Dan Schneider's defamation lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery and producers of ID Discovery's Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV documentary is moving forward. The beleaguered television producer, whom many in the documentary accuse of running a hostile workplace and whom many believe to be pretty creepy because his work seemingly kept returning to an interest in his young stars' feet, claims that the documentary falsely accused him of sexually abusing the children who worked on his television shows.
Apparently, the last hurdle was an attempt by Warner Bros. Discovery and Maxine Productions, the documentary's producers, to have the case dismissed. L.A. Superior Court Judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury dismissed their attempts at dismissal. "This is manifestly not a case brought by Schneider on frivolous grounds, simply to harass defendants," the court's ruling found. "He's suing defendants about a documentary they made about him, that focuses on his activities, and, which a reasonable viewer might conclude makes damning implications about his conduct."
The documentary focused heavily on shows made by Schneider, including iCarly, Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show, and All That. While Quiet On Set did reveal the noxious attitudes of the networks that run these shows and how frequently these organizations placed children in direct harm with people they knew to be harmful, the documentary did not uncover, validate, or bring to light any allegations against Schneider making inappropriate sexual advances toward his cast. Instead, it pointed to the overtly and unnecessarily sexualized nature of his work. Things like a character named "Penelope Taint" and a couple of "cum shot" jokes were prime strikes against him. We suppose, as was Nickelodeon's decision not to renew Schneider's contract in 2018 following an investigation into his alleged abusive behavior.
Despite the suit, Schneider has acknowledged and apologized for his wrongdoings and inappropriate behavior. The documentary features interviews with former staffers and colleagues, painting him as an abusive and sexist egomaniac, predominantly making the lives of his female staffers hell. There is also quite a bit about people witnessing a young Amanda Bynes giving him massages. In a video produced after the documentary aired, Schneider said that "it hurts real bad" to learn of the horrible experiences people suffered working for him. He claimed watching Quiet On Set was "very difficult" and that he owes "some people" a "pretty strong apology." Maybe that apology will be court-ordered.
