‘Quiet on Set’ to Expand with a New Episode: ‘Breaking the Silence’

Tony Maglio

26 March 2024 at 5:32 pm·2-min read

If ID’s “Quiet on Set” is making more noise than usual on your timeline today, it’s because Investigation Discovery has ordered a fifth episode. The new installment, titled “Breaking the Silence,” will again “feature former Nickelodeon child stars from the early 2000s,” again including Drake Bell.

“Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” examined the “toxic and dangerous culture behind some of the most iconic children’s television shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s,” and included allegations of abuse, sexism and racism. The series, which is available to stream on Max, exploded on the internet.

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Bell has already participated on the series as it was original conceived and produced, as did “All That” cast members Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne (as well as Hearne’s mother). They’ll all be joined in the follow-up episode by another “All That” cast member, Shane Lyons.

Soledad O’Brien will lead the “Breaking the Silence” conversation, which aims to, in part, “discuss where the industry can go from here.” IndieWire’s Alison Foreman has another worthwhile question for discussion: “In the name of exposing and confronting objectionable material, is it acceptable to air it again — even in documentary?”

In “Quiet on Set,” Bell shared publicly for the first time the abuse he suffered by Brian Peck, his former dialogue coach who was convicted in 2004 for crimes against Bell and ordered to register as a sex offender.

“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, the president of TNT, TBS, TruTV, ID & HLN’s linear and streaming.

The “Breaking the Silence” episode premieres Sunday, April 7 at 8/7c on ID. The original four-part series first premiered on Sunday, March 17.

The “Quiet on Set” docuseries “pulled back the curtain on an empire, built by creator Dan Schneider, that had an undeniable grip on popular culture,” per its synopsis. The series “chronicles a pattern of gross, emotionally and verbally abusive, and manipulative behavior that unfolds across decades and recounts stories about child predators on set.” Warner Bros. Discovery says the series has been watched by more than 16 million viewers (for at least two minutes on streaming and one minute on linear).

“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.

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