The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story Review

There are two ways to create children’s television. The first is to talk down to the audience while advertising an inordinate amount of merchandise. The second is reach the children on their level and respect them as human beings.

The documentary, The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story, was released in 2018. The movie tells the story of the children television network, Nickelodeon, from its inception in the late 1970’s to the powerhouse it became in the 1990’s. Interviewing execs, writers, creators, and actors, it is the story of a channel that was ahead of its time and continues to push boundaries today.

As a child of the 1980’s and 1990’s, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was pure nostalgia for me. Talking about shows like All That, You Can’t Do That on Television, Hey Dude, Doug, etc was like going back to a simpler time when life was not as complicated.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story is available for streaming on Hulu.

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Throwback Thursday-Television Edition-You Can’t Do That On Television (1979-1990)

There is something about television before the PC (politically correct) era that always stands out for me.

In the late 1970’s, a small Canadian station premiered You Can’t Do That On Television, a sketch comedy show with a cast of young up and coming performers. In the early 1980’s, the show aired internationally. Broken up into Saturday Night Live style skits and conversations between cast, the show was infamous for a certain catchphrase, which many of my generation may remember. Uttering this catchphrase meant that you would soon be covered in green slime.

For a kid in that era, this was sophisticated comedy. For my generation, this show elevated Nickelodeon’s stature and forever imprinted it’s association with green slime.

I recommend it.