Recess (TV series)

Recess
File:Disney's Recess logo.svg
Genre	Comedy Adventure Coming of age
Created by	Paul Germain Joe Ansolabehere
Voices of	Ross Malinger (seasons 1–2) Andrew Lawrence (seasons 2–6) Rickey D'Shon Collins Ashley Johnson Pamela Adlon Jason Davis Courtland Mead April Winchell Dabney Coleman Allyce Beasley Ryan O'Donohue Erik von Detten
Theme music composer	Randy Petersen Kevin Quinn
Composer(s)	Denis M. Hannigan
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	65 (127 segments), plus 4 movies (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Paul Germain Joe Ansolabehere
Running time	20 minutes
Production company(s)	Walt Disney Television Animation Paul & Joe Productions (seasons 5–6)
Release
Original network	ABC (seasons 1–3 & 5) UPN (seasons 4 & 6)
Original release	September 13, 1997 (1997-09-13) – November 5, 2001 (2001-11-05)
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere (credited on marketing materials and late-series title cards as "Paul and Joe") and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, with animation done by Grimsaem, Anivision, Plus One Animation, Sunwoo Animation, and Toon City. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers. The title refers to the recess period during the daily schedule, in the North American tradition of educational schooling, when students are not in lessons and are outside in the schoolyard. During recess, the children form their own society, complete with government and a class structure, set against the backdrop of a regular school.

Recess premiered on September 13, 1997, on ABC, as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning block (later known as ABC Kids). The series ended on November 5, 2001, with 65 half-hour episodes and six seasons in total. The success and lasting appeal of the series saw it being syndicated to numerous channels, including ABC's sister channels Toon Disney, which later became Disney XD, and Disney Channel.

In 2001, Walt Disney Pictures released a theatrical film based on the series, Recess: School's Out. It was followed by a direct-to-video second film entitled Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street that same year. In 2003, two more direct-to-video films were released: Recess: All Growed Down and Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade. The characters made their final appearance in a crossover episode for Lilo & Stitch: The Series.

Overview

Recess portrays the lives of six fourth graders—cheeky and popular lovable rogue Theodore Jasper "T.J." Detweiler (Ross Malinger, Andrew Lawrence), jock Vince LaSalle (Rickey D'Shon Collins), tomboy Ashley Spinelli (Pamela Adlon), wise fool Mikey Blumberg (Jason Davis), nerdy child prodigy Gretchen Grundler (Ashley Johnson), and awkward new kid Gus Griswald (Courtland Mead)—as they go about their daily lives in a school environment at Third Street Elementary School. A major satirical point of the show is that the community of students at school is a microcosm of traditional human society complete with its own government, class system, and set of unwritten laws. They are ruled by a monarch, a sixth grader named King Bob, who has various enforcers to make sure his decrees are carried out. The society has a long list of rigid values and social norms that imposes a high expectation of conformity upon all the students.

Recess is illustrated to be a symbol of liberty—a time when children can express themselves and develop meaningful relationships. Most episodes involve one or more of the main six characters seeking a rational balance between individuality and social order. They are often defending their freedom against perceived threats by adults and school administration or social norms. The group's leader, T.J. Detweiler, tends to have the most complete vision of this struggle, though even he has times when he inadvertently leads the group too far toward an extreme of conformity or non-conformity, and needs to be drawn back to even ground by his friends.

This interpretation is confirmed by the Cold War motifs found throughout the show. For example, Miss Grotke's philosophical and activist attitudes (attributed to her belonging to the counterculture of the 1960s) are juxtaposed with the authoritarian and conservative views of her colleagues such as Miss Finster and Principal Prickly. The presence of government officials either confiscating objects for national security (Episode 37, "The Substitute") or removing persons for challenging authority (Episode 71, "The Spy Who Came in from the Playground"), serve as subtle reminders on the authority of the US government. Several references by the show's characters convey the fraught political realities of the Cold War period. In Episode 85, "Here Comes Mr. Perfect", Randall suggests blackmailing a student for being a supposed Communist, while in Episode 37, "The Substitute", Mr. E demands a student write an essay on why it's wrong to bully people, "unless it's in the geopolitical interests of the United States". Cold War themes are most seen in Episode 101, "The Secret Life of Grotke", where Miss Grotke is suspected by the Recess gang as an anti-American spy due to her mysterious after-school life, as well as Episode 118, "The Army Navy Game", where T.J. masquerades as a Soviet spy to bring Gus and Theresa's military fathers to reconcile.

The show's introductory music, art design and style often evoked the feel of prison escape movies such as The Great Escape, and the playground hierarchy and school administration were often depicted in ways that paid homage to common themes in such films.

