History Trivia / YouCantDoThatOnTelevision

** Les Lye and Abby Hagyard worked as voice actors for a number of American cartoons that outsourced their voice talents to Canada, such as ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin''. Les Lye had already been a popular radio and television personality in Ottawa for decades, although virtually unknown in the U.S. prior to ''YCDTOTV''.

** A few kids already had professional acting roles to their credit ''before'' their time on the show. Justin Cammy (cast member from 1983 to 1985) had voiced "Kevin" in the ''WesternAnimation/CareBears'' special ''The Land Without Feelings'', which also starred Abby Hagyard. Jill Stanley (cast member in 1989 and 1990) played "Nancy" in the 1988 Canadian children's film ''Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller'' (which was hinted at in her debut episode, "Chores," with Jill pouting that she was abovoe doing chores because she was ''an actress'').

* YouMightRememberMeFrom: Vanessa Lindores (cast member from 1982 to 1987) had a bit role as "Julie" on the popular Canadian cartoon series ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons''. Les Lye and Abby Hagyard also worked as voice actors for a number of American cartoons that outsourced their voice talents to Canada, such as ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin''.

** In America, the 1987 episode "Adoption" was banned due to fears that adopted children would find some of the sketches offensive (despite a very clear warning at the beginning stating that the jokes weren't meant to hurt anyone), as a lot of the sketches depicted adopted kids being used as slave labor and pets, which would rightfully make a lot of American viewers cry out, "DudeNotFunny." In Canada, this episode was allowed to air, but the part where Lance Prevert tries to give his adopted kid (Adam) back to the agency, only to learn that "adoption is forever"[[note]]even though, with the way Senator Prevert treated Adam, the agency still should have taken him away[[/note]] had the line "You get over here, right away, you damn bureaucrat!" cut to remove "...damn bureaucrat!".

* UrbanLegendOfZelda: For the longest time, there was a rumor that the master tapes were destroyed in a fire at CJOH Studios, a rumor which thankfully proved untrue.

* MissingEpisode: For many years, only two episodes from the 1979 season, which aired live in the Ottawa area only, were known to circulate. However, when various ''YCDTOTV'' and 1980s Nickelodeon fans contacted producer Roger Price, he revealed that he had a full set of tapes of the 1979 season, all of which are now available on Website/YouTube (though with the music videos and disco segments cut for copyright reasons).

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: A DVD release has been imminent since at least 2003, but hasn't come to fruition due to issues with the cast members' royalties.

* NamesTheSame: Shockingly, there was also a pilot show of the same name called ''You Can't Do That On Television'', which premiered on ABC back in 1968 but was unable to become a weekly series. Emceed by Alan Hamel of ''Nightcap'' and featuring McLean Stevenson and future Laugh-In regular Ann Elder, it was one of the few Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In clones that didn't work out... though thankfully and oddly enough Roger Price may have channeled whoever did the 1968 version first, retooling it to the familiar kid show we all know.

** Lisa Ruddy was late for a read-through of the 1981 episode "Nutrition" after receiving a detention for talking in class. Darby and Price proceeded to re-write the script to include a RunningGag in which Lisa annoys everyone by talking incessantly, and it became one of her defining character traits.

* The whole idea of dumping green slime on a cast member for saying "I don't know" came from Episode 7 of the 1979 Ottawa-only series. The dungeon master Nasti agreed to free his prisoner, Jim Stechyson (who only appeared in the 1979 series), if he could answer two questions, but if he failed, he would get the green slime. The first question was, "What is the largest lake in Canada," which Jim correctly answered with, "The Great Bear Lake." The second question was, "How many fish are in it," which brought forth the first "I don't know." This became a RunningGag for other "How many fish are in it" questions, and eventually the words themselves instead of just an admission of ignorance became the trigger.[[note]]The very first sliming occurred in the series' very first episode; Tim Douglas (another 1979-only cast member) was chained up in the dungeon/detention room by the principal and told not to pull on a chain. He gave in to temptation and triggered a bucket of green slime.[[/note]]

* RetroactiveRecognition:
** Alt-rocker Music/AlanisMorissette appeared as a cast member on five episodes in 1986.
** Klea Scott, a cast member from 1982-1984, went on to star in several American network shows including ''Brooklyn South''.
** And Rekha Shah, a minor cast member in 1986 and 1989, starred in the Canadian teen soap opera "Hillside", which was broadcast on Nickelodeon in 1990-1991 as ''Fifteen''.

