You Can't Do That on Television

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)

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.

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

I used to love this show, especially as a kid growing up in the early to mid 80's. I can still remember the characters names. My favorite scene on the show was where there would be a kid in detention and the principal would make the kid copy a dictionary that was like 3 feet thick, while another kid would be chained to the wall. That skit always made me laugh. I even remember the little catch phrases they used like "Sometimes it's so easy, I'm ashamed of myself" and other ones like "Blue skies, Barthy burgers, girls!" I also used to love the bus driver they had "Snake Eyes" who used to always crash into phony brick walls, and the chef they had named "Barth" who used to always make the kids throw up with rancid food. I never understood why they always ate there though. Every skit on the show had it's own unique sense of humor. Another interesting note is that every male character on the show was played by that guy "Ross" The all time best episodes were the ones that featured both "Moose" and "Lisa". Moose used to always make fun of Lisa because she was overweight. My favorite episode was the "Video Game" episode because at the end they showed Pac-Man eating the cast members. I even have episodes on tape somewhere in my house. I ought to look for them some time

You Can't Do That on Television was one of the most funniest kid shows that I remember watching as a kid.

The comedy of Les Lye as Barth serving burgers or handy man Ross is priceless or the endless bad jokes that somehow were funny.

I'll always remember catch phases like "I head that" or if one of the crew said I don't know they would get slimed.

Recently VH1 did a I Love the 80's 3D and they did cover You Can't Do That on Television.

I wish they would put all the episodes on DVD, so my kids could watch it.