Cast and characters

Main characters

File:Recess characters.png

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• Theodore Jasper "T.J." Detweiler (voiced by Ross Malinger, Seasons 1–2; Andrew Lawrence, Seasons 2–6): T.J. is the main protagonist of the series, the leader of his five best friends, and usually spends time planning pranks against the teachers. Rarely seen without his red baseball hat, which he always wears backwards, he uses his catchphrase "whomps" as a child-friendly substitute swear word for something unpleasant as well as "tender" whenever something good happens. T.J. has excellent leadership skills, confidence in public speaking, a quick wit and the ability to talk his way out of any situation, as shown in "Good Ol' T.J.". Despite his precarious acts, T.J. is a hero, as he cares about the well-being of his fellow peers at school, often rallying them and convincing them to work together to stand up for their rights. His only sibling is an older sister (around 17 or 18) named Becky, who was seen in Recess: School's Out (voiced by Melissa Joan Hart) and Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade (voiced by Tara Strong).
• Vincent "Vince" Pierre LaSalle (voiced by Rickey D'Shon Collins): Vince is the most physically fit student at Third Street School. Along with his superior athletic ability, he comes across as a bit of a "Jock", but in the end he always knows to make the best choice to help others. His athletic/competitive skills are far superior, so much so that he seemingly excels at most, if not all, challenges, such as cooking, golf, and even improvised playground games. He has a rivalry with Erwin Lawson, a fifth grade jock bully. He has an older brother named Chad whom he thinks is the coolest boy he knows, even if his peers see him as a geek. His catchphrase is "Whompinbobyulah!" to exclaim surprise. Respected and brave, he is T.J.'s right-hand man.
• Ashley Funicello Spinelli (voiced by Pamela Adlon): Usually going simply by her last name, Spinelli is a wrestling fan and the tomboy of the group. Although short in stature for her age, she maintains a powerful tough-girl image, often attempting to solve her problems via violence. During the gang's misadventures, Spinelli is the one who gets reluctant kids to talk, usually by threatening or intimidating them during interrogation. With her reputation, a lot of Spinelli's problems happen when she is shown to have a weakness, as she prefers to be unflappable and strong-willed. While she doesn't dislike her first name since she was named after her great aunt, the first woman to win the Iditarod Sled Race, she keeps it hidden to avoid being associated with "the Ashleys", the school's clique of snobby girls. She has a talent for art, though she claims she "only does it to blow off steam". Her fiery and fearless personality has gotten on the good side of Miss Finster multiple times as well as her bad side. It is revealed on Parent-Teacher Night, by Spinelli's mother, that Spinelli has a crush on T.J.
• Gretchen Priscilla Grundler (voiced by Ashley Johnson): Gretchen is an academically gifted and an extremely intelligent student. A child prodigy, she has shown the ability for academic feats that other students in her grade find difficult. She is still a young kid at heart and her imagination sometimes overwhelms her, as she is quite naive despite her high IQ. She is assisted by an interactive, calculator-sized, hand-held computer-like machine called Galileo (voiced by Eric Idle), which she is very protective of. Though her friends don't share her passion for science, Gretchen considers the gang much more important than finding intellectual colleagues. She also has a unique talent with yo-yo's. She was called 'the doughy queen of beauty' by Frank "Tiny" Sedgwick in "Lord of the Nerds".
• Michael "Mikey" Blumberg (voiced by Jason Davis; singing voiced by Robert Goulet): Mikey is an overweight, kind-hearted, and philosophical 9-year-old. He is good at playing goalie in soccer due to his towering height and body power. He writes poetry, performs ballet, and believes in notions of peace that the others often dismiss. Though known as a "sweet-souled giant", he is also an incredibly talented singer, possessing a baritone opera voice that contrasts starkly with his normal speaking voice.
• Gustav Patton "Gus" Griswald (voiced by Courtland Mead): Gus is a new student at Third Street Elementary with a blonde crew cut; though absent in the first episode, he was introduced in the following episode as "The New Kid". Gus is usually oblivious to the rules of the playground and its traditions, as he comes from a military family and therefore has had to move around frequently (he has attended 12 schools in six years but according to the movie/episode All Grown Down, he briefly attended Third Street School for a few days in kindergarten, prior to his return for fourth grade). Although normally shy and meek, he has great leadership abilities similar to T.J.'s when faced with danger. He is exceptionally skilled in dodgeball, and was once feared at Jesse James Elementary School, a previous school of his, as "El Diablo"; however, as shown in "Dodgeball City", when he accidentally hit a little boy hard in the face, greatly traumatizing the kid, he stopped playing it in shame. In this same episode, he shows he doesn't care for marbles, either because of Dodgeball or dislike. Gus is both brave and swallows his pride when he addresses certain situations. Even though everyone sees him as a pushover, he has repeatedly proven otherwise; for instance, he stood up to Gelman (The School Bully) in "Gus' Last Stand", and in "All Grown Down", it was revealed that during his brief tenure at Third Street as a kindergartener, he helped overthrow Randall's manipulation of Mikey (who believed he was being taunted), which was confirmed by Finster apparently bearing a grudge towards him at the end of the film.

School staff

• Muriel Periwinkle Finster (voiced by April Winchell): Miss Finster is an elderly assistant teacher who monitors the students during lunch, recess, and in the halls. She is an assertive authoritarian feared by the students, and seeks to keep them in line and maintain order, with her assistant Randall Weems reporting to her on any wrongdoing. She was a Navy commodore in the 1950s, frequently reminiscing her time in Guam, and has worked at Third Street since the 1960s. Though she is often at odds with the students, Finster has been shown to genuinely care about their safety. In a few of the series' episodes and in the film Recess: School's Out, she is revealed as having been attractive and popular when she was young but eventually became a strict, grouchy and fussy figure as she grew older. She becomes the gang's fifth grade teacher in the film Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade. In the film Recess: All Growed Down it is revealed that she was the gang's kindergarten teacher and she was initially pleasant but became hot-tempered and intimidating after seeing her kindergarten students all messy and having fun during recess.
• Principal Peter Prickly (voiced by Dabney Coleman): Principal Prickly is the principal of Third Street School. A former student at the school, he became a teacher out of a desire to help children and has been principal of Third Street since 1968. He is frequently angered by the children's antics, and ultimately seeks to become principal of a middle school. He has a strong rivalry with his older brother Paul, who is also a school principal. While frequently portrayed as a heartless authority figure, Prickly has been shown to have a more friendly, laid-back personality and ultimately tries to protect the student's welfare. He is also a secret fan of Señor Fusion, a comic book hero.
• Miss Alordayne Grotke (voiced by Allyce Beasley) is the 4th grade teacher of the main cast. She is known for her mild-mannered, yet eccentric personality, basically being that of a hippie, including her vocabulary. She is well loved by her students, especially for her tendency to stick up for their rights and encourages them to express themselves. Her dialogue establishes her as an advocate for the environment and race/gender rights. She also moonlights as a magician.