* Christine "Moose" [=McGlade=] hadn't planned to try out for ''YCDTOTV'', and only tagged along to support a friend. She was forced to give one herself after being told to either audition or leave, and had no prior experience with acting, but her charisma and quick sense of humor led to her being cast on the show over her friend. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE7Dqxb_NZY Here it is straight from the Moose's mouth, along with the audition tape.]]

* Christine "Moose" [=McGlade=] hadn't planned to try out for ''YCDTOTV'', and only came to the audition to support a friend. She was forced to give one herself after being told to either audition or leave, and had no prior experience with acting, but her stage presence and quick sense of humor led to her being cast on the show over her friend.

*** The 1984 episode "Body Parts" was cut to remove a lot of sexual innuendo and scenes that wouldn't fly on American children's TV -- one sketch had Alasdair and Ben Schreiner reading a ''{{Playboy}}'' magazine, another sketch was an "Opposites" sketch where Mr. Schidtler shows his class a porno film, and the last thing cut was Karen Grant's line about how her favorite body part is "what's in the pants" ([[spoiler:a wallet]]). In the new cut of the episode, two dress rehearsal sketches were shown: one where Moose eats a chocolate-covered grasshopper, and another where a boy with a backwards leg goes to the Groucho Marx-esque doctor.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Alt-rocker AlanisMorissette appeared as a cast member on five episodes in 1986.
** Klea Scott, a cast member from 1982-1984, went on to star in several American network shows including ''Brooklyn South''.
** And Rekha Shah, a minor cast member in 1986 and 1989, starred in the Canadian teen soap opera "Hillside", which was broadcast on Nickelodeon in 1990-1991 as ''Fifteen''.
* HeyItsThatVoice: Vanessa Lindores (cast member from 1982 to 1987) had a bit role as "Julie" on the popular Canadian cartoon series ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons''. Les Lye and Abby Hagyard also worked as voice actors for a number of American cartoons that outsourced their voice talents to Canada, such as ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin''.

* Strangely enough, none of the cast members of ''YCDTOTV'' went on to become cast members in THE sketch comedy show, ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. This might not be significant if it wasn't for the fact that one of the cast members of Nickelodeon's other big sketch show, ''Series/AllThat'', did go on to become an ''SNL'' cast mate (Creator/KenanThompson). You'd think Creator/LorneMichaels would've at least considered the possibility.

* Strangely enough, none of the cast members of ''YCDTOTV'' went on to become cast members in THE sketch comedy show, ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. This might not be significant if it wasn't for the fact that one of the cast members of Nickelodeon's other big sketch show, ''Series/AllThat'', did go on to become an ''SNL'' cast mate (Creator/KeenanThompson). You'd think Creator/LorneMichaels would've at least considered the possibility.

* Strangely enough, none of the cast members of YCDTOT went on to become cast members in THE sketch comedy show, SaturdayNightLive. This might not be significant if it wasn't for the fact that one of the cast members of Nickelodeon's spiritual successor, AllThat, did have a cast member graduate to SNL (Keenan Thompson). You'd think LorneMichaels would've at least considered the possibility.

** To top it off, Nickelodeon's airing of the 1986 episode "Enemies and Paranoia" in 2004 (as an "Old School Pick", the last time the show was aired before [[Series/The90sAreAllThat The Splat]] was introduced in 2015) was cut short and replaced with an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''. Why? Because the episode had a lot of jokes about Ronald Reagan as President of the United States and [[TooSoon the episode just happened to air shortly after Ronald Reagan's death made the news]] (why the channel did not opt to just air another episode is anyone's guess).

* MissingEpisode: For many years, only two episodes from the 1979 season, which aired live in the Ottawa area only, were known to circulate. However, when various ''YCDTOTV'' and 1980s Nickelodeon fans contacted producer Roger Price, he revealed that he had a full set of tapes of the 1979 season, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/ErnestMaples/videos several of which are now available on YouTube.]]

** To top it off, Nickelodeon's airing of the 1986 episode "Enemies and Paranoia" in 2004 (as an "Old School Pick", the last time the show was aired before Creator/TheSplat was introduced in 2015) was cut short and replaced with an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''. Why? Because the episode had a lot of jokes about Ronald Reagan as President of the United States and [[TooSoon the episode just happened to air shortly after Ronald Reagan's death made the news]] (why the channel did not opt to just air another episode is anyone's guess).

