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.

Ever wonder what Alanis Morrisette looked like at 15? Well, she had short short hair and her teeth weren't nearly as...big? Anyways, "You Can't Do that..." was never hilarious or substantial, but it was always fun to watch. You always knew what was coming but you waited for it nonetheless. I'm glad I was able to watch it when I lived in Canada for 2 years in the 80's. Just knowing what it was all about even if I can never go to SlimeCon is more then enough for me. BTW, in case anyone was wondering, Alisdair Gillis is completely bald! Still has the same ol' face though. Besides Alanis becoming famous, Adam Reid managed to squirm his way onto several movies and TV shows (think Facts Of Life reunion). I think some channel should reunite each and every cast member just so we can see how everyone has changed and what they're up to.

You take a look at kids' television today, and it's amazing that this show saw the light of day. Consider the following aspects of "You Can't Do That On Television"....Kids are chained up and put in front of a firing squad in a third world country. They usually trick their captor into getting shot himself, but occasionally the kids themselves end up being fired upon. Today, the show would be criticized for depicting violence against children, as well as perpetuating negative stereotypes against foreigners."Ross", the supposed director of the show, tortures the kids and treats them as slave labor. Today, the show would be attacked for glorifying exploitation of children.Blip, the owner of the local arcade, finds whatever ways he can to cheat the video-game obsessed youth that frequent his business. Today, the show would be protested for making light of adults cheating children out of money.The "family" scenes depict parents as lazy, poor role models, or just plain cruel. Today, the show would be boycotted for making a joke of dysfunctional families.The two most frequently featured female characters (Moose and Lisa) are constantly taunted about their weight. This is despite the fact that, while not thin, neither girl is really all that fat. Today, parents would fear the show could cause eating disorders.Even the theme show of the song depicts children being ground up into hamburger meat (or is it hot dog meat -- I forget). I won't even touch this one! While outrageous shows depicting children exist today (i.e. "South Park"), these are aimed at ADULTS, and are given TV-MA ratings. You Can't Do That On Television was aimed at (and watched almost exclusively by) kids. That's the amazing part. You'll never see another kids show like it again.This wasn't a show with educational or cultural value. It had value in other ways, though, which are harder to quantify.It was funny and entertaining. It was outrageous enough to be interesting, but never so over-the-top to where it could be considered a true danger to anyone. I don't know anyone who had nightmares about being in front of a South American firing squad. Somehow we all got the sick humor in that, and didn't really see it as real violence.The kids seemed real. They weren't beautiful, didn't seem precocious, and in fact all used their real names on the show. Alasdair, Kevin, Lisa, Moose, and the bunch seemed like the rest of us. This made the characters easy to like and relate to.The show tapped into the minds of kids in the '80s. We were all obsessed with arcades, yet all knew the pain of losing quarters in malfunctioning games with "no refunds". We all dealt with controlling and irrational teachers, difficult parents, and incompetent/obnoxious bus drivers.The show wasn't brilliantly written or produced, but it was fun, and it grew on you over time. Too often growing up I found that kids' shows were talking down to me, and I didn't like it. This was one show that wasn't guilty of that, and set out to entertain me, rather than preach to me or teach me a lesson. I didn't realize it back then, but that was perhaps the aspect of it that I appreciated the most.Sadly, children's fare of today is over-scrutinized, and any program that can be deemed a bad influence is deepsixed. Just the weight jokes alone would put this show in the 2005 trash can. The fact that we have gotten to this point is indeed a tragedy.Les Lye did a fine job with all of the different characters he played. I remember being amazed as a kid when I realized that he played every single adult character on the show. He's 80 years old now -- can you believe it?

If it wasn't for "YCDTOTV", Nickelodeon wouldn't even be on the air. I was crushed when that show was cancelled because I very seldom missed an episode. Who could forget the green slime or water getting dumped on someone when they said "I don't know" or "water"? Or the little catch phrases like "Sometimes it's so easy, I'm ashamed of myself!", "Ready, AIIIM..." "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Stop the execution!" "What is it this time?", "Blue skies, Barthy burgers, girls!", "What do you think's in the burgers?" and my personal favorite, "This is just the introduction to the opposites."? TV used to be so much fun back then! And to tell you the truth, whenever I had a detention, I was so glad I never had to copy a dictionary that was three feet thick. Whenever I look at some of the stuff that's on TV these days, I just wanna scream! If any show deserves to be put back on, it's "YCDTOTV".