School students

• Randall J. Weems (voiced by Ryan O'Donohue) is a fourth grade student at the school. His hair cut and color (a reddish/brown perm curly style) resembles his father's. Well known as the playground snitch, informing Miss Finster of any playground misbehavior, he is consequently disliked on the playground but will ally with his classmates if the situation calls for it. In "All Grown Down" it is revealed he hatched a plan to get Mikey on his side by gossiping about the other kids to Mikey. Mikey assumes this is true and believes that the other kids are making fun of him. However, Gus destroys his plans before he could succeed in possibly becoming king in 6th grade.
• Erwin Lawson (voiced by Erik von Detten) is a fifth grader. He is primarily a bully to the younger students and serves as a rival to Vince and T.J. at various sports and games. He is portrayed as unintelligent. In the episode "Nobody Doesn't Like TJ" Lawson can even admit that TJ's still a pretty alright guy.
• King Robert "Bob" (voiced by Toran Caudell) is a sixth grader and the "King of the Playground". He enforces the unwritten rules of the playground established by other previous playground kings and acts as the primary authority of playground disputes. He was previously a renowned playground prankster, holding the title of "Prankster Prince" before becoming King. He has bequeathed the title to T.J. He is also incredibly respectful and reminiscent of previous playground kings, which can be seen in episodes such as "Pharaoh Bob" and "The Rules".
• The Ashleys are a group of four girls (Ashley Armbruster (voiced by Anndi McAfee), Boulet (voiced by Francesca Marie Smith), Quinlan (voiced by Rachel Crane), and Tomassian (voiced by Camille Winbush)) who usually go by Ashley A, B, Q, and T respectively. The girls, while usually acting like the stereotypical popular girl clique, including being well-off and obsessing with fashion and beauty, often put down others either verbally or through a variety of underhanded schemes, resulting in them being seldom popular with anybody except during their occasional moments of kindness. They are even ostracized by many of their classmates (though they do maintain an air of superiority). They have a mutual despisement with Spinelli, due mainly to her first name being Ashley and her outright refusal to join their group as well as her frequent hostility towards them. Their catchphrase is saying "ooh, scandalous!" as well as constantly using the preposition like in unison. They each have a little brother named Tyler who are collectively known as "The Tylers", and a little sister named Brittany who are collectively known as "The Brittanys". The Ashleys are probably based on the titular characters from the 1988 film Heathers, though their fashion obsessions and mannerisms seem to be based on the main characters from the 1995 film Clueless.
• Hustler Kid (voiced by Michael Shulman) is the playground's supplier of contraband goods and other hard to get merchandise for the right price. In "Hustler's Apprentice", he is revealed to be part of an association of hustlers from every school and his real name is revealed to be Francis.
• Guru Kid (voiced by Klee Bragger and Ross Malinger in the series, and Ryan O'Donohue in Recess: School's Out) is the source of spiritual advice for the other students. He always sits in a meditative pose with his shirt wrapped around his head like a turban.
• Swinger Girl (voiced by Francesca Marie Smith) is, as her name suggests, a girl who is always at the swing set and whose ultimate goal is to swing over the top of the swing set. She dresses like a WWII fighter pilot.
• Upside Down Girl (voiced by Francesca Marie Smith) spends her time hanging upside down from the jungle gym.
• Menlo (voiced by Blake McIver Ewing) is a student who works as an office aide to the school secretary Miss Lemon and is obsessed with organization. He was once good friends with T.J. before they drifted apart, but T.J. still attends Menlo's birthday parties in honor of that friendship.
• Megan (voiced by Pamela Adlon in "The New Kid", Kath Soucie in "Call Me Guy", Anndi McAfee in "The Candidates", and Danielle Judovits in Recess: School's Out), a girl with brown hair in pigtails, and wears a red jacket (like T.J.) appears as a background character, though occasionally speaks. Not much is known about her, but she is seen hanging with several other background girls.
• The Diggers (voiced by Ryan O'Donohue and Klee Bragger) are a pair of kids who spend their time at recess digging holes in the dirt and are dressed as miners. One is named Dave and the other is named Sam, and despite looking alike they aren't related.
• Kristen Kurst (voiced by Mayim Bialik), "Kurst the Worst", is a gluttonous and messy fifth grade girl bully who often times can be found stealing food from the cafeteria. She once befriended Mikey over their shared love of desserts.
• Cornchip Girl (voiced by Anndi McAfee, Francesca Marie Smith, Ashley Johnson, Elizabeth Daily, and Aria Curzon), whose real name is Theresa Laverne LaMaise, is a sweet and polite little girl known for throwing corn chips to mark the arrival of King Bob at events. Her father is in the Navy.
• Butch (voiced by Kath Soucie) is a fifth grade boy who often times pops up to tell the kids about bad experiences, with T.J. almost always prompting Butch's stories with the words, "What're you talking about, Butch?". He wears a leather jacket and has a white streak in his hair.
• Gelman (voiced by Justin Shenkarow) is the school bully, and picks on kids that are smaller than him (most notably Gus). Gelman is overweight, lazy and mean; he normally sports a black T-shirt, dark gray pants and light brown hair.
• Singing Kid (voiced by Michael Shulman), real name Brandon, is the school's official singer.

Production

Recess first aired on ABC on August 31, 1997, as a "sneak preview", after which it transitioned to ABC's Disney's One Saturday Morning programming block, premiering on September 13, 1997. The series' success spawned three direct-to-video titles Recess Trilogy: Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street in 2001, Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade and Recess: All Growed Down in 2003; and one theatrical film, Recess: School's Out, which was released on February 16, 2001. The series ended on November 5, 2001; reruns continued to air on UPN until 2003 and ABC until 2004.

Disney Channel added Recess to their lineup on September 3, 2003. Fillmore!, The Legend of Tarzan, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command were all pre-empted in favor of a 90-minute showing of the series. It temporarily ceased airing on September 2, 2005, but resumed on August 26, 2008 replacing The Buzz on Maggie, and continued until June 30, 2010.

Toon Disney aired the show from September 3, 2003 to February 12, 2009. When Toon Disney was converted to Disney XD, the series was carried over and aired from April 14, 2009 to October 27, 2011.

Episodes

Main article: List of Recess episodes

Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere (credited as "Paul and Joe") and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers. Recess first aired on ABC from 1997 through to 2001, and reruns aired on Disney Channel in the United States.

The show premiered on August 31, 1997 with the first season spanning 26 episodes. The second season premiered on Saturday, September 12, 1998. Disney brought the show back for a third season of 8 episodes which began on September 11, 1999 premiering on ABC as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning while the fourth season premiered at the same time, but airing on UPN as part of Disney's One Too. Season three was notably shorter than the previous ABC seasons. This was because the staff were busy with Recess: School's Out. Outside of the U.S., the individual 11 minute episodes of season three and season four were weaved together to create one long season. Season five premiered on September 9, 2000 while season six premiered on October 31, 2001 concluding the series with the last episode airing in November 2001.

It had a crossover with Lilo & Stitch: The Series in 2006.

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	26	August 31, 1997 (1997-08-31)	January 17, 1998 (1998-01-17)
	2	25	September 12, 1998 (1998-09-12)	February 27, 1999 (1999-02-27)
	3	16	September 11, 1999 (1999-09-11)	January 22, 2000 (2000-01-22)
	4	46	September 12, 2000 (2000-09-12)	July 17, 2001 (2001-07-17)
	5	9	September 9, 2000 (2000-09-09)	January 6, 2001 (2001-01-06)
	6	5	October 31, 2001 (2001-10-31)	November 5, 2001 (2001-11-05)

