Recess
Series, 1997, One Saturday Morning, Set in Third Street School
Recess is #14 of 22 in release order and #14 of 22 in chronological order in the ABC Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Join a group of six fourth-grade best friends at Third Street Elementary School on their fun-filled adventures in their school playground. Through the ups-and-downs of adolescence, they must wrestle with authority, avoid the school snitch, and try their best to win at kick-ball.
Recess recap
At Third Street School, recess is its own society, with rules, a king and a class system. TJ Detweiler is the leader of a tight group of fourth graders: the athlete Vince, the tough Spinelli, the genius Gretchen, the gentle giant Mikey and Gus, the shy new kid from a military family. They face off against the playground monitor Miss Finster, Principal Prickly, the snitch Randall and the tattling Ashley clique, while King Bob rules the playground from his jungle gym throne. Across four seasons, from 1997 to 2001, the episodes are mostly standalone stories about loyalty, fairness and staying true to friends. The theatrical film Recess: School's Out (2001) has the gang stop a former principal from abolishing summer vacation.
Recess ending explained
The TV series ended without a true finale; its last broadcast episodes in 2001 were the Halloween anthology "Terrifying Tales of Recess" and ordinary leftover stories. The 2003 direct-to-video film Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade works as the ending, sending the gang into fifth grade, where TJ takes on the school board and Spinelli worries she is too old for trick-or-treating.
Where to watch Recess
Recess is streaming on Disney+ in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 7.8/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Brand Spanking New! Doug, before Pepper Ann.
- Chronological order: after Brand Spanking New! Doug, before Pepper Ann.
Cast
- Rickey D'Shon Collins as Vince LaSalle (voice)
- Pamela Adlon as Ashley Spinelli (voice)
- Ashley Johnson as Gretchen Grundler (voice)
- Jason Davis as Mikey Blumberg (voice)
- Courtland Mead as Gus Griswald (voice)
- Andrew Lawrence as TJ Detweiler (voice)
- Ross Malinger as TJ Detweiler (voice)
- Lane Toran as King Bob (voice)
- Anndi McAfee as Ashley 'Ashley A' Armbruster (voice)
- Ryan O'Donohue as Randall Weems / Digger Dave (voice)
- April Winchell as Miss Muriel P Finster (voice)
- Allyce Beasley as Miss Alordayne Grotkey (voice)
Created by Paul Germain, Joe Ansolabehere.