You Can't Do That on Television

TV Series
1979–2004
TV-PG
30m

IMDb RATING

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Alanis Morissette, Andrea Byrne, Stephanie Chow, Alasdair Gillis, Amyas Godfrey, Matthew Godfrey, Vanessa Lindores, Les Lye, Doug Ptolemy, and Adam Greydon Reid in You Can't Do That on Television (1979)

Sketch TV by young amateur actors in true classic Nick-style. But whatever you do, never admit that you don't know or ask for water.Sketch TV by young amateur actors in true classic Nick-style. But whatever you do, never admit that you don't know or ask for water.Sketch TV by young amateur actors in true classic Nick-style. But whatever you do, never admit that you don't know or ask for water.

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See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.1/10

2.7K

YOUR RATING

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Episodes145

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Photos26

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Top cast99+

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Les Lye

Ross Ewich…

• 1979–1990

Abby Hagyard

Valerie Prevort…

• 1982–1990

Christine McGlade

Christine…

• 1979–1989

Lisa Ruddy

Lisa…

• 1979–1985

Alasdair Gillis

Alasdair Gillis…

• 1982–2004

Doug Ptolemy

Doug Ptolemy…

• 1982–1989

Vanessa Lindores

Vanessa Lindores…

• 1982–2004

Kevin Kubusheskie

Kevin Kubusheskie…

• 1981–1990

Chris Bickford

Self

• 1990

Adam Greydon Reid

Adam…

• 1985–1990

Teddy Wilson

Self…

• 1989–1990

Brodie Osome

Brodie Osome…

• 1981–2004

Christian Tessier

Christian…

• 1989–1990

Carlos Braithwaite

Carlos…

• 1989–1990

Justin Cammy

Justin Cammy…

• 1983–2004

Kevin Schenk

Kevin Schenk…

• 1979–1981

Amyas Godfrey

Amyas

• 1986–1990

Jennifer Brackenbury

• 1989–1990

User reviews54

8.12.7K

Featured reviews

weerdo1482

Arguably, the definitive Nickelodeon show

God, you know your old when you remember when new episodes of this show were still being made. The premise was basically sketch comedy. Kind of like, a kids Saturday night live, yet in a more warped style. featuring sketches of kids throwing up after eating tanted burgers, kids standing in front of the firing squad, or kids riding on a school bus driven by a semi blind bus driver. besides the sketches, this show also had commentary by kids, and a few episodes had interviews with kids on the streets. You Can't Do That On Television" also spawned a ton of catch phrases like " Lisa, Don't encourage your father!" or " What do you thinks in the burgers?" even "READY! AIIIIIIMMM.." not to mention dropping water on kids that say "water" and slime on kids that say "I don't know" (now a trademark of Nickelodeon) in my opinion this is one of the best shows Nickelodeon ever did. Its really a crime that it isn't still on the air.

siege_b

Memories are made of this

While the first six years of this show are arguably the best, any chance to see any of the reruns is to be seized with both hands. The comedy goes from the brilliant to the bizarre, the feel is fun, and the layout is something worth stealing. There's a whole generation out there who still fight the urge to duck whenever they say the words "I don't know" for fear of green slime falling from above, and many a fond smile can be found when the phrase "Lisa, don't encourage your father" is repeated in a certain tone of voice. When this show was good, it was very, very good.

Mulliga

I was too young to realize it back then, but this is hilarious...

From the Python-esque opening cartoon to the end credits, "YCDTOT" is easily one of the best sketch comedies ever made. It's faster and more frenetic than "Roundhouse," "All That," or even SNL, and it resorts to current events and pop culture less frequently than other sketch comedies.

A talented young cast is led by Les Lye (arguably the star of the show) in routines satirizing the ins-and-outs of kid life: school buses, cafeterias, arcades. Sometimes it gets even wackier - the Mexican firing squad routines and slime/water/etc. gags are priceless.

See it if you can find it.

8SeptumSin

A great Blast from the Past

Sometimes we have a series that we remember as being really well done and funny but come back disappointed. This I can say is not true of You Can't Do That On Television (YCDTOT). I recently was able to get a copy of the show on the internet and I must say that after almost 20 years absence this show still makes me laugh. Though I admit the disco driven episodes of the first season were a bit off, the rest of this series is quite funny and well worth a second or even first watch.

The Series is a sketch comedy show much similar to Saturday Night live without the musical number in the middle (season one disco exception). The show stars kids instead of adults and includes many of the first uses of green slime that Nicolodeon is famus for. The acting talent is shaky at first but the actors improve remarkable as the show goes on. It is well worth the multitude of seasons that have come out of it. If you ever have a chance check it out.

http://www.ycdtotv.com/ (This site is dedicated to the show for more)

midigal

"d'I Heaaard Thaaat!"

This show is so off the wall that it's right on target. I really MISS THIS SHOW! When I was a kid, a good dose of "You Can't Do That On Television" and then maybe a little "Out Of Control" could put me in a great mood and could also relieve my Mom of duty for a little while. :)

The silly execution sketches and the diner scenes alone make this show worthy of watching. But there's so much more. Nickelodeon's slime theme derived from the success of this show. But none of the kids nowadays will know this. Why can't they air some of the old good stuff on Nick anymore?... Hey, Nick needs to come up with a channel called "Nick - The First Generation" and then I'll actually purchase cable.

~Jennifer

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The kids on the show got paid extra for episodes in which they were doused with water or green slime - $75 for water and $150 for slime.

Goofs
In many of the episodes when the cast is doing a scene while on the set, the cast members are shown wearing shoes in one shot and in the next shot they are barefooted without explanation.

Quotes
Christine: As you all know, Vanessa is new to the show and Vanessa, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me.
Vanessa: There is something I wanted to ask you.
Christine: Sure?
Vanessa: How do they make that slime they're always dumping on you?
Christine: First they take some liquid and then they add some jello powder and some flour. Sometimes some soap and they dump it all over me.
Vanessa: Where do they dump it from?
Christine: Actually Vanessa, I've always wondered that too, but I just don't know.
[green slime falls on Christine's head]
Vanessa: Interesting. Is it always green like this?
Christine: Well, yeah it usually is, but I guess it could be red.
[red slime drops on Christine's head]
Christine: Or... it could be blue.
[blue slime drops on Christine's head]
Christine: [getting annoyed] Or yellow.
[yellow slime drops on Christine's head]
Christine: Yep... Okay, you guys think you're so smart? Let's see stripes.
[red, yellow, and blue slime falls on Christine's head]
Vanessa: Boy, must be tough being a TV star. By the way, how do you get this stuff out?
Christine: Well, it usually washes out with water.
[water falls on Christine's head]
Christine: Usually.

Crazy credits
In the end credits of several shows in the mid-1980s, the following text is seen: "Christine McGlade takes no responsibility for any clothes in which she appears."

Alternate versions
From 1979 to 1981, parts of the show were done live, with the comedy sketches being pre-taped. Some of the features of the live version of the show included musical guests, contests, phone in's, and "Roving Camera" scenes featuring kids in popular hangout spots telling jokes or airing complaints about life, among others. When Nickelodeon started airing the episodes, none of the 1979 episodes remained, however all of the 1981 episodes did. Nickelodeon's editors opted to remove everything but the comedy sketches and the "Roving Camera" segments. This cut the episodes to under 30 minutes, instead of the original one hour running time.

Connections
Edited into The Worst of 'You Can't Do That on Television' (1989)

Soundtracks
You Can't Do That on Television Theme
Performed by The National Press Club and Allied Workers Jazz Band (as The National Press Club and the Allied Workers Jazz Band Ink.)