Kids television producer and screenwriter Dan Schneider has filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the producers of the docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" for alleged defamation. Legal documents name Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions, and Sony Pictures Television as defendants. The lawsuit stems from Schneider's portrayal in the docuseries, where he claims the series falsely implicated him in child sexual abuse allegations.

The series, which debuted in March, details years of alleged abuse of child actors on various Nickelodeon shows from the mid-1990s onwards, many of which were written or produced by Schneider. The series highlights various accounts of sexual undertones in his television shows such as “All That”, “Zoey 101,” and “ICarly.” Several former child actors, now adults, were also featured on the docuseries and shared their experiences both on camera and behind the scenes with Schneider. Over the nearly two-decade tenure that he worked on children’s television shows, the actors recounted similar perspectives of feeling sexually exploited and uncomfortable on his sets.

In response to the allegations, Schneider's lawsuit contends that the depiction of him in "Quiet on Set" constitutes a "hit job" and alleges defamation. Schneider asserts that while he acknowledges past misconduct, he vehemently denies any involvement in child sexual abuse.

The lawsuit challenges the portrayal of Schneider in the docuseries, arguing that it unfairly conflates his misconduct with the egregious cases of child sexual abuse detailed by some former child actors, notably Drake Bell. Bell, who is widely known for his roles in Nickelodeon shows like "The Amanda Show" and "Drake & Josh," revealed for the first time publicly in the docuseries that he experienced ongoing sexual abuse by his dialogue coach, Brian Peck.

Furthermore, Schneider asserts that the docuseries omitted crucial context, including Nickelodeon's investigation into his behavior, which reportedly found no evidence of child sexual abuse. Schneider alleges that the producers acted with malice by excluding exculpatory evidence and disregarding the truth in their depiction of him.

Schneider seeks unspecified financial compensation and demands the removal or editing of defamatory segments from the docuseries and its promotional materials.