</onlyinclude>

Episodes

Season 1 (1997–98)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1 (1a)	"The Break In"	Chuck Sheetz	Paul Germain & Joe Ansolabehere	August 31, 1997 (1997-08-31)
T.J. is punished with no recess after an unsuccessful attempt of the gang to raid the kitchen's "good food"; seeing how deranged he has become, the rest of his friends try to break him out by enlisting the help of the other students on the playground.
2 (1b)	"The New Kid"	Chuck Sheetz	Paul Germain & Joe Ansolabehere	August 31, 1997 (1997-08-31)
Gustav "Gus" Griswald, the new student at Third Street, arrives at school to no fanfare during a plan done by the gang. After giving him a brief tour around the school, King Bob declares Gus as the "new kid", being the newest student on the playground, which means nobody is supposed to talk to him and refer to him only as the "new kid"
3 (2a)	"The Experiment"	Chuck Sheetz	Lesa Kite	September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20)
The gang hear a chilling story of what older students like to do with their time, and the only solution is for two of the six to disprove it in the world's most 'unusual' experiment: kissing.
4 (2b)	"The Great Jungle Gym Standoff"	Chuck Sheetz	Joseph Purdy	September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20)
Principal Prickly wants to replace the school jungle gym, 'Ol Rusty, but not if T.J. and the whole school can stop him.
5 (3a)	"Jinxed"	Chuck Sheetz	Scott Shelley	September 27, 1997 (1997-09-27)
Gus is unable to speak after being jinxed by the Ashleys; he can only talk again if someone says his name, which the Ashleys try to prevent.
6 (3b)	"Officer Mikey"	Chuck Sheetz	Lesa Kite	September 27, 1997 (1997-09-27)
Mikey wants to become a safety ranger, which causes the gang to get help from others.
7 (4a)	"First Name Ashley"	Chuck Sheetz	Holly Huckins	October 4, 1997 (1997-10-04)
After Randall reveals that Spinelli's first name is Ashley, she is forced to join The Ashleys.
8 (4b)	"To Finster with Love"	Chuck Sheetz	Jeffrey Wright From an Idea by: Nahnatchka Khan	October 4, 1997 (1997-10-04)
Miss Finster is attracted to Hank the janitor and begins dating him. This distraction affects their usual job performance, which in turn causes imbalance in the schoolyard.
9 (5a)	"King Gus"	Chuck Sheetz	Peter Gaffney	October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11)
When King Bob comes down with tonsilitis, he appoints Gus as the new King Of The Playground. Soon, the power goes to Gus's head, and he starts ordering students about.
10 (5b)	"Big Brother Chad"	Chuck Sheetz	Jon Greenberg	October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11)
Vince is concerned about whether his big brother Chad is as cool as he thinks.
11 (6a)	"My Fair Gretchen"	Chuck Sheetz	Holly Huckins	October 18, 1997 (1997-10-18)
Principal Prickly plans to move Gretchen to a school for the gifted (after scoring exceptionally well on a test), but she worries she might not see her friends again.
12 (6b)	"Speedy, We Hardly Knew Ye"	Chuck Sheetz	Bruce Rubin	October 18, 1997 (1997-10-18)
Speedy, the class hamster, dies, so the kids decide to throw a funeral, which doesn't go as expected.
13 (7a)	"I Will Kick No More Forever"	Chuck Sheetz	Michael Kramer	October 25, 1997 (1997-10-25)
After getting outplayed in a kickball game by Ashley Q., Vince decides to never play kickball again.
14 (7b)	"The Kid Came Back"	Chuck Sheetz	Holly Huckins Based on a Story by: Rachel Lipman	October 25, 1997 (1997-10-25)
A stranger called the Peanut Butter Kid tries to follow the gang everywhere, and it drives them crazy after being convinced he brings bad luck.
15 (8a)	"The Pest"	Chuck Sheetz	Rachel Lipman	November 1, 1997 (1997-11-01)
Gretchen is bothered by Geoffrey, who has fallen in love with her.
16 (8b)	"The Legend of Big Kid"	Chuck Sheetz	Peter Gaffney	November 1, 1997 (1997-11-01)
After T.J. is kidnapped by the Kindergarteners, he lives among them and adapts to their ways; it is then up to the rest of the gang to rescue him before he forgets how to be a 9-year-old.
17 (9a)	"The Box"	Susie Dietter	Jeff Wright	November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)
After getting tired of everyone disobeying playground rules, Miss Finster plans to put anyone who breaks playground rules into "The Box", starting with T.J.; he goes crazy and becomes terrified of doing anything, forcing the others to resort to drastic measures to get him back to normal.
18 (9b)	"The Trial"	Chuck Sheetz	Scott Shelley	November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)
In a parody of a court trial, Spinelli and Randall battle it out in court after Randall accuses her of throwing a rock at him during a dirt-clod war; the episode is in the style of the film Roshomon, different points of view of the same event. Randall finally confesses that he hit himself with the rock out of "sickening" jealousy of Spinelli being thanked by Miss Finster for saving her cat much to the other kids' dismay and Spinelli is exonerated. Randall notably quotes a line from A Few Good Men and a quote about World War 1.
19 (10a)	"Teacher's Lounge"	Chuck Sheetz	Jon Greenberg	November 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)
Intrigued by its secrecy, the kids try to find out what the teacher's lounge looks like, only to be astonished at what they find inside.
20 (10b)	"Randall's Reform"	Chuck Sheetz	Rachel Lipman	November 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)
T.J. and the gang finally accept Randall into their group, but could it be a trap?
21 (11a)	"Rainy Days"	Chuck Sheetz	Lane Raichert	November 22, 1997 (1997-11-22)
It's a rainy day and recess is canceled; when the rain won't seem to stop after day three, the kids start to turn on each other... will the kids survive five days of indoor recess?
22 (11b)	"The Great Can Drive"	Chuck Sheetz	Michael Kramer Based on Idea by: Gary Glasberg	November 22, 1997 (1997-11-22)
Mikey is the only one in Mrs. Grotke's class who decides to collect cans for the annual Can Drive after the other kids drop out, not wanting to lose against the Ashleys again; this eventually results in a massive rivalry escalating between the classes over who collects the most cans.
23 (12a)	"The Voice"	Chuck Sheetz & Susie Dietter	Jon Greenberg	January 10, 1998 (1998-01-10)
When Principal Prickly discovers that Mikey sings like Robert Goulet (who portrays Mikey's singing voice), he appoints a beautiful, young music teacher, Ms. Salamone (voiced by Glenne Headly), to help him prepare for the school concert.
24 (12b)	"Kids in the Mist"	Chuck Sheetz	Holly Huckins & Joe Ansolabehere Based on Idea by: Yule E. Caise	January 10, 1998 (1998-01-10)
A researcher named Dr. Quilty wants to research by video about recess. When she first tries it, she fails, and T.J. and the gang decide to help her out.
25 (13a)	"Parents' Night"	Chuck Sheetz	Holly Huckins	January 17, 1998 (1998-01-17)
Spinelli is apprehensive about her parents attending Parent's Night because they embarrass her.
26 (13b)	"Swing on Thru to the Other Side"	Chuck Sheetz	Joe Ansolabehere Story by: Rachel Lipman	January 17, 1998 (1998-01-17)
Spinelli creates a pseudo-religious philosophy after she comes to the belief that fourth grader Swinger Girl (aka Laura Jameson), 'went over the top' on the swing, passing into another 'higher state of being', making Spinelli's friends concerned. The name of the episode is a play on the title of the song Break on Through by The Doors.

