Despite making disturbing allegations about his mistreatment by a dialogue coach as a teenager at Nickelodeon (see the documentary series “Quiet On Set”), Drake Bell said he would be willing to participate in a reboot of “Drake & Josh.”
The actor, now 38, revealed that he and his former on-screen brother had indeed “talked about” a possible sequel to their old hit teen sitcom. This time, however, they would stick to the format of a buddy comedy set 20 years after the original.
“I would like that. We have talked about it,” said Bell The Patriot News. “But I also didn’t want to do it when everyone was doing reboots. It was like, ‘Okay, of course, let’s do a reboot because everyone is doing reboots.'”
He added: “If we’re going to do something, let it be special. Let’s go in with a bang instead of saying, ‘Oh, another reboot.'”
Bell then suggested one of the ideas he and Peck had discussed together: portraying different versions of the old characters Jake and Josh.
Drake Bell, 37, revealed that he and his former co-star Josh Peck have talked about rebooting their old teen sitcom Drake & Josh, but this time in the format of a buddy comedy set 20 years after the original series.
“I don’t think we would be playing the characters from the show or playing (our sister) Meg (Miranda Cosgrove),” he said, before elaborating. “I think luckily it’s our names, so we can still play Drake and Josh. But I think it would be funnier if we continued in other buddy comedies, you know. Something that’s kind of surprising, a little different. That would be more interesting.”
In the original, created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon, Bell and Peck played mismatched stepbrothers Drake Parker (Bell) and Josh Nichols (Peck), which ran on the network for four seasons from 2004 to 2007.
“Drake & Josh” was a huge ratings success, with the first episode attracting 3.2 million viewers. The series seems to be setting the tone and consistently ranks among the most-watched series in its target audience.
Nancy Sullivan and Jonathan Goldstein played Drake’s mother and Josh’s father, respectively, while Miranda Cosgrove played Drake’s devious younger sister.
The television special “Really Big Shrimp” marked the series finale in September 2007, meaning the series now has a total of four seasons with 56 episodes.
After the finale in 2008, the channel broadcast a one-off special program called “Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh.”
In addition to Bell, Peck and the rest of the main cast, there were also a number of recurring roles including Yvette Nicole Brown, Jerry Trainor, Allison Scagliotti, Alec Medlock, Scott Halberstadt, Jake Farrow, Julia Duffy, Roark Critchlow, Cathy Shim and Johnny Lewis.
Bell detailed the abuse he suffered in “Quiet On Set,” a five-part documentary that provides an insight into the toxic world behind the scenes of children’s television programs from the 1990s to 2000s.
In the third episode, Bell admits that he was sexually abused by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.
The actor and musician claims he has received a lot of support following the revelations in the documentary “Quiet On Set.”
Dialogue trainer Brian Peck ultimately pleaded no contest to the abuse allegations and was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Bell is currently focusing on his music and his ongoing tour in support of his fifth album, Non-Stop Flight.
After his last performance in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the singer and guitarist wrote on his Instagram page: “Thank you so much.”
His next show is scheduled for Sunday, August 18th at The Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan.
“I would love to. We talked about it,” Bell told The Patriot-News. “But I also didn’t want to do it when everyone was doing reboots. It was like, ‘Okay, of course, let’s do a reboot because everyone is doing reboots.'”
The two child stars played an unlikely pair of stepbrothers during the four seasons, which also featured Miranda Cosgrove, Nancy Sullivan and Jonathan Goldstein.
Bell accused dialogue coach Brian Peck of sexual abuse, after which he pleaded guilty and served 16 months in prison while also having to register as a sex offender; the two actors reprised their roles in the one-off special Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh alongside Henry Winkler
Currently, Bell is primarily focused on his music and his ongoing tour in support of his fifth album, Non-Stop Flight (2024).
Peck was arrested and charged with child sexual abuse in 2003, but the victim’s name was kept secret.
Ultimately, the television employee was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Following the premiere, Bell revealed that the support he received from fans had been “incredible.”
“There was a lot of support. And when you dive into something like this, you’re very anxious. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. You don’t know how people are going to react or what’s going to happen or what the consequences are going to be,” said the Newport Beach, California native. “People come to us and tell us their stories. And it’s been really beautiful.”
