of Quiet on Set, or other projects we could do together. What was so incredible about Quiet on Set is that it was expertly crafted to give a platform for this specific story and example of systemic abuse.”
In fairness, there are many more directions that this story could lead. Robertson mentioned that the pouring of outrage has made many consider future federal legislation to protect children in the entertainment industry.
Audiences can view all 5 episodes of Quiet On Set streaming on Max.