Season 2 (1998–99)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
27 (14a)	"The Break-up"	Chuck Sheetz	Michael Kramer	September 12, 1998 (1998-09-12)
The gang breaks up when a report to write about their best friend prompts division as all five of the others write about T.J., prompting T.J. to realize that he has five best friends, not just one.
28 (14b)	"The Hypnotist"	Susie Dietter	David Shane	September 12, 1998 (1998-09-12)
Principal Prickly is hypnotized into thinking he is a little kid again and spends recess with the kids.
29 (15a)	"Mama's Girl"	Chuck Sheetz	Mark Drop Based on an Idea by: C.D. Payne	September 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)
Spinelli accidentally calls Miss Grotke "Mama" in front of the whole playground and is teased about it.
30 (15b)	"Outcast Ashley"	Chuck Sheetz	Doria Biddle	September 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)
Ashley A. is kicked out of The Ashleys for forgetting the tradition of Purple Day; she befriends Gretchen, with disastrous results from T.J. and the gang.
31 (16a)	"The Game"	Chuck Sheetz	Peter Gaffney	September 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
A new craze called 'Ajimbo' sweeps across the playground, brainwashing all the kids at recess. Can T.J. resist and bring back his friends, or will he be swept in as well?
32 (16b)	"The Lost Ball"	Chuck Sheetz	Holly Huckins	September 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
A kickball falls into the mysterious back garden of a mansion and it's up to Gus to retrieve it.
33 (17a)	"Gus' Last Stand"	Chuck Sheetz	Jonathan Rosenthal	October 3, 1998 (1998-10-03)
Gus stands up to Gelman the bully.
34 (17b)	"Operation Field Trip"	Chuck Sheetz	Michael Kramer	October 3, 1998 (1998-10-03)
The school is going on a field trip, but T.J.'s class bus breaks down leaving them stranded.
35 (18a)	"The Challenge"	Chuck Sheetz	Jon Greenberg	October 10, 1998 (1998-10-10)
Principal Prickley's brother (voiced by Martin Mull) is principal of a rival elementary school. The siblings square off over a bet based on a game of kickball with the gang playing off against their doubles.
36 (18b)	"Wild Child"	Chuck Sheetz	Mark Drop	October 10, 1998 (1998-10-10)
In the "Pee Wee Pals" program, the main kids each have to take care of a kindergartener during recess.
37 (19a)	"The Substitute"	Susie Dietter	Phil Walsh	October 31, 1998 (1998-10-31)
A mysterious substitute by the name of Mr. E takes over Miss Grotke's class while she is away.
38 (19b)	"Gretchen and the Secret of Yo"	Chuck Sheetz	Doria Biddle Based on an Idea by: Julie Forte	October 31, 1998 (1998-10-31)
Gretchen discovers a new talent in yo-yos.
39 (20a)	"The Girl Was Trouble"	Chuck Sheetz	Mark Drop	November 7, 1998 (1998-11-07)
When Gretchen is called into the principal's office for committing a string of offenses. She recounts the story of how she committed those crimes to get her Galileo handheld computer back.
40 (20b)	"Copycat Kid"	Chuck Sheetz	Holly Huckins	November 7, 1998 (1998-11-07)
Mikey starts to copy Vince after Vince saves Mikey's life.
41 (21a)	"Operation Stuart"	Chuck Sheetz	Katy Ballard	November 14, 1998 (1998-11-14)
Mikey rescues Stuart, a stray cat, who wreaks havoc at 3rd Street School.
42 (21b)	"Pharaoh Bob"	Chuck Sheetz	Jonathan Rosenthal	November 14, 1998 (1998-11-14)
King Bob orders the Kids of the Playground to make a monument in his name when he fears he will not be remembered after he leaves.
45 (23a)	"Economics of Recess"	Howy Parkins	Rick Gittleson, Mark Drop, & Phil Walsh	December 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)
T.J. discovers that while he was out sick, the school has undergone a currency implementation, Monster Stickers. At first, T.J. is broke, but through hard work and investments, he becomes the richest kid in school and grows mad with power.
46 (23b)	"Omega Kids"	Chuck Sheetz	Steve Bannos	December 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)
All the kids at 3rd Street School have fallen ill after eating Tuna Fish Tacos, leaving T.J. and the gang as the only students in school.
47 (24)	"Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave"	Susie Dietter	Mark Drop, Holly Huckins, & Phil Walsh	December 26, 1998 (1998-12-26)
(Christmas Special: One twenty-minute episode) Mikey is ridiculed when it is discovered he still believes in Santa Claus. Will he still play Santa in the school's Christmas pageant?
43 (22a)	"The Story of Whomps"	Chuck Sheetz	Mark Drop	November 21, 1998 (1998-11-21)
The word T.J. uses, "whomps," comes under fire as an actual swear word.
44 (22b)	"Weekend at Muriel's"	Chuck Sheetz	Michael Kramer & Phil Walsh	November 21, 1998 (1998-11-21)
Spinelli is forced to spend a weekend with Miss Finster while her parents are away.
48 (25a)	"Bad Hair Day"	Chuck Sheetz	Jeff Haber, Phil Walsh, & Mark Drop	January 16, 1999 (1999-01-16)
Mikey is given a bad haircut after getting gum stuck in it, and Vince and T.J. lie and say it's a trendy new cut, leading every kid on the playground to want their hair styled the same way.
49 (25b)	"Dance Lessons"	Chuck Sheetz	Phil Walsh	January 16, 1999 (1999-01-16)
After getting in trouble for fighting at school, Spinelli is forced to take ballet lessons – and finds Mikey in the same class.
50 (26a)	"Principal for a Day"	Chuck Sheetz	Steve Bannos	February 27, 1999 (1999-02-27)
T.J. is made principal for a day, and the students are afraid that the power will change him.
51 (26b)	"The Beauty Contest"	Chuck Sheetz	Libby Bideau & Sandy Adomaitis	February 27, 1999 (1999-02-27)
Spinelli is entered into a beauty contest by the Ashleys as a joke, but sticks around so she can beat them.

Season 3 (1999–2000) (ABC)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
52 (27a)	"One Stayed Clean"	Chuck Sheetz	Bart Jennett & Gregg Taylor	September 11, 1999 (1999-09-11)
It's Gus's first-ever Picture Day, but can his friends help him stay clean until the end of the day?
53 (27b)	"A Genius Among Us"	Chuck Sheetz	Brian Hamill	September 11, 1999 (1999-09-11)
Gretchen discovers that Hank the janitor is a math genius.
54 (28a)	"Dodgeball City"	Howy Parkins	Gil Evans, Mark Drop, & Phil Walsh	September 18, 1999 (1999-09-18)
T.J. and the gang discover something shocking from Gus's past when dodgeball season hits the playground.
55 (28b)	"A Career to Remember"	Brenda Piluso	Leslie Wolff, Mark Drop, & Phil Walsh	September 18, 1999 (1999-09-18)
The Gang ponder on what they want to be when they grow up, and Spinelli fears she may not have a future.
56 (29a)	"Kindergarten Derby"	Chuck Sheetz	Jonathan Rosenthal & Steve Viksten	September 25, 1999 (1999-09-25)
The Kindergarteners compete in a race to win a wish from King Bob, which Mikey objects to because of how it exploits them.
57 (29b)	"The Bet"	Chuck Sheetz	David Pitlik	September 25, 1999 (1999-09-25)
T.J bets Vince that he cannot go without winning every game he plays for one day.
58 (30a)	"Space Cadet"	Chuck Sheetz & Howy Parkins	David Pitlik	October 2, 1999 (1999-10-02)
Gretchen gets a letter from NASA, telling her that she will be involved in the next space shuttle mission. Buzz Aldrin voices himself.
59 (30b)	"Stand Up Randall"	Chuck Sheetz	Libby Bideau, Sandy Adomaitis, Mark Drop, & Phil Walsh	October 2, 1999 (1999-10-02)
Randall becomes popular as the playground comedian, but the gang isn't laughing when they find that all the jokes are about Mikey.
60 (31a)	"The Shiner"	Chuck Sheetz	Steve Bannos	November 6, 1999 (1999-11-06)
T.J. comes in to school with a black eye and lies that he got it for doing something heroic.
61 (31b)	"Lord of the Nerds"	Chuck Sheetz & Howy Parkins	Story by: David Stone Screenplay by: Ford Riley	November 6, 1999 (1999-11-06)
When T.J. breaks his arm during a football game, he's forced to stay in a room full of nerds who don't go outside for recess.
62 (32a)	"That Stinking Feeling"	Howy Parkins	Chad Einbinder	November 13, 1999 (1999-11-13)
Johnny "Baby Tooth" V. leaves an imprint on Spinelli's heart.
63 (32b)	"My Funny Valentines"	Howy Parkins	Gregg Taylor	November 13, 1999 (1999-11-13)
T.J. creates prank valentines and complications ensue.
64 (33a)	"The Barnaby Boys"	Howy Parkins & Chuck Sheetz	Rocket Rabinowitz & Phil Walsh	September 12, 2000 (2000-09-12)
T.J. and Vince try to uncover the mystery of the temporary janitor.
65 (33b)	"Buried Treasure"	Chuck Sheetz	Peter Gaffney & Jonathan Rosenthal	January 15, 2000 (2000-01-15)
The Gang find a treasure map and go on a quest to find the treasure.
66 (34a)	"The Library Kid"	Howy Parkins & Chuck Sheetz	Doria Biddle & Holly Huckins	January 22, 2000 (2000-01-22)
The gang investigates an urban legend of a kid who stays in the library for recess.
67 (34b)	"The Ratings Game"	Howy Parkins	Ilana Wernick & Holly Huckins	January 22, 2000 (2000-01-22)
The Ashleys instigate a ratings system to crush the self-esteem of the kids on the playground, leading to chaos.

