diff --git a/api/src/controllers/seed/index.ts b/api/src/controllers/seed/index.ts
index 8a5dac11..9926f37d 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/seed/index.ts
+++ b/api/src/controllers/seed/index.ts
@@ -17,8 +17,9 @@ export const seed = new Elysia()
 			const err = validateTranslations(body.translations);
 			if (err) return error(400, err);
 
-			const { status, ...ret } = await seedMovie(body);
-			return error(status, ret);
+			const ret = await seedMovie(body);
+			if (ret.status === 422) return error(422, ret);
+			return error(ret.status, ret);
 		},
 		{
 			body: "seed-movie",
diff --git a/api/src/controllers/seed/movies.ts b/api/src/controllers/seed/movies.ts
index d4b36771..396fcd27 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/seed/movies.ts
+++ b/api/src/controllers/seed/movies.ts
@@ -30,18 +30,22 @@ export type SeedMovieResponse = typeof SeedMovieResponse.static;
 
 export const seedMovie = async (
 	seed: SeedMovie,
-): Promise<SeedMovieResponse & {
-	status: "Created" | "OK" | "Conflict";
-}> => {
-	const { translations, videos: vids, ...bMovie } = seed;
-
+): Promise<
+	| (SeedMovieResponse & { status: "Created" | "OK" | "Conflict" })
+	| { status: 422; message: string }
+> => {
 	if (seed.slug === "random") {
-		if (seed.airDate === null) {
-			throw new KErrorT("`random` is a reserved slug. Use something else.");
+		if (!seed.airDate) {
+			return {
+				status: 422,
+				message: "`random` is a reserved slug. Use something else.",
+			};
 		}
 		seed.slug = `random-${getYear(seed.airDate)}`;
 	}
 
+	const { translations, videos: vids, ...bMovie } = seed;
+
 	const ret = await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
 		const movie: Show = {
 			kind: "movie",
diff --git a/api/tests/movies/seed-movies.test.ts b/api/tests/movies/seed-movies.test.ts
index cb32428a..827072d3 100644
--- a/api/tests/movies/seed-movies.test.ts
+++ b/api/tests/movies/seed-movies.test.ts
@@ -192,6 +192,16 @@ describe("Movie seeding", () => {
 		});
 	});
 
+	it("Refuses random as a slug", async () => {
+		const [resp, body] = await createMovie({ ...bubble, slug: "random", airDate: null });
+		expectStatus(resp, body).toBe(422);
+	});
+	it("Refuses random as a slug but fallback w/ airDate", async () => {
+		const [resp, body] = await createMovie({ ...bubble, slug: "random" });
+		expectStatus(resp, body).toBe(201);
+		expect(body.slug).toBe("random-2022");
+	});
+
 	test.todo("Create correct video slug (version)", async () => {});
 	test.todo("Create correct video slug (part)", async () => {});
 	test.todo("Create correct video slug (rendering)", async () => {});