‘Quiet On Set’ Covers A Lot — But It’s Still Not Enough

The question of a way forward always comes to mind when new allegations emerge against Hollywood and/or its foot soldiers, as is the case with “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.” The new Investigation Discovery docuseries reflects on allegations of toxicity at Nickelodeon throughout the late ’90s and 2000s.

It’s probably what you expect it to be, especially since on March 6, the ID network released an extended clip from the series featuring Drake Bell, a star of “The Amanda Show” and “Drake & Josh.” Bell, now 37, alleges that Nickelodeon’s dialogue coach, Brian Peck, sexually abused him when he was a minor. It’s the most damning of the many allegations made throughout the four-episode series. (Peck, 63, did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.)

ID made a point to tell journalists not to reveal any spoilers about the series until March 13 ― which makes the timing of the clip’s release quite strange. Aside from the network breaking its own embargo, the move seemed to imply that “Quiet on Set” contained even more explosive news, with Bell’s allegation just the tip of the iceberg.

That’s not exactly the case. And directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz ― two of the people behind Hulu’s “New York Times Presents” series, which reframes the media narratives around boldface names like Britney Spears and Janet Jackson ― seem cognizant of that, judging by the way they organized the story.

The pair dedicate much of the third episode to Bell’s story, with the actor alleging for the first time publicly that he is the unidentified minor in Peck’s 2003 arrest for “lewd acts with a child.” (“Quiet on Set” details that in 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old, and to oral copulation with a minor under 16. Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was ordered to register as a sex offender in October 2004.)

Rather than having to rehash the most painful and disturbing details of Peck’s alleged abuse, Bell describes elements of his relationship with the dialogue coach, which began early in his Nickelodeon career, that he feels most comfortable sharing on camera.

“The whole thing was mental manipulation,” Bell alleges in the series, adding that Peck had the connections to claim that Bell wouldn’t be able to get certain…