Season 4 (2000–01) (UPN and syndication)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
68 (35a)	"The First Picture Show"	Chuck Sheetz	Richard Whitley	September 12, 2000 (2000-09-12)
T.J. finds out about the first Señor Fusion movie and vows to see the first show, but the first showing happens to be during school hours.
69 (35b)	"The Big Prank"	Chuck Sheetz	Gregg Taylor	September 12, 2000 (2000-09-12)
T.J. tries to prank King Bob so he can win the King's old title of Prankster Prince.
70 (36a)	"Hustler's Apprentice"	Chuck Sheetz	Katy Cooper & Ned Teitelbaum	September 13, 2000 (2000-09-13)
Gus joins the Hustler Kid but causes trouble.
71 (36b)	"The Spy Who Came in from the Playground"	Chuck Sheetz	Michael Kramer	September 13, 2000 (2000-09-13)
The gang make a friend of new kid James Stone (voiced by Jason Marsden) and show him all their tricks, but soon regret that.
72 (37a)	"Gus' Fortune"	Howy Parkins	Ron Birnbach & Phil Walsh	September 19, 2000 (2000-09-19)
After playing with a paper fortune teller, Gus is told he will die the next day.
73 (37b)	"Rumor Mill"	Chuck Sheetz	David Pitlik	September 19, 2000 (2000-09-19)
Mikey is the subject of a vicious rumor that terrifies the whole school, but who started it?
74 (38a)	"Recess is Canceled"	Chuck Sheetz	Jeff Haber, Mark Drop, & Phil Walsh	September 22, 2000 (2000-09-22)
The Government officially cancels recess as part of an experiment, but things go wrong when the kids become slow-minded and depressed as a result.
75 (38b)	"Tattletale Heart"	Brenda Piluso	Matt Rosenberg	September 22, 2000 (2000-09-22)
Gus knows who started a savage food fight and refuses to tell Miss Finster. But will she force him to tattle?
76 (39a)	"The Madness of King Bob"	Chuck Sheetz	Gregg Taylor	September 26, 2000 (2000-09-26)
Continuing from "The Big Prank". King Bob becomes obsessed with getting revenge on T.J..
77 (39b)	"Call Me Guy"	Brenda Piluso	Ford Riley	September 26, 2000 (2000-09-26)
Gus loses his glasses and becomes cool as a swingin' boy named "Guy".
78 (40a)	"Prickly is Leaving"	Chuck Sheetz	Julie Ann Sipos & Bart Jennett	October 3, 2000 (2000-10-03)
Principal Prickly gets his wish of being a middle school principal but his replacements, an evil man named Dr. Slicer and his assistant Gilda, are even worse. Tim Curry is the voice of Dr. Slicer.
79 (40b)	"Randall's Friends"	Howy Parkins	Milton Chassman	October 3, 2000 (2000-10-03)
Randall gets the gang to act as his friends after lying to his father about his friendships. His father later visits in honor of Randall's birthday.
80 (41a)	"The Biggest Trouble Ever"	Howy Parkins	Steve Bannos, Mark Drop, & Phil Walsh	November 7, 2000 (2000-11-07)
T.J. and the gang are deemed criminals because of an accident involving a statue of the school's namesake. Only the grandson of the school's namesake can save them. Ed Asner provides the voice of Thaddeus T. Third V.
81 (41b)	"The Rules"	Howy Parkins	Etan Cohen & Bart Jennett	November 7, 2000 (2000-11-07)
The old King Morty's rules are reinstated after Vince and Lawson have a disagreement regarding a kickball landing in a dumpster.
82 (42a)	"Gus and Misdemeanors"	Chuck Sheetz	Holly Huckins	November 8, 2000 (2000-11-08)
The bad kids from "The Girl Was Trouble" trick Gus into shoplifting candy from Kelso's.
83 (42b)	"A Science Fair to Remember"	Howy Parkins	Libby Bideau, Sandy Adomaitis, & Bart Jennett	November 8, 2000 (2000-11-08)
Little Becky Benson idolizes Gretchen...or does she?
84 (43a)	"Mikey's Pants"	Chuck Sheetz & Howy Parkins	Scott Redman & Phil Walsh	November 14, 2000 (2000-11-14)
Mikey's pants split, but will the gang be able to help him avoid Finster and her needle?
85 (43b)	"Here Comes Mr. Perfect"	Chuck Sheetz	Ron Birnbach & Phil Walsh	November 14, 2000 (2000-11-14)
Jared Smith, a new kid, comes to Third Street and isn't as average as the gang hopes when he is better than all the students at the things they are good at.
86 (44a)	"Good Luck Charm"	Chuck Sheetz	David Pitlik	November 19, 2000 (2000-11-19)
Spinelli borrows Vince's lucky marble to pass a math test on the day Vince needs it most.
87 (44b)	"Diggers Split Up"	Chuck Sheetz	Cary Okmin	November 19, 2000 (2000-11-19)
The diggers have a fight and split up; the gang tries to get them back together.
88 (45a)	"Schoolworld"	Howy Parkins	Scott Shelley	November 21, 2000 (2000-11-21)
The school gets a new technology system installed called the SAL 3000 which controls everything.
89 (45b)	"Bachelor Gus"	Chuck Sheetz	Sandy Adomaitis & Libby Bideau	November 21, 2000 (2000-11-21)
Gus moves into 'Ol Rusty at school after overhearing his parents' unfortunate plans to move again.
90 (46a)	"The Dude"	Howy Parkins	Richard Whitley	November 28, 2000 (2000-11-28)
A school legend, T.J.'s idol comes back as a teacher.
91 (46b)	"Partners in Crime"	Chuck Sheetz	Written by: Bart Jennett Story by: Phil Walsh	November 28, 2000 (2000-11-28)
Menlo and Randall plan to take over the school after everyone ignores them.
92 (47a)	"The Candidates"	Chuck Sheetz & Howy Parkins	Etan Cohen & Mark Drop	November 29, 2000 (2000-11-29)
Vince and Gretchen run against each other for class president.
93 (47b)	"This Brain for Hire"	Chuck Sheetz	Nancylee Myatt & Phil Walsh	November 29, 2000 (2000-11-29)
Gretchen does other people's homework to get the money for a new bike.
94 (48a)	"Spinelli's Masterpiece"	Brenda Piluso	Story by: Brian Hamill Teleplay by: Ford Riley	February 6, 2001 (2001-02-06)
Spinelli lets off some steam by creating a chalk drawing and T.J. does everything he can to keep Miss Finster from erasing it.
95 (48b)	"Nobody Doesn't Like T.J."	Howy Parkins	Milton Chassman & Phil Walsh	February 6, 2001 (2001-02-06)
T.J. finds out that Gordie is the only kid on the playground who doesn't like him, and sets out to make him his friend.
96 (49a)	"A Great State Fair"	Howy Parkins	Gail Glaze & Bart Jennett	February 13, 2001 (2001-02-13)
Gus gets left behind, along with Gelman and Finster when Gus's dad forgets to give him his permission slip to his first great state fair.
97 (49b)	"The A.V. Kid"	Howy Parkins	Mark Archuleta	February 13, 2001 (2001-02-13)
A.V. Kid must choose a successor because he's leaving Third Street for Portugal. T.J. and Vince would both like the position.
98 (50a)	"Yope from Norway"	Howy Parkins	Bob Illes	February 20, 2001 (2001-02-20)
Gus becomes jealous of Yope, a Norwegian transfer student.
99 (50b)	"Bonky Fever"	Chuck Sheetz	Bart Jennett	February 20, 2001 (2001-02-20)
Worried over growing older, Mikey decides to regress by becoming obsessed with Bonky the Dinosaur.
100 (51a)	"Don't Ask Me"	Howy Parkins	Sandy Adomaitis & Libby Bideau	February 21, 2001 (2001-02-21)
Spinelli takes the place of the Guru Kid.
101 (51b)	"The Secret Life of Grotke"	Howy Parkins	Ford Riley	February 21, 2001 (2001-02-21)
The gang believe that Miss Grotke is a spy. But is she spying for or against America?
102 (52a)	"The Fuss Over Finster"	Howy Parkins	Milton Chassman	February 27, 2001 (2001-02-27)
Miss Finster hurts her leg and can't keep up with the kids during recess.
103 (52b)	"Soccer Boy"	Howy Parkins	Scott Redman & Bart Jennett	February 27, 2001 (2001-02-27)
Vince refuses to let Mikey join his five-a-side soccer team for the King Bob Classic, so Mikey becomes the goalkeeper for Lawson's team.
104 (53a)	"Fort Tender"	Howy Parkins	Nick Dubois	February 29, 2001 (2001-02-29)
T.J. and the gang make a fort, only to have Lawson and his gang ruin their plans.
105 (53b)	"Germ Warfare"	Howy Parkins	David Pitlik & Phil Walsh	February 29, 2001 (2001-02-29)
Gus and Mikey are at war after Gretchen catches a cold.
106 (54a)	"More Like Gretchen"	Howy Parkins	Bart Jennett	March 1, 2001 (2001-03-01)
After a visit to a beauty museum with Gretchen, Spinelli's parents seem to be a little "unsatisfied" with their daughter.
107 (54b)	"Prince Randall"	Howy Parkins	Bob Illes & Phil Walsh	March 1, 2001 (2001-03-01)
Randall blackmails King Bob into giving him the throne.
108 (55a)	"Me No Know"	Howy Parkins	Gail Glaze & Ford Riley	April 30, 2001 (2001-04-30)
Vince feels left out of the loop when everyone on the playground begins quoting lines from the latest screwball comedy, Me No Know and sets out to see the film, but Vince's parents refuse to let their son see the movie because it's too immature, so Vince decides to sneak out and see the movie anyway.
109 (55b)	"Good Ole T.J."	Howy Parkins	Libby Bideau & Sandy Adomaitis	April 30, 2001 (2001-04-30)
T.J. and Gretchen are finally partners for a project. Will it work?
110 (56a)	"Chez Vince"	Howy Parkins	Milton Chassman	May 7, 2001 (2001-05-07)
Vince becomes one of the greatest chefs in the history of the playground and making 'Chez Vince' and possibly even the world.
111 (56b)	"Tucked in Mikey"	Howy Parkins	Jack Monaco	May 7, 2001 (2001-05-07)
Menlo teaches Mikey to be more "organized", and Mikey starts changing
112 (57a)	"Old Folks Home"	Howy Parkins	Ford Riley	July 17, 2001 (2001-07-17)
The gang take a visit to the Old Folks' Home, only to be surprised.
113 (57b)	"Some Friend"	Howy Parkins	Mark Archuleta	July 17, 2001 (2001-07-17)
T.J. has a mysterious friend that appears to be Menlo.

