Recess

**Recess** is an American television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere. The series premiered on September 13, 1997 and ran for six seasons until November 5, 2001.

## Plot

The show portrayed the life of six elementary school students: popular and confident T.J. Detweiler, athletic Vince LaSalle, tough girl Ashley Spinelli, gentle giant Mikey Blumberg, smart Gretchen Grundler, and shy new kid Gus Griswald. The students of Third Street School sat up a microcosm of traditional human society complete with its own government, class system, and a set of unwritten laws. They were ruled by a monarch, King Bob, who had various enforcers to make sure his decrees are carried out. The little society had a long list of rigid values and social that imposed a high expectation of conformity among the students.

Most episodes involved one or more of the main six characters seeking a rational balance between individuality and social order. They were often defending their freedom against perceived threats by adults or social norms. The group's leader, T.J. Detweiler, tended to have the most complete vision of this struggle, though even he has times when he inadvertently lead the group too far toward an extreme of conformity or nonconformity.

## Cast and Characters

### Main

* Ross Malinger (Season 1-2) and Andrew Lawrence (Season 2-6) as Theodore Jasper "T.J." Detweiler
* Rickey D'Shon Collins as Vincent Pierre "Vince" LaSalle
* Pamela Adlon as Ashley Funicello Spinelli
* Ashley Johnson as Gretchen Priscilla Grundler
* Jason Davis as Michael Robert "Mikey" Blumberg
* Courtland Mead as Gustav Patton "Gus" Griswald

### Crossovers

* Lilo & Stitch: The Series ("Lax") - January 16, 2006

## Films

* Recess: School's Out (2001)
* Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street (2001)
* Recess: All Growed Down (2003)
* Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade (2003)

## 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 line-up on September 3, 2003. Fillmore!, The Legend of Tarzan, and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command were all pre-empted in favour 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. The show is also available as part of Disney+.

## Release

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

## Reception

### Critical Response

Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz wrote favourably 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." The female wrestler KC Spinelli takes her ring name from the character Spinelli from Recess.