Doesn't a Scary Version of, "The Munsters," Defeat the Whole Point of the Show?

"The Munsters," was a show I enjoyed watching on Nick at Nite as a kid. It showed how even with a family that looked scary, everyone could actually be sweet and loving. Just because Herman was a Frankenstein's Monster-looking fellow he actually was sweet. The wife was a vampire, the son was a wolf-boy and the daughter was seemingly average, yes, but they all were swell folks. Even the Rob Zombie movie that got a critical drubbing kept things lighthearted and didn't lose sight of the humorous and positive aspects. Now, it has been announced we're getting a Munsters-themed reboot that is dark and scary...doesn't that defeat the whole point?

Titled, "1313," which is the number of their house on Mockingbird Lane, this new Munsters show that has just been announced will, apparently, be in the Universal Monsterverse that died a horrible death in one form but is slowly making its way back into existence in a new iteration. Okay, but why? The Munsters are a sweet family, making them grim and horrifying defies the whole message of the first show. It would be like making another take on Hannibal Lecter, but in this version, he's a vegetarian. This is all in the very early stages so I'm not going to make some snap judgment about this upcoming show's quality, but I do have concerns.

Television Tuesday: "Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," is Fascinating and Depressing

If you were a child in the 1990s or early 2000s and had cable, the odds are quite good you watched Nickelodeon. For programming geared towards kids, it was that or the Disney channel--and Disney generally cost extra back then. I am one of those youth who adored, "All Than," "Kenan & Kel," "The Amanda Show," and so forth. I was a bit older by the time, "Victorious," "Drake and Josh," "iCarly," and so forth really took off, but I was at least familiar with those programs and their stars (some became quite huge such as Ariana Grande). One thing I've found is that when you're a kid you dream of being famous and how cool it would be to star on those children's shows but when you're an adult you're thankful as Hell you had a normal life and weren't a child star. Docuseries such as, "Quiet on the Set: the Dark Side of Kids TV," helps show how awful things could get for everyone involved in children's programming.

Dan Schneider was like a God at Nickelodeon. He discovered a number of stars, made huge hits, and was the golden boy for the network. He was also a verbally abusive boss who treated women and people of color horribly. Schneider screamed at people, threatened their careers, and often asked the women who worked as writers or costumer-makers to drop what they were doing to give him a neck massage on the set (seriously, the way he asked all these ladies for massages was well-known). Schneider created a terrible work environment for adults as well as children. He was never inappropriate with kids, but created an environment where people did not feel safe to speak freely so it allowed other adults who were predators to prey on kids. Seriously, at least three recorded sexual predators were roaming Nickelodeon and taking advantage of their positions of power.

Multiple former child actors, their parents, and other adults who worked at Nickelodeon share just how terrible things were, with Drake Bell possibly having suffered the most of those who chose to come forward for this docuseries. He was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a producer at Nickelodeon he trusted and thought was a friend. Nickelodeon didn't really care, focusing more on making money than keeping talent safe--although, oddly enough the fact Bell recounts Schneider was surprisingly supportive of him when he came forward about being preyed upon is maybe the one positive mention of Schneider.

"Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," is not exactly shocking as for years upon years we have seen child stars suffer due to the behavior of adults who should have been trustworthy. Whether it is the extensive trauma endured by, "The Little Rascals," Corey Feldman, Drew Barrymore, or plenty of other people, a lot of extensive work needs to be done to ensure child stars are protected and feel comfortable enough to be able to say when they don't feel safe. Hopefully, docuseries such as this can help push for change.

5 out of 5 stars.

I Want to Read Jennette McCurdy's New Memoir

I loved Nickelodeon when I was a kid. It was pretty much my favorite channel. I was in the era where my favorite shows were, "Hey Arnold," "Rocko's Modern Life," All That," and I, of course, watched a good chunk of, "Nick at Nite," when the regular programming would stop back in the day. Seriously, I watched a ton of, "I Love Lucy." When I would watch the shows with child actors I always imagined how fun it must be to have a job at Nickelodeon. There were shows that came about after I had grown up a bit and started watching other programs more, such as, "iCarly" and the like, but I always wondered how cool it must be to have a job at Nickelodeon. Oh, what a fool I was as Jennette McCurdy makes clear.

Jennette McCurdy has written the memoir, "I'm Glad My Mom Died," and details a horrible home life, some terrible working conditions at Nickelodeon, and basically in a surprisingly humorous fashion shares her life with us. As someone who grew up on Nickelodeon, I would be interested to see the curtain pulled back a bit and we are a time for a reckoning with child stars and how they have been treated--at Nickelodeon, Disney, etc. The book is selling out everywhere though! My local bookstore said it is back-ordered with them but they'll get a copy in early-to-mid September, so I should be able to get the book then.