Nickelodeon Rejected Too-Disney Kids

Are You Afraid of the Dark?' earned a 1996 NAACP Image Award nomination because the Nickelodeon horror series featured a diverse cast and avoided playing to stereotypes. Creator D.J. MacHale said the show wanted real kids, so Nickelodeon turned away young actors who seemed “too Disney.” MacHale described that look as “apple pie, freckles, cute, over-the-top acting,” which clashed with the darker, more grounded tone of The Midnight Society.

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