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Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is a true-crime documentary series from Investigation Discovery (ID) that premiered on March 17, 2024. Co-directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, the series was inspired by a 2022 Business Insider article on Nickelodeon by Kate Tyler.
The first two episodes of Quite on Set were released on ID on March 17, followed by two more episodes the next day. The fifth and final episode released on April 7, 2024. The series was also streamed simultaneously on Max and Discovery+.
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The official synopsis for the series reads:
"Discover the untold story of the toxic and abusive environment inside '90s kids' TV. Hear harrowing accounts from former child stars and crew who probe the balance of power in the industry and reveal an era that inflicted lasting wounds still felt today."
Quiet on Set received universal acclaim from both the audience and the critics. It also opened up debates on child actors and the work culture around them in the Hollywood industry.
For those who like to watch docuseries like Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, there are multiple others across platforms that they may find interesting. This list will take a look at seven documentaries and docu-series like Quiet on Set like An Open Secret, which also looked at the lives of child stars in Hollywood.
An Open Secret, Leaving Neverland, and five other documentary titles to add to your watchlist
1) An Open Secret
An Open Secret is a documentary film from the house of Rocky Mountain Pictures that is directed by Amy J. Berg and written by Berg along with Lorien Haynes and Billy McMillin.
The film premiered at the 2014 DOC NYC, a major documentary film festival, and also screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It also saw a limited theatrical release across the US. However, the film didn't receive any offers from distribution companies in the industry, according to executive producer Gabe Hoffman. He also noted that it almost felt like Hollywood was trying to bury the film.
The official synopsis reads as follows:
"Every year, thousands of children swarm Hollywood in search of fame, but what they often find under the surface is a deep and disturbing underbelly of manipulation and abuse. An Open Secret, directed by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (West of Memphis; Deliver Us From Evil), is a sobering look at the lives of children who were exploited and assaulted by some of Hollywood’s most powerful players."
An Open Secret can be rented or purchased on iTunes.
2) Kid 90
Hulu's documentary, Kid 90, is directed by Soleil Moon Frye while Stacy Mahoney and Eliza Hindmarch are the producers with Leonardo DiCaprio as an executive producer. The film was released in 2021 as a Hulu Original documentary.
It used footage from the video camera that Frye carried with her everywhere in the 90s. This is used alongside present-day interviews of actors like David Arquette, Stephen Dorff, Balthazar Getty, and Perry Farrell, among others. These show viewers a picture of the 90s Hollywood through the eyes of teenage actors.
The synopsis for the film reads as follows:
"As a teenager in the ‘90s, Soleil Moon Frye carried a video camera everywhere she went, documenting her friends as they grew up in Hollywood and New York City. Kid 90 explores how sometimes we need to look back to find our way forward."
Kid 90 is available to be streamed on Hulu as well as Amazon Prime Video.
3) Surviving R. Kelly
Lifetime's crime docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly is written and directed by Nigel Bellis and Astral Finnie. It premiered on January 3, 2019, with six episodes before rolling out two more seasons over the next few years.
Surviving R. Kelly was one of Lifetime's highest-rated titles and received critical acclaim and universal attention. It shows young women coming forward to share their stories of being abused by R&B singer R. Kelly.
The synopsis for season three of the series reads:
"...Surviving R. Kelly concludes with the final installment following the former R&B superstar as he faces multiple federal and state trials. While millions have read the headlines, the final chapter connects the shocking fine print with unspeakable details never shared with the public, culminating in the verdict heard around the world."
The series is available to be streamed on Netflix.
4) Leaving Neverland
HBO's Leaving Neverland is a made-for-TV documentary that is produced and directed by Dan Reed and premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The film was then split into two parts and aired on HBO a few months later.
Leaving Neverland drew immense viewership from the worldwide audience, and was the third most-watched documentary on HBO for the decade. The film focuses on the stories of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, two men who accused Michael Jackson of s*xually abusing them as children.
The official synopsis for the documentary on HBO reads:
"In separate but parallel stories, two boys were befriended by pop star Michael Jackson. Seduced by the singer's fairy-tale existence, both boys' families were blind to the manipulation and abuse that he would ultimately subject them to."
Leaving Neverland can be streamed on multiple platforms including HBO, Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video.
5) Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich
Netflix's Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich is a documentary miniseries directed by Lisa Bryant. It takes inspiration from Filthy Rich: A Powerful Billionaire, the Sex Scandal that Undid Him, and All the Justice that Money Can Buy: The Shocking True Story of Jeffrey Epstein a 2016 book. The book was written by James Patterson alongside John Connolly and Tim Malloy.
The series premiered on Netflix in 2020 with four hour-long episodes. Since Jeffrey Epstein was alive during its production, Filthy Rich was a highly sensitive project. Relevant documents were kept in secure servers, and meetings were held behind locked doors. Although it did not offer any new information to the case, it did bring to the forefront the truth of the victims and gave them a voice.
The official synopsis for the docuseries reads as follows:
"Stories from survivors fuel this docuseries examining how convicted s*x offender Jeffrey Epstein used his wealth and power to carry out his abuses."
Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich is available to be streamed on Netflix.
6) Athlete A
Athlete A is a documentary film from Netflix and is directed by Bonny Cohen and Jon Shenk. The film was set to premiere at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival but the Covid-19 pandemic canceled the festival and Athlete A directly debuted on Netflix in June 2020.
The film follows the investigation by journalists into the s*xual abuse claims within the US national elite gymnastics team and the exposé they released in 2016. The documentary received widespread acclaim from the worldwide audience and shed light on the type of toxic culture that is possible in the sports industry.
The official synopsis for Athlete A reads:
"This documentary focuses on the gymnasts who survived USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse and the reporters who exposed the USAG's toxic culture."
Athlete A is still available to be streamed on Netflix.
7) The Keepers
The Keepers is another thriller docu-series from Netflix and is directed by Ryan White. The series focuses on the 1969 disappearance of Sister Catherine Cesnik and the consecutive discovery of her dead body a year later. The series explores the plausible reason behind her murder which is believed to be rooted in the s*xual misconduct allegations within the Archbishop Keough High School.
The Keepers premiered on Netflix in 2020 with seven hour-long episodes. It received widespread acclaim and high ratings from critics. It was also praised for its portrayal of an inconclusive mystery "sensibly."
The official synopsis for the series reads as follows:
"This docuseries examines the decade-old murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik and its suspected link to a priest accused of abuse."
The Keepers is available to be streamed on Netflix.
These are some of the documentaries that people will be interested in after Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. The documentary is available for streaming on Discovery+, Max, and Amazon Prime Video.
