Now grown up, child actors and other Nickelodeon insiders have spoken out in what might be one of the year’s, if not the decade’s, most disturbing and talked about documentaries, reports streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.

Any kid who grew up in the ‘90s or 2000s is likely to have at least some memory of Nickelodeon.

The Amanda Show, iCarly, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101… for many, these TV series became a core part of their childhood and one that can still conjure up a swell of nostalgia.

But despite the light-hearted and joyous nature of these beloved shows, there’s now a dark cloud that will always hang over them.

In the years since Nickelodeon was at its peak of popularity, dozens of disturbing allegations have been made about the producers of these TV hits and the way they treated the young actors on set.

Now grown up, those child actors and other Nickelodeon insiders have spoken out in what might be one of the year’s, if not the decade’s most disturbing and talked about documentaries.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV aims to recreate a timeline of the abusive environment that many of the young kids found themselves in.

Most of these allegations relate to Dan Schneider – the showrunner behind some of Nickelodeon’s most iconic shows who has been accused of creating a hostile work environment and sexualising his young cast. The documentary digs out several clips from old episodes which, looking back now, seem extremely inappropriate.

In the show’s first episode, two writers for The Amanda Show, Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen, detail a “misogynistic” environment they had to work in, claiming they had to split one salary and describing working for Schenider as like being “in an abusive relationship”.

It’s just the beginning of the allegations that unfold.

One of the show’s most shocking moments includes popular actor Drake Bell from Drake & Josh sitting down in the third episode and speaking out about the sexual abuse he experienced at the hands of his dialogue coach.

The release of the show quickly exploded on the internet. Floods of tweets, posts and videos from users outraged by what happened behind the scenes of their childhood tv shows have made Quiet On Set immediately viral. In the US it became the most streamed television show in March. 

Nickelodeon saw the storm that was coming. Just before the show dropped, the company tried to get ahead by releasing a statement saying: “We are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he [Bell] has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.

“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.”

In an interview that followed, Bell labeled the response “empty”.

“I have to pay for my own therapy,” he told The Sarah Fraser Show.

“If there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response.”

Dan Schneider himself has also attempted to defend himself in the wake of the series, posting an interview on YouTube with “BooG!E”, an actor who had a recurring role in iCarly.

The video has already amassed two million views and the comments – unsurprisingly – quickly had to be turned off.

“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult. Me facing my past behaviours, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” Schneider said while still vehemently defending that all decisions he made were also approved by the network.

Following a successful four episodes, the producers of the documentary have also released a fifth follow-up installment. All are available on Binge.

“Quiet On Set” is a dark and disturbing piece of streaming, but a deeply important one, especially in an age of social media where child influencers are more popular on the internet than ever.