Season 5 (2000–01)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
114 (58a)	"The Coolest Heatwave Ever"	Howy Parkins	Jack Monaco	September 9, 2000 (2000-09-09)
The gang try to find the school's back-up water valve on the hottest day of the year.
115 (58b)	"No Strings Attached"	Howy Parkins	Milton Chassman	September 9, 2000 (2000-09-09)
The gang is suspicious when The Ashleys give Spinelli six wrestling tickets.
116 (59a)	"Beyond a Reasonable Scout"	Howy Parkins	Catherine Lieuwen & Bart Jennett	September 16, 2000 (2000-09-16)
Mikey and Gus want to join the Woodchuck Scouts.
117 (59b)	"The C Note"	Howy Parkins	Steve Ochs	September 16, 2000 (2000-09-16)
When T.J. finds a $100 bill, the gang wants to spend it, but T.J. wants to give it back to the rightful owner.
118 (60a)	"The Army Navy Game"	Howy Parkins	Ford Riley	September 23, 2000 (2000-09-23)
When Gus's father finds out that Cornchip Girl's father is his archenemy who worked for the Navy, Gus and Cornchip Girl aren't allowed to see each other anymore, but they decide to share a secret friendship that their fathers won't know about.
119 (60b)	"Big Ol' Mikey"	Howy Parkins	Bart Jennett & David Pitlik	September 23, 2000 (2000-09-23)
Gretchen and Galileo conduct a test to find out how tall everyone will be when they are older—Vince will be 6'2, T.J will be 5'9, Spinelli will be 5'6, and Gus will be 6'4 and Galileo says that Mikey will be 50 feet, which causes Mikey to worry that he will be taller than he is now.
120 (61a)	"The Principals of Golf"	Howy Parkins	Ford Riley	November 4, 2000 (2000-11-04)
The kids think Vince is getting special treatment when he becomes Prickly's golf partner.
121 (61b)	"All the Principal's Men"	Howy Parkins	Jack Monaco	November 4, 2000 (2000-11-04)
The gang tries to find out who removed all the balls from the playground.
122 (62)	"Lawson and his Crew"	Howy Parkins	Phil Walsh	January 6, 2001 (2001-01-06)
Tired of TJ and his friends getting all the glory from King Bob, Lawson decides to get a new gang of his own together. 20 minute special