** To top it off, Nickelodeon's airing of the 1986 episode "Enemies and Paranoia" in 2004 (as an "Old School Pick") was cut short and replaced with other programming. Why? Because the episode had a lot of jokes about Ronald Reagan as President of the United States and [[TooSoon the episode just happened to air shortly after Ronald Reagan's death made the news]] (why the channel did not opt to just air another episode is anyone's guess).

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The show was Nickelodeon's first huge hit in the United States (in fact, the green slime and irreverent aesthetic of the show is what transformed the channel from kids' cable channel that aired educational and foreign cartoons to one that was purely entertainment). Many of the cast members have said they were treated like celebrities in the US, causing Beatles-like hysteria wherever they went, but back in Canada they were just normal kids.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The show was Nickelodeon's first huge hit in the United States. Many of the cast members have said they were treated like celebrities in the US, causing Beatles-like hysteria wherever they went, but back in Canada they were just normal kids. (The show was not seen on national TV in Canada until the late 80s.)

** Alt-rocker AlanisMorissette appeared in five episodes in 1986.

** Christine [=McGlade's=] father appeared as himself in the 1981 episode "Work, Work, Work". Her sister, Lisa, played a younger version of Christine in the 1982 episode "Cosmetics", while her brother, Michael, appeared as both himself and as a younger version of Ross in the same episode. Lisa [=McGlade=] also appeared as an extra in various classroom scenes.

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* The whole idea of dumping green slime on a cast member for saying "I don't know" came from Episode 7 of the 1979 Ottawa-only series. The dungeon master Nasti agreed to free his prisoner, Jim Stechyson (who only appeared in the 1979 series), if he could answer two questions, but if he failed, he would get the green slime. The first question was, "What is the largest lake in Canada," which Jim correctly answered with, "The Great Bear Lake." The second question was, "How many fish are in it," which brought forth the first "I don't know." This became a RunningGag for other "How many fish are in it" questions, and eventually the words themselves instead of just an admission of ignorance became the trigger.[[note]] The very first sliming occurred in the series' very first episode; Tim Douglas (another 1979-only cast member) was chained up in the dungeon/detention room by the principal and told not to pull on a chain. He gave in to temptation and triggered a bucket of green slime.[[/note]]
* Among the cast members who were never slimed, Marjorie Silcoff appeared in the most episodes, with eight appearances in 1984 and 1985.[[note]] A sketch in the 1985 episode "Revenge" in which she would have been slimed was cut before filming. She was, however, soaked with water in three episodes.[[/note]] This fact was mentioned in the "Project 131" special from 2004 featuring Marjorie, Brodie, and Vanessa (with cameos from Alasdair and Justin)... in which, once again, Marjorie escaped without a sliming.[[note]] Although she did get water dumped on her for a fourth time.[[/note]]
* The 1984 episode "Clubs" was the only episode in the entire run to feature no green slime, water, pies, or any other form of "stage pollution".

** In America, the 1987 episode "Adoption" was banned due to fears that adopted children would find some of the sketches offensive (despite a very clear warning at the beginning stating that the jokes weren't meant to hurt anyone), as a lot of the sketches depicted adopted kids being used as slave labor and pets, which would rightfully make a lot of American viewers cry out, "DudeNotFunny." In Canada, this episode was allowed to air, but the part where Lance Prevert tries to give his adopted kid back to the agency, only to learn that "adoption is forever"[[note]]even though, with the way Senator Prevert treated his adopted kid, the agency still should have taken him away[[/note]] had the line "You get over here, right away, you damn bureaucrat!" cut to remove "...damn bureaucrat!".
** In Canada, the 1984 episode "Divorce" was banned for the same reason America cut the "Adoption" episode (a lot of jokes about a subject matter that many viewers would find in bad taste), but returned to circulation for the YTV re-runs.

*** The 1981 episode "Safety First" had two scenes where Barth says "that damn cat." Nickelodeon originally aired the episode with the scenes intact, but when they edited the episodes for commercial time in 1984 they removed the scenes.

*** The 1981 episode "Safety First" had two scenes where Barth says "that damn cat." Nickelodeon originally aired the episode with the scene intact, but when they edited the episodes for commercial time in 1984 they removed the scenes.

** Two episodes on the American Nickelodeon version had parts censored: