TMC
03-19-2026, 03:59 AM
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PART 1: The Exploitation of You Can’t Do That on Television
You remember the slime.
You remember the laughs.
But what you probably don’t remember is what happened behind the scenes.
In this episode of Slime Exposed, we dig into the contracts, the paperwork, and the forgotten history behind one of the most influential kids’ shows ever made: You Can't Do That on Television.
From the actors and writers to the infamous green slime itself, this investigation explores how a Canadian television experiment became a cornerstone of early Nickelodeon; and why the people who built it may have never been properly paid for decades of reuse, reruns, and streaming.
Featuring the stories and contributions of performers like Les Lye, Abby Hagyard, and Christine McGlade, along with the creative vision of series creator Roger Price, this video examines:
0:00 - Disclaimer
0:10 - Opening (The Actors)
1:57 - YCDTOTV Gets a Union
5:37 - YCDTOTV Connection to ACTRA
10:22 - Let's Rewind and Reflect
25:00 - The Writers
45:18 - The Origins of Slime (The YCDTOTV Version)
51:04 - The Statement
1:14:50 - The Closing Statement
• The ACTRA contracts that governed the cast
• The 5-year U.S. buyout that shaped the show’s distribution
• The missing residual payments reported by performers
• The role of Canadian broadcaster Bell Media and the original production company Carleton Productions
• How Nickelodeon built a brand around slime
• And the legal questions that still linger today
What happens when a show continues to generate revenue through reruns, VHS, DVD, nostalgia programming, and modern streaming on platforms like Paramount+… but the actors and writers report seeing nothing?
This documentary-style breakdown follows the paper trail, the contracts, and the history of Canadian television labor to ask one uncomfortable question:
Where did the money go?
Because slime may be messy…
but contracts are supposed to be clear.
Topics covered
• ACTRA performer contracts
• Canadian television production in the 1970s–1990s
• The origins of Nickelodeon’s slime
• Missing residuals and reuse payments
• The legacy of Roger Price’s comedy format
If you grew up watching You Can’t Do That on Television, you know the slime.
Now it’s time to understand the story behind it.
PART 1: The Exploitation of You Can’t Do That on Television
You remember the slime.
You remember the laughs.
But what you probably don’t remember is what happened behind the scenes.
In this episode of Slime Exposed, we dig into the contracts, the paperwork, and the forgotten history behind one of the most influential kids’ shows ever made: You Can't Do That on Television.
From the actors and writers to the infamous green slime itself, this investigation explores how a Canadian television experiment became a cornerstone of early Nickelodeon; and why the people who built it may have never been properly paid for decades of reuse, reruns, and streaming.
Featuring the stories and contributions of performers like Les Lye, Abby Hagyard, and Christine McGlade, along with the creative vision of series creator Roger Price, this video examines:
0:00 - Disclaimer
0:10 - Opening (The Actors)
1:57 - YCDTOTV Gets a Union
5:37 - YCDTOTV Connection to ACTRA
10:22 - Let's Rewind and Reflect
25:00 - The Writers
45:18 - The Origins of Slime (The YCDTOTV Version)
51:04 - The Statement
1:14:50 - The Closing Statement
• The ACTRA contracts that governed the cast
• The 5-year U.S. buyout that shaped the show’s distribution
• The missing residual payments reported by performers
• The role of Canadian broadcaster Bell Media and the original production company Carleton Productions
• How Nickelodeon built a brand around slime
• And the legal questions that still linger today
What happens when a show continues to generate revenue through reruns, VHS, DVD, nostalgia programming, and modern streaming on platforms like Paramount+… but the actors and writers report seeing nothing?
This documentary-style breakdown follows the paper trail, the contracts, and the history of Canadian television labor to ask one uncomfortable question:
Where did the money go?
Because slime may be messy…
but contracts are supposed to be clear.
Topics covered
• ACTRA performer contracts
• Canadian television production in the 1970s–1990s
• The origins of Nickelodeon’s slime
• Missing residuals and reuse payments
• The legacy of Roger Price’s comedy format
If you grew up watching You Can’t Do That on Television, you know the slime.
Now it’s time to understand the story behind it.