Season 6 (2001) (UPN and syndication)

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
123 (63)	"Terrifying Tales of Recess"	Howy Parkins	Children of the Cornchip: Mark Archuleta When Bikes Attack!: Jack Monaco Night of the Living Finsters: Bart Jennett	October 31, 2001 (2001-10-31)
In this episode, Butch tells viewers three terrifying tales of Recess. "Children of the Cornchip": Cornchip Girl tests some untested chips, and turns into a werewolf-like creature. "When Bikes Attack!": On a stormy day, Mikey's bike comes to life after being struck by lightning. "Night of the Living Finsters": Lawson dares Vince to spend the night beneath the Diggers' hole.
124 (64a)	"Kurst the Not So Bad"	Howy Parkins	Catherine Lieuwen	November 4, 2001 (2001-11-04)
Mikey's new friendship with Kurst the Worst doesn't sit well with their friends.
125 (64b)	"League of Randalls"	Howy Parkins	Mark Archuleta	November 4, 2001 (2001-11-04)
Randall recruits the Tylers, the Ashleys' little brothers, to help him snitch.
126 (65a)	"Mundy, Mundy"	Howy Parkins	Mark Archuleta	November 5, 2001 (2001-11-05)
Bad-guy Mundy becomes very popular after he prevents a ball from hitting a little kid.
127 (65b)	"Lost Leader"	Howy Parkins	Bart Jennett & Randy Fechtor	November 5, 2001 (2001-11-05)
TJ loses his confidence after a series of failed plans and refuses to lead the group.

Films

Recess Trilogy

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street"	Chuck Sheetz Susie Dietter	Paul Germain & Joe Ansolabehere	November 6, 2001 (2001-11-06)
2	"Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade"	Howy Parkins	Paul Germain & Joe Ansolabehere	December 9, 2003 (2003-12-09)
3	"Recess: All Growed Down"	Howy Parkins Brenda Piluso	Paul Germain & Joe Ansolabehere	December 9, 2003 (2003-12-09)

References

• Recess at IMDb
• Recess Trilogy
  • Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street at IMDb
  • Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade at IMDb
  • Recess: All Growed Down at IMDb

External links

W* List of Recess episodes at TV.com

• List of Recess episodes at Imdb.com

Crossover with Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch: The Series featured an episode titled "Lax" that featured the cast of Recess, when T.J. and the gang go on a school vacation to Hawaii. Notably, Recess was the only series that crossed over with Lilo & Stitch: The Series that was not a Disney Channel Original Series, and whose production had already ended before Lilo & Stitch: The Series first aired.

Disaster strikes when Dr. Hämsterviel and his henchman, Gantu, try to use an escaped alien experiment to make everyone relaxed while he takes over the world. Luckily, Gretchen saves the day, since she believes work is relaxing.

Films

Recess: School's Out

Main article: Recess: School's Out

Recess: School's Out is an animated film directed by Chuck Sheetz and is based on the television series where the characters must intercept a gang of anti-recess terrorists plotting to bring about a new ice age to eliminate the institution of summer vacation. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and was released theatrically nationwide on February 16, 2001.

Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street

Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street is a second direct-to-video animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures and Paul & Joe Productions, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, Plus One Animation (Korea) Co., Ltd. and Grimsaem Animation, Korea Co., Ltd., released to VHS and DVD on November 6, 2001 by Walt Disney Home Video. The film is a direct-to-video compilation of four unrelated episodes: "Principal for a Day", "The Great Can Drive", "Weekend at Muriel's", and the series' Christmas special "Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave", told as flashbacks by the school faculty members while stuck in a snowstorm. The video includes the voice talents of Dick Clark, Robert Goulet and James Earl Jones as well as many of the series regulars.

Recess: All Growed Down

Recess: All Growed Down is a Disney direct-to-video animated film released on December 9, 2003. After being kidnapped by kindergarteners, the main characters recall stories about how they used to get along with each other. It is a compilation of the episodes "The Legend of Big Kid", "Wild Child", and "The Kindergarten Derby", plus a new story showing the main characters as kindergarteners.

Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade

Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade (also known as Recess: Taking the 5th Grade) is a 59-minute Disney direct-to-video animated film released on December 9, 2003. It is a compilation of "No More School", "Grade Five Club", and "A Recess Halloween", three new stories that involve the main characters in fifth grade. The film serves as the series finale and the sequel to Recess: School's Out .

Home media

DVD

Title	Episode count	Release date	Episodes include
		Region 1	Season	Ep#	Title
School's Out	1	August 7, 2001	N/A	M1	School's Out
Miracle on Third Street	5	November 6, 2001	DTV	M2	Miracle on Third Street
			1	22	"The Great Can Drive"
			2	44	"Weekend at Muriel's"
				47	"Yes Mikey, Santa Does Shave"
				50	"Principal for a Day"
All Growed Down	8	December 9, 2003	DTV	M3	All Growed Down
					"Chief Mikey"
			1	16	"The Legend of Big Kid"
			2	35	"The Challenge"
				36	"Wild Child"
				43	"The Story of Whomps"
			3	52	"One Stayed Clean"
				56	"Kindergarten Derby"
Taking the Fifth Grade	6		DTV	M4	Taking the Fifth Grade
					"No More School"
					"Grade Five Club"
					"A Recess Halloween"
			1	1	"The Break In"
				2	"The New Kid"

Video-on-demand

Every episode of Recess is available on Disney+ in several countries, including the US and UK, along with most of the direct-to-video films.

Critical reception

Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz wrote favorably about Recess in their 2016 book TV (The Book), stating that the series is "Easily one of the smartest, most prankishly playful adult cartoons ever passed off as children's entertainment.... Recess is a highly ritualized bit of entertainment that strikes the same notes over and over again, but always in infinite variation and with a surprising eye for psychological grace notes, especially when characters you thought of as brusque and one-dimensional reveal their fears and dreams to one another."

Possible revival

In 2022, Joe Ansolabehere revealed that he and Paul Germain had been working on a potential revival stating, "We've come up with several different angles and we've tried different things. It's been four years that we've been working on it, but that's an example of how things have changed... things are slower."

External links

• Official website
• Recess at IMDb
• Recess at epguides.com
• Recess at Don Markstein's Toonopedia.