TV producer Dan Schneider has issued a new response to an Investigation Discovery docuseries that uncovers the toxic and dangerous culture on the sets of his Nickelodeon children’s shows in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
via: Variety
ID’s new docuseries, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” takes a closer look at some of the series Schneider created, including “The Amanda Show,” “All That,” “iCarly,” “Victorious” and “Sam & Cat,” calling out that some appear to sexualize young child stars like Ariana Grande and Jamie Lynn Spears in specific scenes that have been cut into compilation videos.
Schneider, however, denies that he ever intentionally did that.
“Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network. If there was an actual problem with the scenes that some people, now years later are ‘sexualizing,’ they would be taken down, but they are not, they are aired constantly all over the world today still, enjoyed by both kids and parents,” a representative for Schneider told Variety in response.
“Remember, all stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts. A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes. In addition, every day on every set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching filming and rehearsals. Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny,” the statement continued. “Unfortunately, some adults project their adult minds onto kids’ shows, drawing false conclusions about them.”
The two-part docuseries, which airs on Sunday and Monday at 9 p.m. ET. on ID and streams on Max, features both cast and crew who worked with Schneider through the 90s and early 2000s on Nickelodeon. In addition to claims of sexism, racism and inappropriate workplace behavior, the special also features crew members alleging they were asked continuously to massage Schneider on set. “Dan deeply regrets asking anyone for neck massages,” his team says in response. “Though they happened in public settings, he knows this was highly inappropriate and would never happen again.”
Director Emma Schwartz told Variety that they had asked Nickelodeon if they’d like to participate in the doc, but they declined. “We sent them a series of questions. That statement was what we got back from them. We certainly reached out to lots of people who had been in and around Nickelodeon, and we tried to learn as much as we could,” she said.
“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct,” a spokesperson for the network told Variety. “Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”
Russell Hicks, the network’s former president of content and production, referred to Schneider as “one of the most prolific producers of hit television in the kids and family entertainment business,” telling Variety, “Dan’s shows transcend children’s television and are staples on many streaming platforms today, enjoyed by both kids and their parents. Dan cared about the kids on his shows even when sometimes their own families unfortunately did not.”
Hicks continued, “What people seem to be forgetting is the fact that the network has a talent management department that is keeping tabs on everything that is happening and going to every event these kids go to.” He added that not only did the standards and practices group review each script and programming executives look at each episode, but also “every day on every set, were the parents and caregivers and their friends watching every single frame of footage and listening to every joke. Every single thing that Dan ever did on any of his shows was carefully scrutinized and approved by executives at Nickelodeon.”
